Division of Student Engagement and Success
Oct./Nov. 2023 Newsletter

Our Student Care Committee and Retention Intervention Team (when combined are called CARIT for short) meet weekly to discuss students who may be experiencing challenges due to a number of different reasons. Both teams have representatives from Academic Advising, Counseling Services, Residential Life, Public Safety, OMSA, Student Accounts, Financial Aid, Dean of Students Office, and the Registrar's Office. 

The Student Care Committee (CARE), co-chaired by Doug Koyle (Associate Dean for Student Success) and Emily Paetz (Director of Student Integrity and Community Standards), is responsible for soliciting and evaluating reports of any student whose behavior is of concern and/or may need additional outreach and support to navigate a personal challenge or experience. The CARE committee provides on-going case management for students who have been identified as having a hard time managing personal experiences, or is experiencing challenges due to a physical or mental health need. 

The Retention Intervention Team (RIT), chaired by Brad Pulcini (Dean of Student Services) is responsible for working with students who may be at risk of not persisting due to a number of challenges, to include but not limited to academic, financial, and personal reasons. The group mainly works with and follows-up with students identified through Starfish as needing assistance through a case management approach. 

Both teams provide the university a holistic approach to helping students and promoting student success and well-being. We know that students do not experience things in a vacuum, and a lot of the time a personal crisis or challenge may be impacting their academic success and well-being, or stresses in the classroom may be taking a toll on mental health. Having these two teams meet together allows for increase collaboration to provide the support students need to work through their challenges and be successful.