InsideTrack Announces a University Staffing Option for its Proven Success Coaching Service that Improves Retention and Engagement
New Offering, uCoach, Is an Attractive, Cost-effective Option that Provides Measurable Retention Results for Public Universities with Large Student Populations
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 10, 2008 — InsideTrack today announced the availability of a new staffing option for its proven Success Coaching methodology whereby universities can implement student coaching services using university staff. The option, uCoach, is a cost-effective solution for public universities with large student populations. Florida State University and California State University Monterey Bay have implemented the uCoach program.
"We're very pleased with the impact that Success Coaching is already having on our students. It's a good fit with our overall student services strategies and retention goals," states Larry Abele, Provost, Florida State University. "We are looking at ways to leverage existing staff in academic advising to address the scale required to coach thousands of students." Florida State University implemented the uCoach program beginning with 30% of its advisory staff.
InsideTrack's Success Coaching improves student engagement, first-year retention, and persistence to graduation. The Success Coaching methodology has been proven effective through more than 55 studies. It is a clearly defined, reproducible approach to engaging and motivating students with measurable results — typically a 20 - 25% reduction in student attrition. To date, the company has provided coaching services to more than 85,000 students at more than 50 campus locations nation wide.
Success coaching methodologies focus on life-effectiveness skills and academics, helping students to:
- Develop and review long-term and short term-goals
- Clearly identify reasons for success, or lack of success, during the prior week
- Share positive feedback for successful activities
- Directly address ineffective approaches
- Create strategies, define action plans and set deadlines for the coming week.
"Until now, InsideTrack has provided coaching directly to students with coaches based at coaching centers in Portland and San Francisco", states Alan Tripp, Founder and CEO of InsideTrack. When delivered by InsideTrack, Success Coaching consists of weekly, one-to-one, live sessions over the phone between students and trained, InsideTrack-certified coaches. "That approach has been extremely effective for private universities. And we will continue with that program. The uCoach option addresses the consistent demand we've seen for our coaching methodology from universities with large student populations such as public universities that have an initiative to improve retention."
With the uCoach option, Success Coaching is delivered by university staff. Using the uCoach approach as a framework, university staff may also support other services such as advising or counseling while providing coaching. The uCoach option includes:
- Training of the coaching staff on the use of InsideTrack's proven methodologies
- Ongoing program management support by InsideTrack's certified, experienced coaching managers
- A comprehensive implementation process that ensures that all constituents (students, faculty, services management, parents) are informed and prepared to take advantage of the coaching
- Access to InsideTrack's unique web-based applications — RightTrack, goal achievement software for students, and Catalyst, student management software for coaches.
- Quality assurance process for coaching skills and outcomes
- Direct mentoring and support of university coaches by trained InsideTrack staff.
"We believe coaching for college students will become standard practice, much as executive coaching or career coaching has for professionals", Tripp states. "We're seeing the right traction for the approach. uCoach is a logical next step to reach the largest segment of students in higher education."
Bob Atwell, President Emeritus of the American Council on Education, and a member of InsideTrack's Advisory Board states, "this is a well designed program for larger universities looking to address accountability-related objectives. The company's coaching solutions advance student retention and engagement initiatives — and InsideTrack provides valuable information and careful measurement of their programs' results."
InsideTrack contracts with partner universities to provide the Success Coaching services either through InsideTrack's coaching staff or through a university's own staff. The uCoach option is available immediately. Pricing is based on licensing fees for InsideTrack's coaching methodology, web-based goal-achievement software for students and student management software for coaches. It also includes program implementation, program management, training, and quality assurance. Staffing models for uCoach can be tailored to the needs of a university and its student services organizations.
About InsideTrack
InsideTrack's mission is to promote student engagement, persistence, retention and success. Its core solution is Success Coaching, a clearly defined, reproducible methodology that delivers measurable results — typically a 20 - 25% reduction in student attrition. The program can be implemented quickly and pays for itself by improving tuition revenues. To date, InsideTrack has coached more than 85,000 students at more than 50 campus locations nationally, enabling partner colleges to increase student retention, total enrollment, graduation rates and tuition revenue. Partner universities include Arizona State University, Florida State University, and California State University, along with private universities such as Northeastern University, University of Redlands and Chapman University. To learn more about InsideTrack, visit www.insidetrack.com.
Press Contact: Chris Tilghman
415.568.3485
ctilghman@insidetrack.com
Press Contact: Hilary Dunst
212.316.3279
hdunst@hdmediany.com