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Connecting Customer Service and Student Satisfaction for Retention

Jessica Rimmer, Vice President for Student Engagement and Success; Jessica Creasong, Assistant to VPSES

Mid-America Christian University

Means to an End vs. an End in itself (Schreiner, ND)

Satisfaction is connected to persistence and institutional reputation

Student satisfaction looks different across student populations, but satisfaction always matters.

Student Satisfaction and Retention

Concerns about using customer service metrics in higher education.

“Adopting this framework frays the moral fabric of education and shortchanges students who are configured as consumers to please rather than characters to build.” (Schwartzman, 2013, p. 1)

Commodification of Higher Education

Can it be both?

Surveys

National Survey on Student Engagement

Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory

Institutionally created

Engagement vs. Satisfaction?

Current Enrollment: 2420

Two Colleges

Average Age: 21 traditional/ 38 non-traditional

42% Students of Color

26 Undergrad Degree programs; 4 Masters

Private, Faith-Based

Open enrollment standards

Mid-America Christian University Profile

VPSES and VPAA outline a vision for retention based on George Kuh’s work

Faculty and Administrative Think Tank review vision

Retention Committee Creates SWOT Analysis

Sub-group Creates Objective Statements

Objectives Reviewed by President and Executive Vice President

Sub-group creates goal statements

Committee is organized to achieve the plan

Retention Plan

4 Disciplines of Execution

Focus on the Wildly Important

Student Satisfaction as Wildly Important

FEAT (Friendly, Excellent, Accurate, Timely)

University Strategic Planning

MACU will put FEAT to its student centered services by achieving a 5% annual increase in its overall student satisfaction score by May 31, 2018

MACU WIG

Scoreboards

Campus Training

Dissemination of Survey Responses

Transformation of measurements

Saturation of FEAT Initiative

Initial Indicators

Contact:

Jessica Rimmer

jrimmer@macu.edu

Jessica Creasong

jcreasong@macu.edu

Questions