Student Achievement Outcomes

Spalding University is a private, nonprofit, Catholic university in Louisville, Kentucky, founded by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Approximately half of Spalding’s students are enrolled in graduate programs, and degrees leading to professional licensure account for roughly one-third of the degrees the University offers. The undergraduate population includes a substantial share of transfer, adult, first-generation, and Pell-eligible students. The student achievement indicators described on this page were selected to reflect that profile rather than a single traditional-undergraduate measure.

Spalding monitors and annually assesses student achievement goals. Outcomes are monitored through Spalding’s internal assessment process and its institutional reports to The Commission on Colleges and Universities, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Reports are also submitted by individual academic programs to their specialized accrediting agencies. In addition to the information published through these institutional and program agencies, Spalding publishes this Student Achievement webpage, which is accessible to the public and updated annually.

Student achievement outcomes are used by all degree programs and certificates, at all levels, and for all instructional delivery formats to inform academic programs of areas of success and areas for improvement. Each degree program reports, evaluates, and plans specific improvements to support student achievement as part of Spalding’s annual program self-evaluation “report cards,” referred to as Program Outcomes Report Cards, or PORCs. Institution-level outcomes are reviewed by the Provost and the President’s Cabinet. Where an outcome falls below threshold, the responsible unit is expected to identify the cause and a specific response, which is reported in the following cycle. Spalding invests significant staff, space, and resources to provide a wide range of student support services, which are accessible to all students regardless of the delivery mode of their degree program.

Selection

In addition to selecting its eight-year graduation rate as its Key Student Completion Indicator (KSCI), Spalding has identified the following four areas as appropriate student achievement indicators to assess Spalding’s undergraduate and graduate student achievement. Each indicator was selected because it measures an outcome the mission calls for, applies to a substantial portion of the student body, and can be tracked over time against external or internal benchmarks.

1. Professional Licensure Examination Pass Rates (Graduate and Undergraduate)
2. Graduate Degree Completion Rates (Graduate, by program)
3. Credit Hour Completion Rate (Graduate, Undergraduate, and University Studies general education)
4. First-Time Full-Time Student Retention (Undergraduate)
5. Eight-Year Graduation Rate of First-Time Full-Time Baccalaureate Degree-Seeking Students (Undergraduate) (The Commission on Colleges and Universities Key Student Completion Indicator (KSCI))

Together these indicators address entry (retention), progress (credit hour completion), completion (graduate degree completion and the KSCI), and post-completion outcomes (licensure). A rationale connecting each of the above student achievement indicators to Spalding’s mission is provided in the narrative sections below.

Data Statement

Spalding University uses all students, as appropriate to the student achievement indicator, in examining data to determine whether an outcome is met. Data from all students enrolled at Spalding on the census day are utilized; sampling of academic programs, degrees, or courses is not used. The data in this document include all students regardless of degree delivery method and all course lengths.

Outcomes are disaggregated where the disaggregation is meaningful to the measure: licensure pass rates by program and, where the testing agency distinguishes them, for first-time test takers; graduate completion by program and degree level; credit hour completion by academic level and for general education courses. Spalding further analyzes its KSCI through six sub-populations of its first-time full-time students: retention, first-semester enrolled credit hours, gender, first-generation status, Pell receipt, and race/ethnicity (see Indicator #5). Institutional data are drawn from the University’s Colleague student information system and from the University’s annual IPEDS submissions; licensure data are drawn from the reports of the relevant licensing boards and testing agencies.

Outcome: The evaluation of the current data, including its source, that states the numerical value achieved in a given year, compares the observed value to the threshold and goal, and states whether each was met.

Spalding University’s Athletic Training, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Clinical Psychology, Education, Family Nurse Practitioner, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, and Social Work programs seek to have students successfully pass their professional licensure exams.

The following professional licensure degree programs are not included in the following outcomes:

• The recently opened Clinical Mental Health Counseling program achieved accreditation in August 2023 and received the maximum of eight (8) years CACREP accreditation. The licensure examination pass rates for the first students to graduate from the program will be provided when these outcomes become available.
• The Physical Therapy program opened in AY 2023-2024, and therefore there is no licensure exam pass rate data to report for this program at this time.
• The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program opened in AY 2024-2025, and therefore there is no licensure exam pass rate data to report for this program at this time.

Rationale

The “Professional Licensure Exam Pass Rate” student achievement indicator is an appropriate choice for Spalding due to Spalding’s emphasis on professional degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate degree levels. Degrees that lead to professional licensure account for approximately one-third of all degrees offered at Spalding. The prominence of professional licensure degrees within Spalding’s catalog aligns with the traditions of Spalding’s founders, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, which is directly referenced in Spalding’s Mission statement:

“Spalding University is a diverse community of learners dedicated to meeting the needs of the times in the tradition of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth through quality undergraduate and graduate liberal and professional studies, grounded in spiritual values, with emphasis on service and the promotion of peace and justice.”

Outcomes

100% pass rate. As the percentage of students passing the exam is higher than the threshold value of 70%, the threshold of acceptability was met. As the percentage of students passing the exam is higher than the aspirational goal of 70%, the aspirational goal was met. The threshold of acceptability and aspirational goal values are set to maintain accreditation requirements from the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE). The Athletic Training program has selected these values to maintain accreditation with the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).

Spalding’s Athletic Training Spalding program will continue to work with students in group and individual sessions on testing strategies and practice questions. The faculty will assess student improvement prior to their mock exams and the BOC exam and online test taking skills will be incorporated into courses. The program faculty will continue to review and revise quizzes and tests in the courses to align with the BOC testing environment and questions. The Athletic Training program will continue to hold structured advising sessions emphasizing BOC exam preparation during the year. The program will also continue to use the ACES BOC Exam preparation course and required students to sit both the NATA BOC.

85% of students taking the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) exam passed the EPPP exam within a year of doctoral degree conferral. As the percentage of students matching is higher than the threshold value of 70%, the threshold of acceptability was met. As the percentage of students matching is higher than the aspirational goal of 70%, the aspirational goal was met. The Doctorate in Clinical Psychology program has selected these values based upon the most recently reported EPPP pass rate for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

To support student success in the EPPP examination, the Doctor of Psychology program will continue the practice of assigning each students a one-to-one advisor throughout the student’s studies, which ensures that students have support and access to all materials. Students will also continue to practice interviewing in a series of mock interviews with area psychologists in November prior to the match interviews in December – January. The PsyD program, building upon the last two year’s all-virtual interview process, will teach students interview skills in both in-person and virtual interview formats. The PsyD program notes patterns in students’ qualifying exams and will continue to give a whole-cohort seminar to address deficiencies noted in the qualifying exams.

To support Spalding’s excellent internship match rate, the director of clinical training for the Doctor of Psychology program will continue to coordinate the practicum and internship experiences to ensure that Spalding’s students are prepared for a wide range of experiences upon entering internship. The students will also continue to complete at least 16 psychological assessments.

PRAXIS I and PRAXIS II: The combined pass rate was 100%. As the percentage of students passing the exams is higher than the threshold value of 51.5%, the threshold of acceptability was met. As the percentage of students passing the exams is higher than the aspirational goal of 85%, the aspirational goal was met. The College of Education has selected these values in the spirit of their accrediting body, Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), as CAEP does not require a minimum threshold or aspirational goal value.

The College of Education will continue to offer virtual and in-person Praxis Support Office appointments to support student success; resources for Spalding’s PRAXIS Support Office (PSO) will be reviewed and updated annually. Students entering an education degree program who do not met the PRAXIS I exemption requirements will continue to be mentored and coached by a PRAXIS support faculty member. The undergraduate Education program will continue to invite students who have expressed an interest in applying to the B.S. Education program to enroll in the Praxis I preparation module on Spalding’s Learning Management System (LMS), Canvas. The College of Education will continue to coordination with Spalding’s Center for Accessibility and Learning Equity, Reading Support, Writing Center, and the Math Lab student support services to support students preparing for PRAXIS I and PRAXIS II exams.

100% of Spalding students passed the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Examination the first time in the 2023 calendar year, the most recent year for which data is available, which exceeded the national first-time pass rate. As the percentage of students passing the exam the first time exceeds the threshold value of 84%, the threshold of acceptability was met. As the percentage of students passing the exam the first time exceeds the aspirational goal of 84%, the aspirational goal was met. The Family Nurse Practitioner Program has selected these values based upon the immediately previously reported national AANP first-time pass rate.

Of all of the Spalding students who took the AANP in 2023, including those re-sitting the exam, 82% passed. 73% of Spalding students passed the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) Examination the first time in the 2023 calendar year, the most recent year for which data is available. As the percentage of students passing the exam the first time is lower than the threshold value of 84%, the threshold of acceptability was not met. As the percentage of students passing the exam the first time is lower than the aspirational goal of 84%, the aspirational goal was not met.

It appears that the AANC pass rates are recovering and climbing back towards pre-COVID outcomes, but AANP outcomes are recovering more slowly. The FNP program director engaged in a root-cause analysis following the outlier 2023 outcomes; it appears to be multi-factorial, but the interruption of COVID-19 to students’ studies and workplaces appears to be a significant contribution. Also, the national board certification centers cancelled students’ testing dates several times, contributing to student re-scheduling difficulties and increasing test anxiety for students. Restrictions from the global pandemic COVID-19 meant that students in this 2023 testing cohort were unable to complete an entire semester of clinical hours (210 hours lost).

Following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, students have been able to complete the degree’s full 750 clinical hours. The FNP program implemented a new method to evaluate students for clinical competency, the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), which promotes increased communication between the faculty of clinical courses and clinical preceptors regarding progress of students in clinical sites. The FNP program has also established an FNP program-specific New Student Orientation to replace the general MSN orientation. The program continues to provide coaching sessions for each student by faculty to prepare for the ANCC and the AANP exams.

91.9% of all students who took the National Council Licensure Examination [for] Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) passed the examination. 76.5% of students who took the NCLEX-RN for the first time passed the examination. As the percentage of first-time takers who passed the exam is below the threshold value of 80%, the threshold of acceptability was not met. As the percentage of first-time takers who passed the exam is below the aspirational goal of 80%, the aspirational goal was not met. The School of Nursing has selected these values to maintain accreditation with the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

The School of Nursing will continue to incorporate Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI) practice questions throughout the pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in order to increase students’ exposure to NCLEX-style questions, increase their application abilities, and increase their clinical decision-making skills. At-risk students will continue to be referred by the course faculty member to a School of Nursing Success Coach for each unsatisfactory performance evaluation, who will develop an individualized learning program for the student. Students struggling with dosage calculations will continue to be referred to the Math Lab in the Student Success Center.

Students in NURS 495 will continue to be prepared for the NCLEX-RN examination by: taking a pre-test to identify their strengths and areas requiring improvement; faculty feedback at each class meeting addressing areas requiring improvement; and taking the ATI Assessment and meeting with their assigned ATI coach for each module and completing their required benchmarks. Students not achieving the benchmark will be required to do remediation and be reassessed. At the conclusion of the course, students will take a comprehensive test that is intended to serve as an NCLEX-RN passing predictor.

94% of students who took the exam in AY 2023-2024 passed the National Board of Certification for Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam. A second group of 17 Occupational Therapy Doctoral students took the NBCOT exam in spring 2024, but the results have not yet been received for 7 of the students. As the percentage of students passing the exam exceeds the threshold value of 80%, the threshold of acceptability was met. As the percentage of students passing the exam meets the aspirational goal of 80%, the aspirational goal was met. The Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy has selected these values to maintain accreditation with the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).

The Occupational Therapy Doctorate program will continue integrating at least one lab competency or performance skill-testing into each Evaluation, Intervention, and Outcome course (OT 740, 750, 760, 770, 790, and 800) assessed through competency testing, pass/fail performance skill demonstrations, and/or lab practicals. This supports continuous improvement of student competencies in areas covered within the examination.

66.7% of Clinical students who took the Association of Social Boards (ASWB) Examination for the first time in calendar year 2021, the most recent outcomes available, passed the exam. 44.4% of Master’s students who took the Association of Social Boards (ASWB) Examination for the first time in calendar year 2021, the most recent outcomes available, passed the exam. As the percentage of students passing the exam the first time is below the threshold value of 70%, the threshold of acceptability was not met. As the percentage of students passing the exam the first time is below the aspirational goal of 70%, the aspirational goal was not met. The School of Social Work has selected these values to maintain accreditation with the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

The most recent results (from 2021) are outliers in the School of Social Work long-term trend and reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon social work students. Not only were these students’ academic studies disrupted by campus closures and an unexpected and sudden pivot to an entirely distance education learning environment, but also limited the number of practicum hours students were allowed to engage in (this reduction was recommended to all social work programs by the accrediting body CSWE). This subsequently restricted the time students had to master clinical skills. The Master’s (CSW) exam, in particular, is highly focused upon clinical skills, and therefore the outcomes (44.4%) illustrate the effect of these restricted practicum hours. CSW is an initial licensure, while students must wait two post-graduation and complete post-graduate hours (full-time) with a LCSW level supervisor in order to be eligible to take the LCSW exam. While part of their clinician hours would have been completed prior to the pandemic, their workplaces and case load were affected negatively by COVID-19.

The practicum portion of the degree requirement has reverted to pre-pandemic requirements, as has the course delivery format (returning to face to face). The School of Social Work also enhanced and expanded the clinical content in the curriculum. The School will continue to monitor the impact of these changes as the pass rates are expected to return or exceed pre-COVID-19 outcomes.

Spalding University’s graduate programs seek to have students successfully graduate from those programs.

Rationale

Approximately half of Spalding’s students are enrolled in graduate degree programs. Students successfully completing their graduate studies supports Spalding’s Mission, which includes a directive to provide quality education at the graduate degree level:

“Spalding University is a diverse community of learners dedicated to meeting the needs of the times in the tradition of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth through quality undergraduate and graduate liberal and professional studies, grounded in spiritual values, with emphasis on service and the promotion of peace and justice.”

Individual Program Graduate Degree Completion Rates (150% of program length)

GRADUATE DEGREE COMPLETION BY ACADEMIC PROGRAM — Master’s Degrees

GRADUATE DEGREE COMPLETION BY ACADEMIC PROGRAM — Doctoral Degrees

Spalding University students will successfully complete the courses for which they are registered, where success is defined as achievement of a passing final grade in the course.

Rationale

Students successfully completing their registered courses supports the successful completion of their studies. This Student Achievement Indicator is supported by Spalding’s Mission, which includes a directive to provide quality education at the undergraduate and graduate degree levels in all degree programs:

“Spalding University is a diverse community of learners dedicated to meeting the needs of the times in the tradition of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth through quality undergraduate and graduate liberal and professional studies, grounded in spiritual values, with emphasis on service and the promotion of peace and justice.”

Spalding University seeks to retain first-time, full-time (FTFT) baccalaureate degree-seeking students from their first to their second year.

Rationale

First-to-second-year retention is the earliest reliable indicator of degree completion and is the measure most directly influenced by the University’s first-year academic and student support structures. This choice of Student Achievement Indicator is supported by Spalding’s Mission, which defines the Spalding community as one comprised of diverse learners and commits the University to their success:

“Spalding University is a diverse community of learners dedicated to meeting the needs of the times in the tradition of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth through quality undergraduate and graduate liberal and professional studies, grounded in spiritual values, with emphasis on service and the promotion of peace and justice.”

Methodology

The retention rate is the percentage of the fall entering cohort of first-time, full-time baccalaureate degree-seeking students who are enrolled at Spalding on the census date of the following fall term, as reported to IPEDS. The cohort and the retained count are drawn from the University’s IPEDS Fall Enrollment submission and reconcile to the published IPEDS figures.

Outcomes

Improvement

The improvement in retention follows several structural changes to the first-year experience implemented between 2022 and 2024. The actions most directly tied to retention are:

• Beginning in 2022, first-year students and first-semester transfer students are required to meet with an advisor to register for classes.
• Beginning in 2023, first-year students other than those enrolled as fully online students register only for in-person sections of their first-year courses and are encouraged to register for 15 credit hours; first-year students are registered in cohorts.
• In 2023 the University established a centralized Student Success Hub, co-locating advising, accessibility services, academic support, career services, and success coaching in the library.
• In 2024 the University implemented Slate for Student Success, which supports faculty progress reports, early-alert referrals, outreach campaigns, and intervention tracking.
• In AY 2024–25 undergraduate course sessions moved from six-week to eight-week terms to support fall-to-spring persistence.
• The Athletics Department, in coordination with Advising, Financial Aid, Admissions, and Residence Life, expanded the Eagle Success student-athlete success and mental health program (funded through a SLIAC grant) and incorporated Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) screeners into student-athlete orientation.

In fall 2025 the University opened new baccalaureate degrees in Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Professional Writing and a minor in business applications of artificial intelligence, and in late 2025 implemented the federally funded TRIO Student Support Services program serving eligible first-generation, low-income, and disabled students. The effect of these additions on retention will first be visible in the fall 2025 cohort’s retention to fall 2026, to be reported in the next cycle.

For AY 2026–27, the Division of Student Success and Experience will conduct a mid-fall persistence check on the fall 2026 cohort against the fall 2025 baseline using Slate progress-report data. The Division of Student Success and Experience and Institutional Research will continue to monitor retention by cohort and by student characteristic, and the aspirational goal will be reviewed for the next cycle.

Spalding University seeks to graduate first-time, full-time baccalaureate degree-seeking students within eight years of entry.

Selected Key Student Completion Indicator

Spalding University’s selected Key Student Completion Indicator (KSCI) for The Commission on Colleges and Universities is the eight-year (200%-of-normal-time) graduation rate of first-time, full-time baccalaureate degree-seeking students, reported annually to the U.S. Department of Education through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). The KSCI reported here reconciles to Spalding’s published IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR200) data.

Rationale

The eight-year measure was selected because Spalding’s undergraduate population includes a substantial share of adult, first-generation, and working students, for whom completion frequently extends beyond the six-year window of the standard IPEDS graduation rate. A measure that captures completion at 200% of normal time more fully reflects the University’s contribution to those students’ degree attainment. The choice is supported by Spalding’s Mission, which directs the University to meet the needs of the times through quality undergraduate liberal and professional studies:

“Spalding University is a diverse community of learners dedicated to meeting the needs of the times in the tradition of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth through quality undergraduate and graduate liberal and professional studies, grounded in spiritual values, with emphasis on service and the promotion of peace and justice.”

Methodology

The eight-year graduation rate is the percentage of a fall entering cohort of first-time, full-time baccalaureate degree-seeking students who completed a bachelor’s degree at Spalding within eight years of entry, as defined by IPEDS. Cohort counts are adjusted for allowable exclusions as permitted by IPEDS. Because the measure lags entry by eight years, the most recent reportable cohort in the current cycle is the fall 2017 entering cohort. The University also tracks the four- and six-year rates of the same cohorts, which allow earlier assessment of the effect of interventions that cannot yet be observed in the eight-year rate.

Threshold of Acceptability and Aspirational Goal

Threshold of Acceptability: 49%. This value is the mean eight-year graduation rate of the three cohorts preceding the current reportable cohort (fall 2014, 2015, and 2016 entering cohorts: 59%, 43%, and 45%). Consistent with the method used for Indicators #2, #3, and #4, the three-year mean is used so that the threshold reflects the University’s actual recent performance with its current student population rather than a single cohort’s result; the threshold is recalculated each cycle as the three-cohort window rolls forward. The threshold is established in this cycle and is applied to the fall 2017 entering cohort, the current reportable cohort.

Aspirational Goal: 60% by the fall 2022 entering cohort (reported in 2030). This value exceeds the highest eight-year rate the University has recorded (59%, fall 2014 cohort) and the median eight-year rate of 56% for Spalding’s IPEDS comparison group of private not-for-profit master’s institutions (fall 2016 cohort, 2025 IPEDS Data Feedback Report). The fall 2022 cohort was selected because it is the first cohort to enter under the full set of advising, first-year, and student success changes implemented between 2022 and 2025 and described in the Improvement section below. In the interim the goal serves as the University’s aspiration for each reportable cohort, and it will be reviewed annually as new cohorts become reportable.

KSCI Performance Data (Aggregated)

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates 200% (GR200) locked submission files, Office of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence. Cohort sizes are adjusted for allowable IPEDS exclusions. Change columns are in percentage points; the fall 2012 cohort is the baseline. The threshold and aspirational goal were established in this cycle and are applied to the fall 2017 cohort. Rates for the fall 2012 through fall 2016 cohorts have been reconciled to the IPEDS locked files and in some cases differ slightly from figures reported in prior cycles.

The eight-year graduation rate for the fall 2017 entering cohort is 58% (95 of 164). As the outcome is higher than the threshold of acceptability of 49%, the threshold of acceptability was met. As the outcome is lower than the aspirational goal of 60%, the aspirational goal was not met. The outcome is 13 percentage points above the fall 2016 cohort and 12 points above the fall 2012 baseline, and is within two points of the aspirational goal set for the fall 2022 cohort.

Across the six reported cohorts, most degree completion occurs within six years: the six-year rate ranges from 39% (fall 2012) to 58% (fall 2014), and the eight-year window has added between zero and seven percentage points, a mean of about two points. The fall 2017 cohort’s eight-year rate of 58% is the second-highest in the period, and its four-year rate of 46% is the highest reported. The fall 2018 cohort’s six-year rate is 52% (IPEDS Graduation Rates, 150% of normal time), in line with the fall 2014 and fall 2017 cohorts.

KSCI Performance Data by Student Sub-Population

The source for the data in the following tables is Spalding’s Office of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence, drawn from the IPEDS GR200 adjusted cohorts for the fall 2015, 2016, and 2017 entering classes. Spalding analyzes its KSCI through six sub-populations of its first-time, full-time baccalaureate degree-seeking students: retention to the second year; first-semester enrolled credit hours; gender; first-generation status; Pell receipt at entry; and race/ethnicity. For each sub-population the tables report the size and share of the entering cohort, the number of eight-year graduates, and the eight-year graduation rate, together with the eight-year rate of the students in each sub-population who were retained to the second year.

FALL 2015

Source: Office of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence, from the IPEDS Graduation Rates 200% (GR200) adjusted cohorts. “Retained to Year 2” means enrolled in the fall term following entry; every eight-year graduate in the three cohorts was retained to the second year, so the eight-year rate of retained students is calculated on the same graduates against the retained sub-cohort. “Other groups” combines Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, nonresident, and race/ethnicity unknown. First-semester credit hours are those enrolled at the fall census. Rates are rounded to the nearest whole percent; rates for sub-populations of fewer than 10 students should be interpreted with caution.

FALL 2016

Source: Office of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence, from the IPEDS Graduation Rates 200% (GR200) adjusted cohorts. “Retained to Year 2” means enrolled in the fall term following entry; every eight-year graduate in the three cohorts was retained to the second year, so the eight-year rate of retained students is calculated on the same graduates against the retained sub-cohort. “Other groups” combines Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, nonresident, and race/ethnicity unknown. First-semester credit hours are those enrolled at the fall census. Rates are rounded to the nearest whole percent; rates for sub-populations of fewer than 10 students should be interpreted with caution.

FALL 2017

Source: Office of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence, from the IPEDS Graduation Rates 200% (GR200) adjusted cohorts. “Retained to Year 2” means enrolled in the fall term following entry; every eight-year graduate in the three cohorts was retained to the second year, so the eight-year rate of retained students is calculated on the same graduates against the retained sub-cohort. “Other groups” combines Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, nonresident, and race/ethnicity unknown. First-semester credit hours are those enrolled at the fall census. Rates are rounded to the nearest whole percent; rates for sub-populations of fewer than 10 students should be interpreted with caution.

Targeted KSCI Improvement Actions

Because the KSCI lags entry by eight years, the actions listed below, implemented between 2022 and 2025, will first be reflected in the eight-year rate of the fall 2022 cohort, reported in 2030. In the interim, the University evaluates these actions through first-year retention (Indicator #4), credit hour completion (Indicator #3), and the four- and six-year rates of the cohorts they affect.

Advising and First-Year Structure

• First-year students and first-semester transfer students are required to meet with an advisor to register (since 2022).
• First-year students register for in-person sections of first-year courses, are encouraged to enroll in 15 credit hours, and are registered in cohorts (since 2023).
• Accuplacer testing is administered earlier, during orientation, so that placement in USM-090 College Math Preparation and USR-092 College Reading is completed before the first term.

Student Success Systems

• Student Success Hub established in the library, co-locating advising, accessibility, academic support, career services, and success coaching (2023).
• Slate for Student Success implemented for faculty progress reports, early-alert referrals, outreach campaigns, and intervention tracking (2024).
• TRIO Student Support Services program implemented for eligible first-generation, low-income, and disabled students (late 2025).

Career Design Center

• Mentoring Teams, in which students identify and build on strengths and practice working within a team (started 2024).
• Career Conference, providing professional headshots and practice in networking and interview preparation (started 2024).

Athletics

• Eagle Success coaching promoted to individual student-athletes and whole teams (started 2023).
• Student-athletes set three personal goals at the start of AY 2024–25 with their coach and the Director of the Career Design Center, translated into skill sets and reviewed at year end.

Financial Aid

• Student financial literacy programming, with student loan default rates used as one measure of effectiveness.

Orientation

• Enrolling Eagles/BeSU new-student orientation (since summer 2015), with First-Year Experience programming and SU-100 First-Year Seminar.

Origin of the Interventions

The majority of the interventions above developed from the findings of Spalding’s internal causal analysis of student retention and persistence by the Retention Task Force and its five sub-committees. The Retention Report was published and presented to the faculty and staff Community Assembly in fall 2014. Among the first actions taken in response were the creation of a designated Student Success Coach position in the Office of Advising (fall 2015), working directly with conditionally admitted students and students identified as at-risk by faculty, and a summer 2014 retreat that redesigned the first-year seminar: the curriculum, materials, and learning outcomes were standardized across sections, the course was renamed SU-100 and extended from six to twelve weeks, and mandatory instructor training was implemented in fall 2014. The Task Force also identified college readiness as a factor in first-year attrition, which led to the developmental course sequence (USM-090, USR-092) and, later, to earlier Accuplacer testing during orientation.

Actions Planned in the Prior Cycle and Their Status

The prior cycle identified a set of interventions planned for calendar year 2023. Their implementation status is as follows:

• Accuplacer math testing moved to the summer Enrolling Eagles/BeSU orientation events (first event May 2023) — implemented.
• Reading Lab and Math Lab resources embedded in undergraduate courses in Canvas (fall 2023) — implemented.
• CHEM 106 restored as a required course for the pre-licensure B.S. in Nursing (fall 2023) — implemented.
• B.S. in Nursing Year 3 and Year 4 courses expanded from six to twelve weeks — implemented; NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate rose from 76.5% (2023) to 84.2% (2024) and 92.9% (2025) (see Indicator #1).
• Honors Program launched (fall 2023) — implemented.
• Cohort registration and in-person-only first-year sections for freshmen (fall 2023) — implemented; first-to-second-year retention reached 75% for the fall 2024 cohort (see Indicator #4).
• SU-100 content and scheduling reorganized (fall 2023) — implemented.
• Career Design Lab implemented (July 2023), modeled on the KY First initiative — implemented; Mentoring Teams and the Career Conference followed in 2024.
• Advising relocated to the library to join CALE, the Math Lab, the Writing Center, Career Services, and the Reading Lab as a student retention hub, with staff cross-trained as Success Coaches (summer 2023) — implemented.
• Collaborative review of math resources and curricula by math faculty and Math Lab staff (spring 2023) — implemented.

For AY 2026–27, the Office of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence will continue to report the four-, six-, and eight-year rates by cohort and by student characteristic through EagleData, and the University will review the KSCI threshold and aspirational goal annually as new cohorts become reportable.

Spalding University continuously evaluates student achievement outcomes and uses institutional data to identify opportunities to improve retention, persistence, and degree completion. Through collaboration among Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, Institutional Research, and the Division of Student Success and Experience, the University has developed an integrated student success ecosystem designed to address the academic, personal, financial, and engagement barriers that affect student achievement.

Academic Success and Advising Initiatives. Spalding supports student achievement through a range of academic success initiatives, including the SU-100 First-Year Seminar; USM-090 College Math Preparation and USR-092 College Reading; undergraduate advising and Success Coaching; Academic Recovery Plans for students on academic notice; Success Plans for conditionally admitted students; the Bridge to SU summer bridge program; the Eagle Scholars Program for incoming students with high school GPAs between 2.0 and 2.49; and program-level mentoring and support. Academic support services are further provided through the Math Lab, Reading Lab, Writing Center, Career Services, and the Library. An annual fall Majors Fair, established in 2016 as a required activity within SU-100, introduces first-year students to faculty across programs and to program admission requirements early in their studies.

Student Success Hub and Coordinated Care Model. In 2023, Spalding established a centralized Student Success Hub by co-locating advising, accessibility services, academic support services, career services, and success coaching in the library, and cross-trained staff across these offices in student success practices and intervention strategies. The TRIO Student Support Services program, established in 2025, is also housed in the library. This integrated model enables earlier identification of student needs and more coordinated support across functional areas.

Data-Informed Student Success Systems. Spalding created the position of Senior Director of Business Intelligence in 2021 with primary responsibility for institutional research and its communication to administrators, chairs, program directors, and coordinators. The Office of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence provides dashboards and reports through EagleData, a centralized access point on the University’s internal portal, giving faculty, staff, and administrators access to historical, point-in-time, and comparative retention, persistence, enrollment, and academic performance data. In 2024 the University transitioned from Navigate to Slate for Student Success, an institution-wide platform supporting academic progress reporting, early-alert referrals, outreach campaigns, appointment scheduling, and intervention tracking.

Student Engagement and Sense of Belonging. Recognizing the connection between engagement and persistence, Spalding offers programs designed to foster belonging and community, including Enrolling Eagles/BeSU orientation; First-Year Experience programming, created in 2015, in which second-year students serve as peer mentors and the year concludes with a First-Year Celebration; Student Engagement initiatives; Residence Life programming; student organizations and leadership opportunities; Convocation; The Nest student gathering space; and Athletics participation and support.

Holistic Student Support Services. To reduce non-academic barriers to achievement, the University provides the Office of Student Accessibility Services, Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS), the Eagle Care Clinic, the SUSTAIN Student Emergency Fund, the Pelican Pantry, and the Compassion Action Team (CAT).

Equity-Focused Student Achievement Initiatives. Spalding analyzes KSCI and retention outcomes by Pell status, first-generation status, race/ethnicity, gender, and first-semester credit hours to identify achievement gaps and inform targeted interventions (see Indicators #4 and #5). Programs designed to support populations with historically lower completion rates include Success Coaching, Bridge to SU, the Eagle Scholars Program, Accessibility Services, SUSTAIN emergency funding, and the Pelican Pantry. In late 2025, Spalding expanded these efforts through the federally funded TRIO Student Support Services program, which provides academic support, financial literacy education, individualized coaching, graduate school preparation, and academic skill development for eligible first-generation, low-income, and disabled students.

Recent Improvement Initiatives and Their Evaluation. Since 2023, Spalding has implemented several initiatives intended to improve retention, persistence, and graduation outcomes:

• Transition from six-week to eight-week undergraduate course sessions (AY 2024–25)
• Slate for Student Success implementation, with faculty progress reports and referral processes (2024)
• Cohort registration and in-person-only first-year sections for first-year students (2023)
• Earlier administration of Accuplacer testing during orientation (2023)
• Expanded Reading Lab and Math Lab resources within Canvas (2023)
• Career Design Center implementation (2023) and Mentoring Teams and Career Conference (2024)
• Honors Program implementation (2023)
• Curriculum enhancements within Nursing (CHEM 106 restored; Year 3–4 courses lengthened to twelve weeks) designed to support progression, completion, and licensure success (2023)
• TRIO Student Support Services (2025)

Institutional Research and Student Success leadership evaluate these initiatives through retention, persistence, credit completion, academic performance, and graduation outcomes. Early evidence includes the increase in first-to-second-year retention to 75% (Indicator #4) and the increase in the NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate from 76.5% (2023) to 92.9% (2025) (Indicator #1). Where outcomes have moved in the wrong direction, as with credit hour completion in AY 2025–26 (Indicator #3), the same data systems are used to locate the decline and direct the response.