Signals: The Relationships Behind the Number

This Signals edition — adapted for audio in the Next Practices feed — explores a question many institutions are facing: What does it actually take to sustain student success gains over time? Six years ago, Slippery Rock University was told that improving retention by a single percentage point wasn't realistic. This fall, they reached 86.4% — the highest in their history. The number matters. What's behind it matters more. In this episode, we examine what's driving that kind of progress — from relationship-rich partnerships to the discipline of stopping low-impact work — and why initiative fatigue, not effort, is often the real barrier. Drawing on SRU's experience and new insights from the Gardner Institute's 2025 Impact Report, this edition explores how institutions move from isolated initiatives to systems that compound results over time. Key links: The Gardner Institute's 2025 Impact Report From 81% to 86.4%: SRU's Playbook for Sustained Retention Gains CLOSE the Student Impact Gap: A Modern Operating Model for Student Success

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This episode was published on April 15, 2026.

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