Loyola University has released its report for the Student Success Summit, an initiative aimed at promoting student persistence to remain in school, re-enroll and graduate.

According to the final report, the summit aims to “develop and implement a multiphase, multiyear strategic plan with the goal of enhancing the quality of student life and learning.”

Marc Manganaro, provost and vice president of academic affairs, convened the summit on December 19, 2012. Five additional meetings took place in the spring semester, resulting in the presentation of the report to the Strategic Planning Team on May 8, 2013.

Thomas Spence, vice provost for institutional effectiveness, assessment and student success, was the chairman for the academic advising workgroup. Spence said that the initiative came about to guide Loyola through times of change.

“It’s sort of on a bit of a cycle, because we’re just coming to the end of the big 2012 strategic plan. Dr. Kvet is retired, we have a new provost; looking at the faculty, the faculty are over 50 percent new since Katrina, so, sort of, it’s time,” Spence said.

According to the report, there are more than 120 members representing the community as part of the summit, including a core group of 21 members that serves as a steering committee, and 100 workgroup members.

The report stated that there are eight total workgroups, each examining different parts of Loyola student life and the institutions that affect them.

While the report focuses on “the more immediate, short-term strategies and action plans” to improve student life, the summit will re-convene this academic year to develop longer-term strategies and action plans. Spence said that the workgroups plan to meet twice a semester this year to further craft and implement plans.

The summit stressed the importance of data in finding solutions. Spence said that the university looks to show the Loyola community how it uses all of the data it records, specifically the student surveys.

Elizabeth Rainey, director of retention and student success, said that one of the main benefits of the summit is shifting the entire campus’s attention to the quality of student life and learning.

“Everything that people do, if they work in HR or IT, everything is ultimately to serve students to be successful here. So it’s really just getting the whole campus talking about the same language and being familiar with what’s going on,” Rainey said.

Karl Gommel can be reached at [email protected]