COVID Impact Report on Student Success at the University of Arizona

Nicole Staab

Northern Arizona University

CCHE 690: Masters Seminar

Dr. Maureen King

February 16, 2022

 Effects of COVID-19 on Universities and Colleges

Colleges and Universities are not uniform entities. However, since the spread of the

covid-19 virus back in 2020, higher learning institutions have faced similar challenges regarding

the safety of their students, staff, and faculty. Each university has pioneered ways to move

forward in the hopes of providing adequate higher educational services that are aligned with each

institution's mission statements. The covid-19 virus was projected to be contained by the end of

2021. Unfortunately, the virus began to mutate, which created more uncertainty. Mitigation

efforts were put into place to stop the spread track and trace the virus (Blue, 2021). In the hopes

of bringing students, faculty, and staff more reassurance back to normalcy, this left out one

crucial factor: the mental toll this would take on the community and its lasting effects on colleges

and universities.

According to David Sbarra, a psychologist with the University of Arizona, pandemic

fatigue is a reality we have been facing. "One-third of Americans report clinically significant

symptoms of anxiety or clinical depression, according to a late May 2020 release of Census

Bureau data" (Daley, 2020). With the increase of deaths, the amount of stress coming from new

variants, social distancing, quarantine procedures, all while trying to maintain a balanced

lifestyle, universities must notice how it has undoubtedly altered three significant areas:

Retention, Enrollment, and Academic Standing. Through gathered data from both the University

of Arizona as a whole and within each own department- these three issues have become the most

prevalent since the start of the pandemic. This report will provide adequate information and data

on the aforementioned areas to bring about possible resolutions that the University of Arizona

can implement.
 Student Retention

The University of Arizona's Student Success Retention Innovation (SSRI) team has

collected data on the retention and persistence of first-year, full-time students. They looked at

trends from 2019-to 2021 and the effects of the pandemic on each cohort. Their findings

highlight two fundamental goals: the first goal is that the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) is

to have a plan in place to reach a 90% retention rate by the year 2025 (SSRI, 2021). Shifts in

retention rates were relatively more minor during the first and second year of college due to

covid-19, but school sizes, policies, and procedures heavily influenced these shifts. Between the

2019 and 2020 cohorts, four-year college enrollment rates declined by 6.9% (College Board,

2021).

The second goal is retaining students as a year-long process, not just from their first to

the second year at the university. SSRI is suggesting that departments work together to ensure

they keep students enrolled. Based on the data in Figure 1, students can withdraw or stopout at

any time, meaning that reaching out to students and checking in with them each semester may

help with reducing the numbers (SSRI, 2021).

Figure

1: The chart

shows the flow

of students
within a specific cohort that have both withdraw, returned, or withdrew entirely from the

University of Arizona.

More deliberate smaller-sized interventions could help overturn these numbers as well.

The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) states that for students to feel less

alone and more supported, advisors must support growth mindset language during grounded

micro-messages (Kyte, et.al, 2020). As a collaborative effort, the University of Arizona must

strive to create channels of open communication to see where students need the most support. As

a result, an increase in the retention of student cohorts is possible.

Student (course) Enrollment

Alongside retention are enrollment efforts. Assessment and Research at the University of

Arizona, surveyed to reach a broad population of students to assess what areas of basic needs are

students limited that hinder their academic success (University of Arizona, 2021). One of the

most significant barriers to student enrollment and persistence has been a lack of financial

assistance since the pandemic and mode of instruction (Maguire, 2021). 25% of students

surveyed occasionally felt more stress from finances, with 1 in 3 students having financial stress

that negatively impacts their academic success (University of Arizona, 2021). Higher Education

Emergency Relief Fund established the CARES Act to litigate funds for eligible students

needing federal aid (U.S. Department of Education, 2020), which caused the slowing for low

enrollment. Students who needed money for housing, food, transportation, and course materials

were no longer faced with the same stressors. According to the data from a report for the Higher

Learning Commission, done by the outcomes and assessment team at the University of Arizona,

"the COVID-19 pandemic had far-reaching consequences, one of which was the switch to mostly
remote/virtual instruction" (OIA, 2020). This was at the start of the pandemic, but since then,

students are finding it hard to readjust back to in-person learning, while others prefer to regain a

sense of normalcy.

Students of color and first-generation students have seen the most decline in enrollment.

Pre-pandemic disparities have only deepened the barriers that BIPOC and First-gen students

faced. In a research article from the Journal of Community Psychology, college access and

success programs (CAS) are a stepping stone to help continuously support these marginalized

students in persistence and academic success (Case, et.al., 2022). At the University of Arizona,

these programs could serve our students well. Effectiveness comes from support provided by

both faculty and staff members (National Center for Education Evaluation, 2022).

Academic Standing

At Arizona State University (ASU), a survey was done to directly analyze how covid-19

impacted students' current and future outcomes (Aucejo, et. Al, 2020). They asked students about

their current GPA post-covid and how the current pandemic has affected their performance. The

survey found that "approximately 50% of our sample separately reported a decrease in study

hours and in their academic performance" (Aucejo, et. Al., 2020). The University of Arizona's

College of Fine Arts has seen an increase in students falling into academic probation. The

majority of these students are first-year students coming from high school to students

transferring from a two-year institution.

Looking at the data from the retention assessment report, I propose we include academic

standing to see what students are struggling with in addition to their academics. Covid-19 has

both impacted faculty and staff, putting a disconnect when it comes to meeting with students.
Remote learning and the return to in-person learning have created another struggle for students,

faculty, and staff to overcome. First-year students and returning students are coping with the best

ways to navigate campus life while trying to maintain good academic standing. To help ensure

students are succeeding academically, we circle back to the idea of mental wellness during these

uncertain times.

Report Conclusions

The University of Arizona's retention efforts and data collection of students are unique in

helping provide not just students but also the whole of the institution with the resources needed

to manage the stressors that have come with the rise of the various covid-19 strains. By

acknowledging these three issues within our community, we can better help alleviate them and

bring about resolutions. One suggestion for change is a transformation of advising to focus more

on individual needs (National Center for Education Evaluation, 2022). An open line of

communication is needed between the institution and students. Advisors, faculty, and staff will

be professionally trained in developing a model to monitor student needs to help promote and

support student success.

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