# Why student success efforts stall—and how to fix it.

## Beyond the Plateau: Designing Retention Experiments While the System Is Still Moving

What do you do when retention plateaus? Slippery Rock University treats student success as an experiment, not a finish line.

## From 81% to 86.4%: SRU’s Playbook for Sustained Retention Gains

SRU didn’t just improve retention—they built a system for sustained gains. Inside the operating model driving 86.4% first-year retention.

## CLOSE the Student Impact Gap: A Modern Operating Model for Student Success

Student success isn’t failing because of effort—it’s failing because systems are fragmented. Learn how the CLOSE operating model helps institutions turn insight into measurable impact.

## If You Have the Data, Why Is Action Still So Hard?

Student success doesn’t scale because institutions lack data. It stalls because prioritization breaks down.

## How Civitas Learning Thinks About Data (and Why That Matters)

Most institutions have the data. Many have the effort. Fewer have systems that turn both into impact. Here’s how Civitas Learning thinks about student success data—and why coordination matters more than perfection.

## Rethinking AI in Higher Ed: It’s Not About Saving Time—It’s About Making Better Decisions

AI is often introduced as a way to speed up work in student success. But lasting impact comes from systems that earn trust, reflect institutional context, and support—not replace—human judgment.

## [Bonus Episode] How to Empower Student Retention Efforts with AI

Student success doesn’t fail because institutions lack data—it fails because insight arrives too late.

## Why Career Readiness Is a Signal — Not Just an Outcome — of Student Success

When career readiness shows up early, students persist longer—and outcomes follow.

## Retention Can Stall Even When You’re “Doing Everything Right”

When retention stalls, the answer isn’t more programs—it’s better precision. See how institutions refine systems, align teams, and act fast on early indicators to drive sustainable student success.