Student Success & Retention Awards

Revised Dates

• April 2 – College-level awards application due to the college selection committee

• April 9 – Copy of each college-level winner’s application and runner-up due to the Provost

• May 15 – University-level winners will be announced by this date

The Department Student Success and Retention Awards recognize exceptional activities that involve broad, collaborative participation within academic departments or schools to support student success and improve retention at the undergraduate level. The awards celebrate innovation or the adaption of best practices to local circumstances and provide a vehicle for sharing them with others.

Recognition is accorded at the college level and university level. $1,000 will be awarded to a department or school within each college. $10,000 will be awarded to a single department or school from among the pool of college winners. Winners will be announced by May 15. The awards will be deposited in foundation accounts of the winning departments or schools to be used at their discretion within the bounds of normal regulations.

View 2019-2020 Submissions

Activities to be considered by selection committees

The Covid-19 pandemic has required flexibility and quick innovation across the university, including those that affect student success and retention. Although the range of activities that may be considered by the selection committees is broad, and the list below is not meant to be exhaustive, submissions must address how departments adjusted their practices or introduced new ones in response to the circumstances of students during the pandemic. In addition, all submissions must include advising among the activities addressed.

• Use of active or experiential learning pedagogies
• Curriculum redesign with the aim of retaining and graduating students
• Reward structures for faculty (such as protocols for the evaluation of teaching) that encourage practices that support student success and retention, including advising
• Engagement with students in co-curricular activities or other activities outside the classroom Alignment of curriculum and co-curricular activities with career pathways
• Use of data to inform and assess change
• Special support services, such as peer mentoring or tutoring programs
• Support targeting special populations
• Advising practices
• Process improvement
• Early alert mechanisms
• Innovative class scheduling

Criteria for selection

In judging submissions, selection committees will consider the alignment of practices with the undergraduate student profile of UA-Little Rock, the impact of particular activities, the range of activities, the transferability of the practices to other departments or schools, and the degree of involvement of faculty and staff across the department or school.

Selection

All departments and schools are eligible to submit applications, except the university winner of the 2019-20 award.

The college committees that selected the Faculty Excellence Award winners will select the college winners.

Each college selection committee will select a winner and a runner-up. The Foundation Fund Board of Directors will select the university winner from among the college winners. The $1,000 college­level award of the college from which the university-level award is selected will go to the runner-up in that college.

Procedure

Administration of the award process

Administrative support for the award process shall be the responsibility of the Office of the Provost.

Preparation of nomination packets

Department chairs or school directors are responsible for the preparation of application packets containing the information specified under the “Content and Format of Applications” section below. Format rules (page limitation, font size, and spacing) are enforced.

Submission of applications and timeline

One copy of each application for the college-level awards shall be submitted to the college selection committee no later than April 2.

One copy of each college-level winner’s application shall be forwarded to the Provost no later than April 9. The identification of each college-level runner-up shall also be forwarded to the Provost by April 9.

Selection committee action

College-level selection committees shall meet as necessary in order to complete the selection of the award winner and runner-up.

• Committee procedures shall be determined by the respective colleges/schools.
• The committee shall review such materials as are submitted in the application.
• The proceedings of the committees shall be confidential.
• The committee shall prepare for each college-level winner a one-page letter of support to be included in the application.

The Provost shall forward sets of nomination packets to members of the external selection committee.

• The members of the selection committee shall advise the Provost of the committee’s selections by a date designated by the Provost.
• The proceedings of the committee shall be confidential.
• The announcement of University-level winners shall be made by May 15.

Criteria for selection

In judging submissions, selection committees will consider the alignment of practices with the undergraduate student profile of UA Little Rock, the impact of particular activities, the range of activities, the transferability of the practices to other departments or schools, and the degree of involvement of faculty and staff across the department or school.

Note: Advising must be one of the items addressed, and submissions must address how departments adjusted their practices or introduced new ones in response to the circumstances of students during the pandemic.

Content and format of applications

The Student Success and Retention Awards recognize Schools and Departments at UA Little Rock that have made significant contributions to improving the success and retention of our undergraduate students.

The application document should include the following elements and be in the following format:

• Cover page
  • Name of Department or School
  • Name of College
  • Name of Department Chair or School Director, with signature and date
• A brief, narrative overview that provides a general framework for the activities described below
• An account of the following information for each activity included (advising must be one of the items):
  • Identification of the problem related to retention and student success that the activity is meant to address, including a brief account of how the problem was identified
  • A description of the activity, including a brief account of the scope of involvement across the department or school. The description must also address how the activity was adjusted or introduced in response to the circumstances of students during the pandemic.
  • A brief account of the outcomes of the activity and how it was evaluated or future plans for evaluation

Use margins no narrower than one inch on all sides and the 12 Times New Roman font.  The application must not exceed five, single-spaced pages excluding the cover page.