Ombuds as Part of Student Retention Strategy at University of South Florida

In a recent article, the Chronicle of Higher Education examines strategies that the University of South Florida has adopted to raise graduation rates. The role of USF's Student Ombuds, Jennifer Schneider, is highlighted, especially her ability to detect patterns from the many student cases she handles. Her engagement with other campus offices is typical of an effective Ombuds program:

Jennifer Schneider, the university’s one full-time student ombudsman, sits on the Persistence Committee, created in 2016, where the work of digging into these systemwide challenges often takes place.

Schneider manages about 500 students’ cases a year, often some of the most complicated. In her work, she sees patterns invisible to most of the campus. One of the most common questions she asks her colleagues on the committee: Why do we have this rule?

When homeless students told her how fraught it was to have to get written confirmation from a shelter in order to qualify for a tuition-and-fee waiver, she lobbied to switch to a case-management model. That way homeless students can get other forms of support as well, including help finding a place to live. “When we listen to students and give them a voice,” says Schneider, “then we can learn.”

(Chronicle of Higher Ed.)

Related posts: University of South Florida Reopens Ombuds Office; University of South Florida Ombuds Takes New Tactic in Explainer Video; IOA Training for Creating an Ombuds Office; Ombuds Abound at Kennesaw State's 2022 Summer Institute.