51³Ô¹ÏÍøÊÓƵ

51³Ô¹ÏÍøÊÓƵ Baptist University’s proposed Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), the Center for Student Success: Advising and Coaching Pathways to Persistence, is designed to improve student success, persistence, and academic progress by providing coordinated advising, coaching, and academic support services for first-year, and academically at-risk students. Institutional data show that many students face challenges transitioning to college, including limited study skills, time management difficulties, and uncertainty about academic and career goals. These challenges contribute to lower retention rates, particularly among first-year, developmental, and first-generation students.

The Center for Student Success addresses these challenges through an integrated model that combines proactive academic advising with holistic student success coaching. Professional advisors and trained faculty advisors will guide students in developing academic plans, understanding degree requirements, and monitoring progress. Student Success Coaches will provide individualized support focused on time management, study strategies, goal setting, and connecting students to campus resources.

The initiative will be implemented over five years and will include the hiring of additional advisors and success coaches, expanded academic success workshops, and the development of a centralized student success hub located in the Mabee Learning Resource Center. Renovations will create collaborative learning spaces, advising offices, testing facilities, and areas for student engagement.

The purpose of the 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÊÓƵ Mentor Pioneer Program is to help students succeed in their first year of college. Many students enter college lacking strong study habits, the ability to organize their time efficiently, and a knowledge of how to use academic resources. Mentors can work with students to overcome these challenges by helping them adjust to the rigors of college life, teaching them to embrace growth mindset strategies, and perhaps most importantly, providing a safe space where they can share the struggles they face as first-year students.

Phase 1 of the program involves hiring a Mentor Pioneer Coordinator who is responsible for establishing action items for the program, organizing extensive mentor training, and devising best practices for conducting and evaluating mentoring sessions.

Phase 2 of the program involves pairing 20 Plainview first-year students with 10 Plainview employees. Mentors and mentees will convene for hourly meetings four times a month during the regular academic year, and they will submit regular progress reports about these meetings.

Phase 3 extends the mentoring program to external and virtual campuses where employees will receive mentor training customized to their students’ needs.

Phase 4 increases the number of mentors, and by extension the number of mentoring sessions on all campuses, by recruiting 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÊÓƵ students and 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÊÓƵ alumni to become mentors.

Phase 5 is a time to assess all data from the previous four years and decide which direction the program will take moving forward.

This Quality Enhancement Plan proposes a holistic strategy to build a Christian culture of financial stewardship at 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÊÓƵ Baptist University. It responds to national concerns about rising student debt and its effects on graduation, wellbeing, and long-term financial health by equipping students, alumni, and employees with essential financial literacy skills. The plan embeds financial education modules into freshman (BASC) and senior (GRAD) courses to improve student success, strengthen retention, reduce debt accumulation, and enhance graduates’ financial stability within their first year after commencement.

Phase II extensions include employee financial-wellness programs, student mentoring groups, resources for parents and prospective students, and a Financial Planning Office that provides individualized guidance and encourages efforts to minimize debt dependence.

The prospectus argues that fostering financial stewardship is both a practical necessity and a Christian responsibility. By helping students, alumni, and employees become wise stewards of their resources, 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÊÓƵ can strengthen retention, enhance alumni engagement, and reduce long-term reliance on tuition. Financially healthy graduates are better equipped to serve their communities, support their alma mater, and embody principles of integrity, responsibility, and Christ-centered stewardship. This initiative positions the university to lead proactively, demonstrating how faith-informed financial formation can strengthen lives and institutional vitality.