Over the last five years, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has strategically invested in key areas, driving record-setting first-year retention and four-year graduation rates. 

As the UI’s largest college, enrolling approximately 14,000 students and conferring more than 60% of all undergraduate degrees, CLAS plays an outsized role in student success. Collegiate investments in academic advising, support services, and improved teaching methods have increased the college’s first-to-second year student retention rate 5% to nearly 90% over the last five years and increased the transfer student retention rate 7% to 87% last year. The college’s four-year graduation rate is also up 8% to 61.5%. 

“We have experienced substantial improvements over the last five years,” said Cornelia Lang, associate dean for undergraduate education. “It has been remarkable to see the care and commitment from our faculty and staff to improve student outcomes—we aren’t finished yet.” 

Growing, developing academic advising  

Recognizing the importance of personalized guidance and academic planning, the college has expanded its academic advising team, which serves more than 8,500 students in their second year and beyond, who are pursuing 69 majors across 40 departments. 

Now a team of 31 advisors, caseloads on average are down about 100 students per advisor, granting them more time to provide additional one-to-one support for their students and to answer timely questions about future semesters and career or graduate school planning. 

Additionally, CLAS relocated its advising leadership team into a new centrally located office space on the first floor of UCC, offering drop-in office hours for the first time and expanding drop-in advising hours during early registration. Though committed to embedding advisors in academic units across the college, the central space provides options when students need advice quickly. 

“With traditionally heavy caseloads, it can be challenging for students to schedule an appointment at the last minute,” said Diane Hauser, director of CLAS advising. “But with more advisors on staff and hours reserved for drop-ins, we can reach students where they are.” 

CLAS advisors also work with transfer students entering from a community college or other four-year institution with previous coursework and have increased retention and graduation rates for these students through personalized support and direct communications.    

Prioritizing student services, wellbeing  

In addition to proactive academic advising, the college has prioritized preventive support and high-touch interventions to help retain students who are struggling academically, resulting in a significant drop in the number of students on academic probation from nearly 9% in 2017 to just over 4% in spring 2025.

CLAS student services staff have addressed these issues both individually and holistically. They reach out to each student to provide advice, connect them with academic workshops and services, and work on personalized interventions. Staff also analyze data to understand trends and patterns across cohorts of students to address underlying issues that may be affecting them more broadly.  

“Our goal is to provide these students with the necessary support and resources to help them get back on track, and the results have been truly inspiring," said Monica Madura, director of retention and student services in CLAS. "Students have expressed their heartfelt gratitude, sharing how our efforts have transformed their college experience and given them a renewed sense of hope and opportunity, even in the face of challenging circumstances.”  

Often, academic performance problems can be tied to other extenuating circumstances. With that in mind, the college collaborates with many campus partners, including the Student Care and Assistance team in the Dean of Students Office, to connect students with basic needs like food, clothing, and other emergency resources. The college is also actively addressing mental health and wellbeing with the hiring of its first ever student care manager, Emily Hurst. 

“I can speak to both mental health challenges and academic challenges students who are referred to our office might be experiencing,” Hurst said. “I’m also the person that staff, instructors, and faculty can reach out to when they're struggling with a situation with a student that might be related to student wellbeing.”  

A focus on student success in teaching  

As part of the university’s strategic plan to prioritize excellence in teaching and learning, UI and collegiate leaders have invested in more than a dozen teaching and learning initiatives, including the creation of more hands-on learning opportunities for students, mentorship programs for graduate student teaching assistants, and the use of peer learning assistants for undergraduates. 

The college has also participated in university-offered professional development opportunities for faculty, like the creation of faculty fellowships to support teaching and learning initiatives and supporting instructor attendance at national teaching conferences. These experiences have resulted in CLAS faculty receiving national recognition, implementing cutting-edge, best practices in teaching, and developing innovative General Education course offerings.  

CLAS faculty efforts in this area also include the redesign of several large-enrollment introductory STEM courses, taken primarily by first- and second-year students, to improve student experiences and learning outcomes in the departments of biology, chemistry, computer science, health and human physiology, mathematics, and statistics. Success in those courses can translate to long-term achievement throughout a student’s academic career and beyond.  

“Teaching and learning are always evolving, so it's nice that this program has helped provide us with those resources,” said Kelli Taeger, associate professor of instruction in the Department of Health and Human Physiology, who was recognized last year by several graduating students in an exit survey for having an impact on their success.  

“Student learning has changed, technology has changed, and this collaboration has helped us think about how we can change along with it and what we can do to present the best product possible for our students,” Taeger said of the STEM course redesign project.  

The college’s improvement in retention and graduation rates shows these investments across the university in student success are having a real impact for students, helping them achieve their academic goals. 

In an anonymous survey, several students expressed gratitude for the help and support they received from faculty and staff in the college.  

One student wrote, “I lacked a conventional support system. In the course of our discussion, it was suggested that professors and my advisor could serve in this capacity. Consequently, I endeavored to establish close relationships with them throughout the semester. I am inclined to believe that this effort significantly contributed to any successes achieved this term."