D23: Letter from the President

It has been understood from the beginning that our efforts to improve retention and completion would not come at the expense of limiting access. Some might argue that it would be relatively easy to boost graduation rates by admitting only those students with high academic qualifications. However, as a public regional university, we will not pursue greater individual student success by restricting access to higher education. Conversely, we will not compromise the quality of our educational experience. Lowering academic standards might boost the number of graduates, but such a tactic would not honor our commitment to properly serve students and society.

In order to keep D23 moving forward, we have established roles and responsibilities for each division and designated institutional champions and monitored outcomes. D23 has put in motion relevant recruitment, transfer and retention initiatives and recommendations identified by past and present task forces, external consultants like Ruffalo Noel-Levitz and Gray Associates, and university committees. We are acting on these recommendations, especially regarding approaches to recruiting and retaining students.

D23's success remains dependent upon every person at Northeastern State University understanding that our ultimate purpose is clear: WE HELP STUDENTS. Every interaction with students matters and the cumulative effect creates a profound and positive impact on their lives. Success comes from a shared responsibility approach with appointed champions to lead the initiatives outlined in D23. The President and Executive Cabinet bear the primary burden of ensuring its advancement. Two key champions of D23 are the Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs and for Student Affairs. These individuals are tasked with utilizing input from students, university committees, task forces and colleges and departments to continue to advance and institutionalize D23 into the daily operations of the university.

Our overarching commitment is to foster a campus environment where each individual is empowered to act in the spirit of I care, therefore I will... We continually strive for a university culture that fosters a caring and supportive environment to maximize teaching and learning.

Dr. Steve Turner
President