Lyon College in Batesville announced that it received a $1.95 million Title III Strengthening Institutions grant from the U.S. Department of Education to launch the Thriving Scot Program.
The five-year initiative aims to support first-year students through residential learning communities (RLCs) and enhanced data infrastructure, in hopes of improving academic performance and retention. The program is designed to support economically-disadvantaged and first-generation college students, who may face challenges in accessing a private liberal arts education. It will focus on RLCs for first-year students and enhancing the college’s data infrastructure for student success.
Lyon will create 10 RLCs to provide support, foster community and improve academic outcomes for students whose background might make college more challenging. The RLCs will integrate career exploration and service-learning opportunities. Students will enroll as cohorts in shared general education courses and receive guidance from a team consisting of a first-year advisor, faculty mentor, peer coach and community development intern.
Lyon will also expand its data warehousing capabilities by hiring an academic data specialist to develop reports and dashboards that track student performance and retention. Faculty and staff will be trained to use real-time data to identify and address student needs.
Through the program, Lyon College expects significant improvements in first-year grade-point averages, fall-to-fall retention rates and four-year and six-year graduation rates. The program also aims to increase overall persistence among second- and third-year students.
The Thriving Scot Program concept originated in the Lyon College Student Success Committee, a collaborative group of academic and student support professionals at the college. The committee worked to identify the needs of academically underprepared students and developed the program to provide support.
“The Thriving Scot Program will be a game changer for many of our students,” director of first-year advising Tamija Tucker-Mayes said in a press release. “We are cultivating a community that prioritizes the success of every student and strives to show them that they are entering an environment that is conducive to learning and fosters a sense of belonging.”
The Title III Strengthening Institutions Program helps eligible higher education institutions expand their capacity to serve economically disadvantaged students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the institution’s academic quality, institutional management and fiscal stability.
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