New leaders at Lincoln University to help address student retention

Richard Cross, submitted photo
Richard Cross, submitted photo


Two student support staff members are helping shape Lincoln University's approach to student retention, an issue that has historically weighed heavily on the open enrollment institution.

Qubieinique "Qubie" Greer was named director of Lincoln's Academic Success Center and Richard Cross was made director of mentoring and tutoring within the Academic Success Center. Both started their new roles June 1.

Greer and Cross are internal promotions. Greer most recently served as Lincoln's professional faculty adviser and Cross previously served as a retention specialist.

Greer's new role is to lead the university's response to student difficulties with academic coursework, acting as a liaison between students, faculty and administration. She will provide oversight of student retention services and assistance for students on academic probation.

Under her supervision is Cross, who is responsible for organizing and supervising student tutoring services. He works with the university deans, faculty and Success Center staff to shape available tutoring opportunities and recruit tutors from Lincoln's Honors Program.

The two appointments come as Lincoln rolls out its First Year Success Initiative and tries to address student retention problems.

Lincoln's retention rate hovered around 50 percent between 2014-17 and the university's six-year graduation rate for students who enrolled in 2014 (and graduated by 2020) is 26 percent, according to the university's Office of Institutional Research and Assessment.

An interim appointment overseeing academic affairs said last year Lincoln has averaged 100-150 students on academic probation coming out of the fall semester for the past few years. Students on academic probation are required to improve their academic standing within a semester to continue attending Lincoln.

Lincoln adopted the First Year Success Initiative as an approach to student retention.

The initiative is centered around improving the first-year experience for students with the goals of making students more comfortable on campus and boosting fall-to-fall retention. Cross said it involves guiding student cohorts step-by-step through their first year of college.

He said it provides much-needed support to students as they transition to college life.

Part of that step-by-step guidance for students will include how to use academic advising.

Greer said she wants to ensure students are using their academic advisers and making it work to their advantage.

"If you visit your adviser, that's how you know how you're progressing through your degree plan, that's how you know about different university policies and procedures," she said. "And so that's one thing I'm hoping to accomplish this year."

Greer first joined Lincoln staff in July 2021 and took a role in the Academic Success Center as a professional adviser for faculty. She worked with faculty to develop advising tools, she said, and now it's the flip-side.

"The disconnect is that a lot of the students aren't aware of how to use their adviser," she said.

Greer said half the battle is helping students realize the need for academic advising and then getting them to go. They need to see the usefulness to them, she said.

Greer said she's excited to work with deans, faculty and students to create a better understanding of how to use advising and to develop a more student-centered approach to academic success.

Student retention has become a priority for every institution of higher education right now, Greer said, because it's tied to many areas of campus.

For Lincoln, retention goals are mentioned in the university's newly created strategic plan and it's discussed often in meetings among administration, Greer said.

In the roughly two weeks he's been overseeing the university's tutoring and mentoring program, Cross said he's been defining its description, vision and objectives.

He said the program is largely influenced by existing programs at other universities, but some objectives he's created are custom for Lincoln.

"I strongly believe in my students," Cross said. "But one thing I know for sure is that we do get some students that haven't been adequately prepared, which is not really our fault, they're just coming from an environment where they weren't really prepared for the rigor of higher education. So it's really our responsibility to really do what we can do to make sure we get our students ready for this journey."

Cross said he strongly believes all Lincoln students have the academic capability to succeed at Lincoln, because he was once one of those students people thought wouldn't.

Cross attended Lincoln on an athletic scholarship but struggled academically. He chronicles his path to becoming a student athlete with the highest GPA in some of the 20 motivational books he's authored.

"My focus going forward is to help them develop the mindset and the confidence within themselves," he said. "Once they develop the confidence, they will start to do things on their own."

"A lot of students do have the capability to do well, but if they're coming from an environment where that wasn't encouraged, we have to help them to see themselves as that person," Cross continued. "And once we can do that, we will have more students doing well."

He said his goal in his first year is to connect with all Lincoln students, whether they are struggling with classes or not. He plans to visit classrooms within the first month of the fall semester to introduce himself and the mentoring and tutoring services the university offers.

  photo  Qubieinique Greer, submitted photo