Office of Student Success & Retention

The Office of Student Success and Retention (OSSR) is within the Division of Academic Affairs and offers First Year Experience Programming, Tutorial and Academic Support, Retention Services, and Professional Advisors and Coordinators that provide support to first-year, transfer, and returning students. The Office of Student Success and Retention assists students with their transition to academia through academic accountability, support, and opportunities.

OSSR provides a continuum of program initiatives and services to promote a successful college transition, student development and self-efficacy, academic and personal success, engagement, timely graduation, and lifelong learning from the first year to graduation.

OSSR works collaboratively with campus partners across the institution and community stakeholders to implement program initiatives, services, and activities in support of increasing the freshman student retention rate; increasing learning opportunities and academic support for freshmen and upperclassmen students; implementing strategies to improve persistence and progression; enhancing the university wide engagement in the student success culture; and preparing students for service learning, experiential learning, internships, and careers.

First-Year Experience Programming

As an integral part of the Office of Student Success and Retention, First Year Experience programming assists first-year students in their transition to the university. The First Year Experience is an intentional and dynamic program designed to promote student success, retention, progression, and foster a sense of community.

While the First Year Experience begins at the New Student Orientation, first year students participate in the following First Year Experience components during your freshman year at Elizabeth City State University: First Year Advising, Freshman Seminar, Freshman Pinning Ceremony, Major Exploration, Major Fusion, Service Learning, and several Office-sponsored workshops focused on topics surrounding academic success at the institution.

First Year Academic Advising

Students entering the University as new freshmen are advised by a professional academic advisor, assigned according to their major. Freshmen transition to a faculty advisor in their chosen academic department after consecutively completing two full-time semesters. Professional advisors, known also as first-year advisors, are responsible for assisting students in transitioning from high school to college, major and career exploration, course registration and other transitional issues that may come up during the first year.

Specific responsibilities of the Academic Advising Program include the following: Providing guidance and support for understanding graduation requirements, delivering individual guidance to students to prepare their course schedules, maintaining accurate advising files and records of each student in E4U and supporting student success initiatives that help promote retention and persistence for freshmen.

Freshman Seminar

Freshman Seminars I and II are required courses for first year students. Freshman Seminar I and II expose students to the rich history and culture of the University and provide students with college essentials such as critical thinking skills, writing, time management, test-taking strategies, academic rules and regulations, and a variety of other skills and activities designed to support the transition from high school to college. Freshman Seminar I and II includes opportunities for students to participate in a service-learning project, university events, student success workshops, peer mentoring, capstone and e-Portfolio projects.

Freshman Pinning Ceremony

The Freshman Pinning Ceremony is a university tradition for first-year students. The ceremony serves as a charge to freshman students to pursue academic excellence and timely degree completion. It is a time-honored tradition that welcomes our newest Vikings to our Viking Family.

Experiential Learning

All freshman students will participate in experiential-learning through their Freshmen Seminar course to gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their skillsets, and future career goals. Through experiential learning, students enhance employability skills and prepare for other experiential learning opportunities. Students engage in an evaluative process for skills development.

Tutorial and Academic Support Services

Tutorial and Academic Support Services are offered through the institution’s peer-tutorial program designed to help support students in their academic studies. The program employs successful students as peer tutors based on their academic expertise in their respective majors and at the recommendation of faculty. The program is committed to promoting independent, active learning among the students it assists. Peer tutoring has a direct and positive effect on improving the academic performance of students enrolled in GE courses, as well as promoting a strong community among students, peer tutors, and faculty. The program works with individual students and with groups of students. The program works in conjunction with major departments to support students in critical courses that they need to be successful in the major. Online tutoring services are available from Tutor.com and can be accessed in each Canvas course. Online tutoring is provided at no cost to students by the University.

Gear Up Success Coach Program

GEAR UP North Carolina (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs in North Carolina) is a college access initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education and designed to increase the number of first-generation, low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Elizabeth City State University is one of only a few institutions in the state that offer GEAR Up retention coaching to first year students.

The GEAR UP Success Coach works to support first-year experiences at Elizabeth City State University. The students are from targeted high schools covering several counties within North Carolina. This is done through high-quality, high-touch coaching, providing accountability, and facilitating successful personal development. The GEAR UP Success Coach also strives to encourage interest in postsecondary education and build support for student success.

The Office of Retention

The Office of Retention provides support and academic interventions for first-year students. The office monitors first-year student engagement and assists students in accessing campus resources to support their continued progress at the institution.

The Office of Retention also provides intervention and academic recovery services for targeted and at-risk student populations (readmitted students, students on academic warning, academic probation, and academic suspension). The Office of Retention conducts prevention activities, targeted interventions, coordinates academic recovery, and tracks and reports the academic progress of students.

The Office of Retention supports students by promoting the growth and development of our students and collaborating with faculty and staff are central to all of our efforts is also dedicated to helping students overcome obstacles that may challenge student success (academic, social, financial, or personal).

Freshman Course Placement

First-year advisors evaluate first-time freshmen based on their SAT/ ACT test scores. Freshmen are automatically placed into ENGL 102 (unless dual enrollment, Early College credits have been determined to meet the requirement).

Students are placed in college- level mathematics courses based on the math score on the SAT/ ACT and degree requirements (unless dual enrollment, Early College credits have been determined to meet the requirement). A university Mathematics Placement is also available for students not meeting the criteria listed below.

Course Placement	SAT	ACT
MATH 114 MATH 115 MATH 121	Math Score of 470 or Below	Math Score of 17 or Below
MATH 118	Math Score of 480-520	Math Score of 18-20
MATH 165	Math Score of 530 or higher	Math Score of 21 or higher
	Score of 3 or higher on the AP Calculus AB Exam

College Learning Assessment

The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA+) provides a standardized assessment that complements course-based evaluation of student progress. It is a performance-based assessment that measures critical thinking, problem solving, scientific and quantitative reasoning, writing, and the ability to critique and make arguments. The assessment is administered to freshmen during the fall and to seniors during the spring semester.

Academic Catalog