How

The average first-year retention rate for 19 of Wingate’s comparable SACSCOC institutions is 75 percent, which is higher than all but three of the last 11 years of Wingate’s performance. Our average over the last 10 years has been 71 percent. So that’s how the goal of 73 percent was established. We have met this goal twice in the last five years.

In the last two academic years, multiple strategies have been implemented to improve retention including:

• General education program changes to help transfer and early college students as well as adult learners transition to Wingate.
• Development of a series of learning management system trainings to improve online teaching and learning pedagogy.
• Creation of a one-stop shop called Bulldog Central to assist students in-person and online as they navigate registration, billing, financial aid, etc.
• Launch of Winter Term and Maymester to help students catch up or move ahead.