Our persistence work continues to grow more and more nationally! For the next two years, CARA will be supporting the University System of Maryland’s federally funded initiative “ABCs for Student Success: Advising, Belonging, and Coaching.” The goal of the initiative is to improve retention and graduation rates through establishing a greater sense of belonging for students across 11 of the system’s universities.

Peer-to-peer support is a centerpiece of the work. Leveraging our experience to institutionalize peer-to-peer advising at CUNY and in Tacoma Washington, CARA is supporting the University System of Maryland with program design, preparing liaisons from the colleges to facilitate campus-based peer leader training for 110 peer leaders across the state, and working directly with select campuses on program implementation.

As USM’s Senior Director of Education, Outreach, and Pipeline Development Dewayne Morgan explained, “The University System of Maryland has prioritized student success in our strategic plan, Vision 2023, and our partnership with CARA will help us ensure our institutions are centered on the needs of the students they serve. We are excited to work with CARA and build on their years of experience while adapting their program to the highly diverse USM context.”

We are excited to learn from and with our new partners as we work together to increase student success, persistence, and graduation for underserved college students.