@1QLeadership Question: What can college athletics teach us about retention rates?
We asked the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire Chancellor, Dr. Jim Schmidt, about the importance of athletics on a college campus. He gave us insight from research done at UW-Eau Claire which says there are key components that exists in college sports that can translate to higher retention if applied to campus in general.
- Meet students where they are academically, socially, mentally
- Sense of belonging
- Upperclass mentors
- Trusted adults
- Community
At UW-Eau Claire, Black men who are student-athletes have a retention rate in the 90% range, while those of the same group who aren’t athletes have a retention rate in the 70% range. Chancellor Schmidt talks about the goals and community strategies the school has put in place to focus on each student. He also talks about how a $70 million athletics facility helps to accomplish those goals. – One Question Leadership Podcast – Tai M. Brown