Linfield continues its partnership with Credo, a leading educational consulting company, to improve student retention and graduation rates. After the completion of the second year of this five-year arrangement, Gerardo Ochoa, vice president for enrollment management and student success, reports that first-year student fall-to-spring retention grew to 95%. This is the highest point it has been in years. Improving fall-to-spring retention is one indicator of growth in overall student retention. The Moving the Needle (MTN) initiative seeks to increase the fall-to-fall retention rate of Linfield’s first-time full-time students by five percentage points, from a three-year average of 81% to 86% by 2028. To date, MTN task forces have implemented Cat Compass, a tool designed for retention interventions; improved registration readiness; and streamlined communication for first-year incoming students.
