Tyton Partners Releases Largest National Study on Student Success and Funds Fellow at the NACADA Center for Research

Source: Press Release BOSTON, MA (Feb 19, 2019) – Tyton Partners has released Driving Toward a Degree 2019, the largest longitudinal nation-wide study that measures the adoption and impact of various structures, processes, practices, and technologies related to student success in higher education.  The two-part study includes survey responses from 3,300 institutional stakeholders from nearly 1,300 unique institutions, and interviews with 30+ institutional decision-makers and technology providers.

The field of higher education is facing simultaneous pressure to improve completion rates and career outcomes, and to lower costs.  For many institutions, redesign of student supports is at the center of improving student outcomes. Key observations from the study include:

• Increasing numbers of institutions are aiming to achieve integration across student supports to serve the whole student; however, less than 50% of institutions report ideal supports to promote student success
• Institutions with integrated student supports, as a whole, demonstrate higher rates of retention and completion through clearer lines of responsibility and stronger communications channels between stakeholders
• 62% of institutions say technology effectively enhances their academic advising function –  an 11% increase compared to 2017 for the function most often at the crossroads of student supports
• Reported adoption of guided (i.e., degree) pathways by institutions is increasing – by an average of 9% across all types of institutions since 2017

Also, as part Driving Toward a Degree initiative, Tyton Partners has signed an agreement with NACADA (The Global Community for Academic Advising) to fund a Research Fellow at the NACADA Center for Research at Kansas State University to advance the scholarly practice and applied research related to academic advising over the next three years.

“NACADA is excited to work with Tyton Partners and other partners on the Driving Toward a Degree initiative The Research Fellow will be an important resource for generating new insights at the intersection of student success, institutional policy and the practice of academic advising,” stated Dr. Charlie Nutt, Executive Director of NACADA, which partnered with Tyton Partners to deliver the survey. “The study and fellowship are a part of a research collaborative on behalf of institutions and administrators as they pursue integrated student support initiatives.”

Tyton Partners has collaborated with a number of national associations on this initiative, including NACADA, NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and Achieving the Dream, with key contributions from the Babson Survey Research Group. For more information and to download the full report at no cost, visit drivetodegree.org.

About Tyton Partners

Tyton Partners is the leading provider of investment banking and strategy consulting services to the education and global knowledge sector. Tyton offers a unique spectrum of services that supports the growth objectives for a diverse array of organizations, from emergent and established companies, to non-profit organizations, institutions, and foundations, to private equity and venture capital firms and other investors. The firm’s expertise is predicated on its principals’ years of experience working across the sector – including the preK–12, postsecondary, corporate training, and lifelong learning sectors.

Visit www.tytonpartners.com for more information or follow us @tytonpartners.

About NACADA

NACADA (The Global Community for Academic Advising) promotes and supports quality academic advising to enhance the educational development of students at higher education institutions.  NACADA provides a forum for discussion, debate, and exchange of ideas pertaining to academic advising through events and publications.  NACADA has over 13,000 members including professional advisors/counselors, faculty, administrators, graduate and undergraduate students.

Media Inquiries Contact
Nicholas Java: njava@tytonpartners.com