Loyola University New Orleans’ first year retention rate has dropped from 77 percent to 74 percent, creating a budget deficit and a concern for student success and satisfaction.

Sal Liberto, vice president for enrollment management and associate provost, called retention a “complicated issue” with many causing factors, but he believes that academic challenges are one of the strongest. “Students have performed poorly academically at higher rates than in previous years. We are doing everything we can to encourage student success. We encourage class attendance and that students ask for help. This is a campus that craves supporting students and making sure they are successful,” Liberto said Elizabeth Rainey, director of retention and student success, agrees. Rainey is working to make students more aware of resources around campus and encourages them to use these resources to their full advantage. She cited the Academic Resource Center, Writing Across the Curriculum and the Foreign Language Lab as tools for academic success.

“Loyola is the only school that I’ve worked at that has free tutoring and professors who are

definitely in their offices during office hour times. I want students to understand that we have wonderful faculty here,” she said.

Another factor of dropping retention is student engagement. The unique environment at Loyola may not appeal to all students, according to Liberto.

“Loyola is a little bit quirky. Students here are creative and dynamic and tolerant. If that environment is foreign to you, you may need to adjust or you may decide you will not adjust it. Our job is to make sure that students know what it’s like before they get here,” he said.

Elizabeth Rainey says that this year will be an interesting comparison to others since more sophomores are living off campus than ever before.

“Residential campuses do have higher retention rates, but some students are happier in their off- campus setting and pleased with that flexibility. We have programs for commuter students, but they’re hard to catch.

That’ll definitely be a challenge,” she said.

Rainey said that peer influence may be the greatest influence on student success and persistence. She said students should try to make connections on campus. “Put yourself out there once a week. If you’re feeling shy, invite someone to lunch. Generally, we have lovely students who won’t say no,” she said. Lauren Cutuli, mass communication junior, left Loyola her second semester freshman year. She transferred to the University of Connecticut, a school of 18,000. She expected the larger size and football team would improve her college experience.

“I left after first semester because I just was not adjusting well to the college life. I was

expecting it to be different, but it felt similar to high school to me. I focused all on school first semester and that was it. I decided I wanted to try going to a bigger university which I thought would provide me with the ‘college life’ I was looking for,” Cutuli said.

Cutuli said she knew in the first month that she wanted to come back to Loyola, and was happy to return for her sophomore year. “I thought about my professors my first semester and how well I did was because of them and being able to learn in a small classroom setting.

I also thought about the opportunities I would have through Loyola and within New Orleans. I think students looking to leave should really look at the whole aspect of Loyola. It is different, but that is what makes it so unique and rewarding,” she said. Liberto expects to see improvement next fall.

Jennie Gutierrez can be reached at [email protected]