ATLANTA — Georgia State University is using data to monitor students and ensure they remain focused on their studies and work toward graduation, the school’s president told the Buckhead Business Association (BBA) earlier this month.
“The goal of trying to keep students in school and to graduate has always been around, but the programs to do that have not always worked,” the Northside Neighbor quoted Georgia State University President Mark Becker as saying during the BBA’s Annual Luncheon. “So we started over. We use data a lot. We’re using the same playbook you may be using. We use analytics to keep track of every single student every single night.”
He added: “Our system checks over 400 variables for every student. If something goes off, there’s an alert and the student and his or her advisor is notified.”
That has resulted in 43,000 student-advisor visits in a single year. Previously, there probably weren’t 4,000 such visits, according to the report.
Earlier this year, the Board of Regents agreed to the consolidation of Georgia State and Georgia Perimeter College (GPC). The combined university will have more than 52,000 students, making it the largest university in the state university system, and will be fully operational when classes begin in fall 2016.
But, that may just be the beginning for the school.
“Georgia State University will not stop at 50,000 students. We will continue to grow to meet the needs of Atlanta,” BuckheadView quoted Becker as saying.
During the event, which was sponsored by Reporter Newspapers, the BBA honored businesses for their roles in transforming the Buckhead community. The organization also honored Atlanta History Center President and CEO Sheffield Hale with the Sam Massell Bullish on Buckhead honor.
For more information, visit www.buckheadbusiness.org.
