What separates Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) from others is that they truly want the students to succeed. “We are not just in it for tuition. We care a great deal and put an emphasis on individual student success.” states Sue Hicks, Senior Manager, Online Programs, WPI Corporate and Professional Education.
Sue Hicks is the first point of contact for prospective students at WPI, and once a student is admitted they become well acquainted with Student Success Manager, Kira Clary. The two of them are part of the Student Support Services team. Their goal is to connect students to resources programs, support systems, and services that will help them become acclimated to life at WPI and, of course, to succeed. The support evolves along with students’ educational journeys, with programming optimized for each year of study. As a result of their student success-oriented approach WPI’s retention rate is 89%.
The student support services team should really be the student support “connection” team. Weekly they are making sure that students are equipped with the tools necessary to succeed by checking the students’ progress and seeing what they can do to help. “I want to let the students know that they have someone on campus for support and make a personal connection with them, so they can come to us when problems arise knowing that we will help them out. “
The support at WPI just doesn’t end at graduation. Students can remain connected to WPI through the Career Development Center. Jobs are posted free of charge to employers and alumni can view the postings throughout their entire career. With all the programs WPI has set in place to ensure student success it's no wonder that companies want to hire WPI graduates!