Valdosta State University received the Summer 2015 University Business Models of Excellence Award for using data to improve retention, academic success, campus life engagement, and graduation rates. This is the sixth national and international award that VSU has received for innovation and data analytics.
 
“The numerous awards over the past three years highlight our commitment to student success and performance improvement,” said Brian Haugabrook, chief information officer. “The improvements in retention and performance excite me the most — not so much the awards themselves. I am proud my work in higher education is making a positive impact on student’s lives, which is ultimately most important to me. Our efforts so far are highly recognized, but the journey is far from being finished. The higher education industry has a lot of work ahead to increase graduation rates and college affordability. I hope our work continues to improve success rates at VSU and have a global impact in improving education for all learners.”
 
University Business magazine, in partnership with Higher One, introduced Models of Excellence to recognize colleges and universities that have implemented innovative, effective and inter-departmental initiatives that are bolstering student success.
 
“VSU is currently testing predictive algorithms that will provide daily monitoring and risk metrics,” continued Haugabrook. “We have been successful in measuring risk on an annual and term basis with our existing tools. Daily monitoring across academic and engagement indicators will help ensure students receive immediate help when needed. It will also improve communication with academic and support departments with early intervention strategies. The predictive models will integrate with existing technologies to provide more information to students, advisors and faculty as we continue to improve academic success and graduate more students.”