Understanding and Combating Student Melt

Conclusion When summer melt and verification melt stand in the way of degree completion, both student and school suffer a terrible loss. This loss is even more unfortunate when existing research indicates that simple strategies like improved outreach and timely interventions can make a significant impact in helping these students persist. With the recent findings regarding the ineffectiveness of nudging at a large scale, it is important to remember that not all strategies are effective all of the time. Colleges and universities would do well to continue exploring new ways to connect and engage with their unique populations in ways that are meaningful to them, always with the goal of keeping their promise to educate and graduate the students who chose them. …The broader question of how to be a sustainable college over the long term will depend on how nimble, adaptable, and creative America’s colleges and universities will be to rise to the challenges that face them. 16 – Brian C. Mitchell former president of Bucknell College