September 27, 2012, San Francisco, CA and Washington, DC

NASPA Partners with InsideTrack to Study Soldier-to-Student Success

Leading Association for the Advancement, Health, and Sustainability of the Student Affairs Profession Joins Forces with Leading Provider of Student Coaching to Research College Success Among Active Duty Military and Student Veterans.

NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and InsideTrack® today announced their partnership to engage in research on factors affecting college completion among current and former members of the military and to promote best practices for tracking and improving outcomes among the soldier-to-student population.

The announcement was made by Brian Sponsler, Vice President for Research and Policy at NASPA and Dave Jarrat, Vice President of Marketing at InsideTrack.

“NASPA is committed to being a valuable resource for student affairs professionals serving military learners and student veterans,” said Dr. Sponsler. “That is why we’ve long been involved in researching the soldier-to-student transition and why we’ve partnered with InsideTrack, whose expertise in student engagement and success will enable us to provide deeper value to the student affairs community.”

Through their joint research, NASPA and InsideTrack will assess:

• The degree to which colleges and universities are tracking retention and completion rates for current and former members of the military separately from the rest of the student population
• Current retention and completion rates for these students, along with institutional goals for improvement
• Key factors affecting attrition within each group
• The success of institutions’ current initiatives to address attrition

“InsideTrack is honored to be working in close partnership with NASPA,” said Mr. Jarrat. “Our shared commitment to improving student outcomes and deep understanding of the needs of military learners and student veterans will generate valuable insights to assist universities in providing the best possible support to their students.”

According to Sponsler and Jarrat, the two organizations will initiate a baseline survey of NASPA members in October, then begin work on a report that will include findings from the survey along with best practices drawn from more than a decade of experience providing one-on-one executive style coaching to military learners and student veterans.

About NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. We serve a full range of professionals who provide programs, experiences, and services that cultivate student learning and success in concert with the mission of our colleges and universities. Founded in 1919, NASPA comprises more than 13,000 members in all 50 states, 29 countries, and 8 U.S. Territories. Through high-quality professional development, strong policy advocacy, and substantive research to inform practice, NASPA meets the diverse needs and invests in realizing the potential of all its members under the guiding principles of integrity, innovation, inclusion, and inquiry. For more information, please visit our website at www.naspa.org.

About InsideTrack

InsideTrack is the nation’s premier provider of student coaching services. Our mission is to improve student engagement, persistence, and success. InsideTrack has coached more than 350,000 students at leading campuses across the country. Our clients include Penn State University, University of Dayton, Florida State University, and Columbia University School of Continuing Education. A recent study funded by Stanford University found that InsideTrack Coaching improves retention and graduation rates by 10-15 percent, and is more cost-effective than previously studied interventions. To learn more about InsideTrack, please visit: www.insidetrack.com.