They invent, design, code, create, and collaborate.

Their discoveries make humans healthier and technology smarter. Together with researchers, faculty, and industry partners, Michigan Tech Huskies create the future through high-quality research. Tech’s mission to create a just, prosperous, and sustainable world is expressed through the students’ entrepreneurial spirit—equal parts curiosity and grit. It infuses everything they do.

The lifeblood of Husky? Battling the North wind, trudging through 200 inches of snow each winter, and staying late in the lab to discover that one, new piece of the puzzle. It’s hard work in an intense space that fuels these students’ momentum towards innovation. Michigan Tech offers undergraduate and graduate education to 7,500 students and has an annual operating budget of $72.5M.

Bonnie Gorman, the Associate Vice President and Dean of Students at Michigan Tech, emphasizes that her job focuses on student success. She’s dedicated to understanding student retention issues and developing strategies to help students become successful in their own ways across various degree programs. Her passion is serving students. She notes that the University is committed to attracting the right students, helping them maintain all-around success through graduation, and preparing them for life after college.

Bonnie says that an on-going challenge at Michigan Tech has been “bouncing retention rates,” varying annually from 82% to 87% in any given year. She wants to solve this problem of fluctuation and increase retention to 90%.

Although her focus is on student success, she is also aware that fluctuating retention is an issue that can impact the financial health of the University as well.

Click here to view the whole student success case study.