Academic Excellence and Student Success

• Student performance:
  • Graduation rates;
  • Retention rates;
  • Student achievement in gateway courses; and
  • Use of advising and early-alert platforms.
• Curriculum redesign: Redesign of the curriculum that would enhance support for student success in and after college.
• Hight-impact practices (HIP): The implementation of HIPs in core curricula and assessment of results by tracking student-learning outcomes.
• Student support services: Enhancement and strengthening of student-support services and measurement of their usage (such as students accessing more academic support services and financial aid).
• Wellness framework: Development and implementation of a comprehensive wellness framework and measurement of students’ increased access to wellness resources, as well as surveys of campus climate assessing students’ sense of belonging.

Credit: Kean University

Kean improved four-year, five-year, and six-year student retention and graduation rates across cohorts (see figure 10). The fall 2020 freshman cohort achieved the highest four-year graduation rate in the past decade.

Division of Student Success and Retention (DSSR)

This was the first of the new administrative units established to advance student success. DSSR provides comprehensive services and support to all students as they matriculate at Kean University. DSSR staff use data-informed, high-impact practices to help students persist to graduation. Committed to every student’s success, the departments within the division work to help students feel a sense of belonging within the Kean community. Over the last five years, Kean expanded student-support systems, including call centers which improved the university’s outreach operations. DSSR consists of the following departments that are essential elements of Kean’s student success and retention strategies:

• Dean of Students Office: Provides strategic leadership and management for success programs and services.
• Center for Advising, Persistence, and Success: Provides culturally responsive advising, programming, and planning that support successful student transitions at Kean.
• Educational Opportunity Fund: Promotes access to financially disadvantaged students defined by the State of New Jersey, including support services, required workshops on skill development, and other strategies critical to academic success.
• Office of Student Retention and Educational Innovation: Coordinates support services Focus on First Gen (Resources), Pop Up Shop (Professional Wardrobe), 1/2 Way to Graduation Ceremony.
• Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services: Provides financial support.
• SUPERA: Provides educational access for Spanish-speaking students who are learning the English language.
• Bridge to Success Program: Provides access for students who do not fully meet admission requirements but show the potential to succeed at Kean.
• Center for Veteran Student Success: Provides guidance and support to students who are military veterans.121

Division of Strategic Analytics and Data Illumination (SADI)

This unit was established to foster data-driven decision-making. The division was established to lead the effort to “create a data-centric culture, moving from insight to action” and tell Kean University’s story. SADI serves as “a central hub for university data acquisition, reporting, analysis, governance, assessment, and accreditation.”122

General Education Curriculum (GEC)

“The new GEC aims to recreate general education at Kean University so that we give our students a unique inquiry-based and place-based experiential-learning opportunity that will launch them into their major areas of study.”123 Kean formed a GEC taskforce in 2022. Its charge was “to explore how to apply the vision of a more distinctive, legible, and linear General Education Program to Kean.”124 The taskforce consisted of representatives from all colleges and members representing students’ interests.

The GEC taskforce has worked collaboratively to:

The taskforce’s work culminated in summer 2025 with the “Proposal to Revise General Education” at Kean. According to the proposal, the revised “General Education Program will support a range of institutional needs and mandates” including fostering a sense of belonging, decreasing achievement gaps, support increased student persistence, retention, and completion rates, improve students’ preparedness for academic programs, and strengthen the sense of community at Kean.125 In fall 2025, nearly half of the incoming freshmen are enrolled in the revised general education program pilot which consists of thematic learning communities and experiential-learning opportunities for students. Opening hearings in collaboration with the university senate to solicit feedback on the proposal will also be held during fall 2025. This feedback along with the findings from pilot faculty and student surveys will be used to inform revisions to the proposal. After the review and approval process, which includes the university senate, office of the provost, president, and board of trustees, the General Education Implementation Committee will develop plan to enroll 2000 freshmen in the program for fall 2026.

Board Engagement

The study found that the active engagement of the university’s board of trustees, especially through its committees, has been essential to advancing student success at Kean University. Board members demonstrate a clear understanding of governance and their fiduciary responsibilities. Board leaders and cabinet executives consistently attributed Kean’s success toward improving student outcomes to President Repollet’s leadership. The trust Repollet established as a board member carried over to his presidency. Remarked Steve Fastook, chair of Kean’s board, “President Repollet’s combination of charisma and ability” inspires action and drives success. The board of trustees’ commitment to supporting the mission of the institution and the vision for student success is evident and clearly articulated in Goal 3 of Kean University’s 2020–2025 Strategic Plan.

President Repollet plays a crucial role in maintaining this goal’s focus and ensuring that the leadership team and the board are aligned. Board Chair Steve Fastook praised President Repollet for his ability to build and lead a high-performing executive team that integrates new professionals recruited to Kean and leaders from the prior administration.

Board members at Kean understand the difference between the board’s oversight role and wading into the murky waters of operations, which is the role of administrators. Board members have been successful, said Fastook, at “resisting the natural tendency to get into institutional operations.” Instead, he said, “the board focuses on asking the right questions, taking a practical approach to decision-making that is informed by information provided to them by the president and other administrators.” Kean’s board of trustees, he continued, is guided by its vision of “what the university should be like and feel like.” When asked about the board’s role in advancing student success, Linda Lewis, board vice chair, commented that its focus on students “has been consistent over the years” and that the board “works with the leadership team to pinpoint challenges and determine direction toward improving retention and success.”

Led by Repollet, the leadership team has built and nurtures strong relationships with board members, creating a climate of mutual trust and accountability. Administrators consistently highlighted their appreciation for board members’ preparation for committee meetings and for challenging them to expand the scope of their thinking. When asked about his time commitment to “board work,” Tom Bistocchi, secretary of the board and chair of the academic policy and programs committee, said he sometimes spends five hours or more to prepare for a committee meeting. “I read everything,” said Bistocchi. “I take and review notes, draft questions, and can’t wait to praise the team on the work they’re doing.” Bistocchi is a former public-school superintendent and recognized that he likely spends more time on preparation than is typical for board members but added that fellow board members are also well-prepared for committee meetings. “We are loaded with information and no one on our board ever says, ‘I wasn’t aware of it,’” regarding university business.

Fastook commented that regular engagement with AGB resources and a sustained focus on trustee education and development have contributed to the effectiveness of Kean’s board. These practices ensure that trustees remain informed about national trends, governance best practices, and their own performance. Kean has built a highly engaged model of governance. Their committees provide a strong foundation for progress and offer support to Kean’s president and executive team. This has been a key driver in the institution’s ability to remove barriers to change, implement new initiatives effectively, and improve outcomes aligned with the university’s mission.

Fundraising and Philanthropy

Fundraising and philanthropy support student success at Kean University by creating financial access to higher education through scholarships. Philanthropic gifts fund merit-based and need-based scholarships for students, which reduce the costs for students and their families for such items as tuition, housing, books, and other fees. The staff at the Kean University Foundation lead the fundraising and philanthropic efforts. The foundation has become an important partner in advancing student success through its mission to pursue private support to benefit Kean’s students, faculty, programs, and facilities at the university. Kean’s compelling, student-focused story as told by President Repollet has “opened the donor pool,” reported Fastook. The foundation’s efforts complement the broader institutionwide strategies to improve student outcomes. For example, private scholarships for Kean students such as the Climb to Success Scholarship and the Climb Higher Scholarship support Kean’s student success initiatives. Kean has increased scholarships by 22 percent in one year to remove financial barriers for students and expand access to the university, noted Salvatore.