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Albany State University Campus Plan Update 2025

Established in 1903, Albany State University is a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) located in Albany, GA. The institution builds upon the HBCU mission to serve an increasingly diverse student population and will continue to serve the access mission, offering workforce related degrees. With an enrollment of over 6,800 students (Fall 2025), Albany State University is the largest Historically Black College in Georgia and has experienced continued growth in enrollment over the last several years.

Albany State University (ASU) continues to align with its mission to elevate “its community and region by offering a broad array of graduate, baccalaureate, associate, and certificate programs.”  The University remains committed to excellence and prepares students through “creative scholarship, research, and public service.”  Our vision is to be a world-class institution that serves as a “powerful catalyst for economic growth and development….”  All of these aspirations drive our current efforts and enrollment trends.

Enrollment at ASU has risen and represents a 3.4% increase.  As of November 18, 2024, our persistence rates for first-time freshmen for spring 2025 is 76% full-time and 33% part-time (among Bachelor’s seeking students) and 67% full-time and 33% part-time (among Associate’s seeking students).  Details regarding spring enrollment as of November 18 is included below.  Spring 2024 enrollment this time last year was 4,764 versus Spring 2025 enrollment of 4,440.  This represents a 6.8% decrease in students. It is important to note that while our retention rates continue to increase, our commitment is to positively impact students’ persistence, progression, and graduation rates as well.

Many of our students are Pell-eligible and our trend data is as follows

Aid Year

Paid Pell Recipients

Unduplicated Undergrad Students

Percentage

24-25

5225

7333

71%

23-24

4778

7193

66%

22-23

4309

7001

62%

As of fall 2024, ASU had more than 6,800 students ranging from those dually enrolled to those in the Graduate School. Our enrollment by registration status has steadily increased since fall 2020 and in fall 2024, we had a total of 6, 809 students.  The school’s full-time student population is 4,776 with 307 of them being graduate students.  The vast majority of our students are between 18 and 20 years old (3,331) and retention rates at ASU have demonstrated a steady increase since 2020 among first-time, full-time freshmen. 

As we approach the end of the fall semester, our spring 2025 enrollment represented 105 dual enrollment, 96 first-time freshmen, 55 transfer students, and 82 access students (Division of Institutional Effectiveness, 2024).

Our current benchmark institutions are Fort Valley State University, and Savannah State University. Fort Valley and Savannah State Universities are also our primary competitor institutions along with Georgia Southwestern State University, but it should be noted that we are committed to a spirit of collaboration across these schools.  Finally, we list among our aspirational institutions, Georgia College and State University, Clayton State University and the University of North Georgia.

Student Success Inventory

Our current success plan at ASU relies strongly on intra-campus collaboration between Academic Affairs (including Academic Support Services and University College) and Enrollment Management and Student Success (including Academic Advising, Career Services, and Student Success).  Through this important relationship, our maturing strategies have been aligned with the university’s ASPIRE plan to increase student success. Challenges facing our efforts include limitations in human capital and students’ under-preparation for college-level work. We have moved towards more strategic data collection as evidenced in this inventory in hopes that we will be better able to create custom targeted interventions to improve student learning, retention, and graduation rates. 

The sub-reports in this section will demonstrate how we continue to refine our approaches while also reviewing data continually to help us strategies even better practices to employ.

Success Inventory

First Year Student Assessment Protocol (FYAP) (Albany State University-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
First Year Student Assessment Protocol (FYAP)
Momentum Area: 
Pathways
Category: 
Access for Underserved Populations
Advising
Corequisite Learning Support
Data
Early Alerts
First Year Experience
High Impact Practices
Learning Communities
Tutoring
Strategy/Project Description: 

This activity expands the work ASU currently conducts within its University College. 

Albany State University currently does not require students to have standardized test scores prior to admission.  As such, it has been difficult to identify incoming students’ specific strengths nor areas that need improvement.  Our student success supports are therefore often too general to directly address specific student-related deficiencies.  To overcome this barrier to success, we are piloting a First Year Student Assessment Protocol (FYAP).

As the managing unit for ASU 1101 Pathways to College Success course, University College (home to ASU’s learning communities) mandates and assesses students’ participation in the mandatory Study Tables required by the University’s ASPIRE plan.  Additionally, this course reinforces students help-seeking abilities and ensures their familiarity with various ASU units, services, and resources designed to support their overall success. Accordingly, ASU 1101 is the touch point within which the first-year assessment protocol is implemented.  Fall 2025 is the first semester for implementation of this protocol. Our First Year Assessment Protocol (FYAP) pilot includes the following items:

  • The Proficiency Profile assessment (a pre- / post-assessment designed to measure students’ proficiencies in reading, writing, math, and critical thinking) taken during students’ first two weeks of class of their first-year, incoming semester;
  • USG Mindset Survey;
  • UC Tiered Intervention Strategy (to be piloted during spring 2026); and
  • Freshman Focus Groups (held semesterly).

This Protocol also includes implementation of a communication plan to share data generated from these sources with appropriate ASU units for student success planning and implementation.

Once data are generated using the assessments outlined above, University College Data Dives will be held each academic semester (with the pilot being f25) with the following structure and desired outcomes.  First, the Dives will invite various campus units and stakeholders to participate in a three-phase session.  The phases are:  (1) to discuss ASU-specific framework(s) for student success data; (2) analyze and interrogate data generated by each instrument within the FYAP; and (3) collaboratively discuss improvement strategies and targeted interventions that can be employed to improve students’ retention, progression, and eventual graduation rates.

This project is being used to inform Study Table and other Academic Support initiatives which are parts of ASPIRE Priority number 1.  The FYAP activity seeks to create more strategically designed and specifically targeted interventions to address students’ strengths and areas for improvement.

The Tiered Intervention Strategy portion of this plan will be piloted during spring 2026. University College students with an overall GPA of 2.4 or lower must check-in with their UC Coach at least twice per month and attend coach-identified student success workshops. Students with a GPA between 2.5 and 2.9 must check-in with their UC Coach at least once monthly and attend a minimum of five student support workshops/activities per semester.  Students with a 3.0 or higher TPA will receive invitations to optional academic and success workshops based on their self-identified need.

Finally, the FYAP will also employ EdSights chatbot services to collect data regarding students’ needs and preferences during their first year.  A communication plan has been designed for its launch.  During November (f25), students and faculty will begin receiving messaging detailing the full implementation f the chatbot January 6, 2026.

Activity Status: 
Piloting
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

Evaluation of the FYAP is two-fold.  First, we measure students’ response rates and participation to assess students’ engagement.  Second, we will use the data from each instrument to assess students’ performance and dispositions in order to target specific strategies for continuous improvement. 

Because 2025-2026 serves as a pilot year, we are establishing baselines for student response rates.  We are planning to implement the following KPIs and targets as elements within our assessment plan. 

Targeted Response Rates:

  • Proficiency Profile: 70% of incoming first-year students
  • USG Mindset Survey:  70% of ASU 1101 students
  • n=100 participants in student focus groups
Progress and Adjustments: 

There were a number of technical issues with Territorium (the vendor for the Proficiency Profile).  We believe those issues prevented some students from taking and/or completing the assessment in a timely manner.  Thus, as we move forward we will revamp our plan for proctoring as well as the communication plan used to communicate with students regarding the testing.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

Academic Support Services and University College will continue to use data from the fall 2025 Proficiency Profile scores to design and deliver targeted interventions for students attending ASU, but will also design and seek funding to implement community-based workshops for middle and high school students that will supplement pre-college academic development of potential students.

The Tiered Coaching model of this assessment protocol cannot be piloted until spring 2026 when overall GPAs can be reviewed.

Challenges and Support: 

Generating buy-in and collaboration among units outside of Academic Affairs may be challenging if we are unable to report the data in ways easily digestible.  It may also be difficult to work with incoming students who lack growth mindset dispositions.

In order to use data to target academic deficiencies elucidated by our assessment protocol, we may need additional funds to work with not only ASU students to improve their reading, writing, and critical thinking but we will also require additional funds outside of ASU to help us target similar deficiencies in middle and high school students.  In this way, we can ensure that we address students’ success (and college) readiness as early as possible.

Contact email: 
Tiffany.pogue@ausrams.edu
Primary Contact: 
Tiffany D. Pogue, Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs

Faculty Mentoring, Career Services, and Professional Advising (Albany State University-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Faculty Mentoring, Career Services, and Professional Advising
Momentum Area: 
Purpose
Category: 
Advising
High Impact Practices
Mindset
Orientation
Program Maps
Transition to College
Strategy/Project Description: 

This activity is designed to enhance first-year student persistence, progression, and graduation by fostering a coordinated approach that integrates faculty mentoring, professional academic advising, and career services guidance. The focus is on holding students accountable for their academic choices, ensuring they remain on a graduation plan aligned with their career goals, and connecting them with key campus resources to support holistic development.

Student Accountability & Engagement:

  • Students are required to actively participate in mentoring meetings, advising sessions, and career readiness activities.
  • They are responsible for updating their academic plan each semester, reflecting on milestones achieved, and setting goals for the next term.
  • Early alerts and progress checks are used to identify students who are off-track, prompting timely interventions from advisors and mentors.

Expected Outcomes:

  • Increased first-year student persistence and progression to the sophomore year.
  • Improved alignment of academic plans with intended majors and career goals.
  • Enhanced student engagement with faculty mentors, advisors, and career services, resulting in greater ownership of academic and professional development.

Long-term, increased retention and graduation rates for students in programs aligned with their career pathways.

Activity Status: 
Refining/Maintaining
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 
  1. Semester Progress Checks & Academic Plan Monitoring: Advisors require students to complete semester progress checks, updating DegreeWorks with milestones and course plans. Completion rates tracked and reviewed monthly.
  2. Mentoring Engagement: Faculty mentors meet with assigned students each semester. Participation tracked via mentoring logs and recorded in advising system.
  3. Registration Compliance: Advisors and staff monitor student registration status to ensure timely course enrollment.
  4. Student Feedback: Annual surveys and optional focus groups assess student perceptions of accountability, engagement, and career readiness support.
  5. Persistence Tracking: Institutional Research reports track first-year progression to sophomore year, as a long-term measure of success.

Baseline Measures:

  • Baseline data will be established using Fall 2025 cohort participation and engagement reports, DegreeWorks completion rates, and survey results.

Frequency of Assessment:

  • Direct measures (progress checks, mentoring engagement, registration) assessed each semester.
  • Indirect measures (student perceptions) assessed annually.
  • Retention/persistence data assessed annually through Institutional Research reports.

Goal / Target for Success:

  • ≥85% of students complete progress checks and update academic plans by Spring 2026.
  • ≥80% of students engage in faculty mentoring by Spring 2026.
  • ≥95% of students registered by the registration deadline each semester.
  • ≥80% of students report that advising supports accountability and career alignment by Spring 2026.
  • Increase first-year to sophomore progression by 7% from Fall 2025 to Fall 2026.

Current Status:

  • Baseline data collection is ongoing for Fall 2025 cohort. Initial assessment reports will be available at the end of the Fall 2025 semester.
Progress and Adjustments: 

Currently, senior leadership is considering a change to this model to address students’ desires for more faculty guidance. 

  • Baseline data collection is ongoing for Fall 2025 cohort. Initial assessment reports will be available at the end of the Fall 2025 semester.
Plan for the Year Ahead: 

Faculty Mentoring: First-year students are paired with faculty mentors in their intended major. Mentors provide guidance on academic expectations, career pathways, and professional development, helping students understand how coursework and co-curricular opportunities support their long-term goals.

Professional Advising: Academic advisors work closely with students to develop and monitor a semester-by-semester academic plan, ensuring course selection aligns with degree requirements and graduation timelines. Advisors review progress each semester and intervene early if students are off-track, reinforcing accountability for meeting milestones.

Career Services Integration: Career Services professionals collaborate with faculty and advisors to introduce students to career exploration, professional skills development, and experiential learning opportunities. This ensures students understand the connection between their major, coursework, and career readiness

Challenges and Support: 

Challenges: 

Faculty Availability and Engagement:

  • Limited faculty bandwidth may restrict the number of students who can be effectively mentored.
  • Competing responsibilities (research, teaching, service) could reduce faculty participation or consistency in mentoring meetings.

Advisor Caseloads and Capacity:

  • High student-to-advisor ratios may limit individualized attention and the ability to monitor every student’s academic plan closely.
  • Advisors may struggle to provide timely interventions for students flagged as off-track.

Student Engagement and Accountability:

  • Some students may not fully engage in mentoring, advising, or career readiness activities.
  • Lack of motivation or understanding of the importance of academic planning and career alignment may reduce participation.

Access to Data and Early Alerts:

  • Timely access to student progress data in DegreeWorks as we do not have the plan with report outs from there for academic plans.

Supports: 

  • Guidance on effective models for integrating faculty mentorship, professional advising, and career services to promote student accountability and persistence.
  • Support for advisor and faculty professional development related to academic planning, student accountability strategies, and early intervention techniques.
  • Data Access and Reporting Tools: for DegreeWorks
Contact email: 
sarah.rogers@asurams.edu
Primary Contact: 
Sarah Rogers, Director of Advising

Academic Progress Monitoring for Student-Athletes (Albany State University-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Academic Progress Monitoring for Student-Athletes
Momentum Area: 
Data & Communications
Category: 
Change Management
Early Alerts
Mindset
Tutoring
Strategy/Project Description: 

A targeted initiative to monitor the academic progress of student-athletes through structured grade checks and midterm reports, with referrals to additional resources as needed. Coaches, academic advisors, and support staff collaborate to ensure timely support for those at risk.

Activity Status: 
Initiating
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 

KPI 1: Percent of student-athletes with a GPA of 3.0 or higher

Baseline (Fall 2024): 153 student-athletes

Target (Fall 2025): 156 student-athletes (2% increase)

Milestones: Monthly grade checks, midterm grade reports, follow-up meetings

Expected Timeframe to Reach Goal: 1 academic year

Progress and Adjustments: 

Initial grade checks and midterm reports have been implemented, giving coaches and advisors a clearer picture of student-athlete performance. Each head coach now receives a detailed midterm grade report, with EAB serving as a valuable tool to strengthen tracking and communication between athletics and academic support units. Participation in the Summer Success Academy has also expanded — growing from one sport with 10 students to three sports with 24 participants — and the group achieved an average GPA of 3.4, providing a strong academic foundation before the year began. Moving forward, we will continue refining the reporting process and explore additional ways to support early academic success.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

In the coming year, we will strengthen academic monitoring by formalizing grade check timelines and ensuring consistent midterm reporting across all teams. We will expand collaboration with academic advisors and leverage EAB more intentionally to flag at-risk student-athletes earlier. Our target is for at least 60% of student-athletes to receive positive midterm reports (C or better) by Fall 2025. Building on the success of the Summer Success Academy, we aim to increase participation to four sports and 30+ students, while maintaining an average GPA of 3.2 or higher. Finally, we will continue to refine communication with coaches by providing timely, actionable reports that support proactive intervention and sustained student-athlete success.

Challenges and Support: 

Challenges:

One potential challenge is financial accessibility for the Summer Success Academy, as participation costs may create a barrier for some student-athletes. In addition, maintaining consistent engagement from all coaches and ensuring timely data entry in EAB could impact the effectiveness of grade checks and reporting. Resource limitations, both staffing and funding, may also affect our ability to expand support initiatives at the scale we envision.

Supports:

At this time, no significant external support is required. However, learning from peer institutions about successful practices in academic monitoring and student-athlete support would be valuable. Sharing effective models and strategies across the System could help us refine our approach and continue strengthening outcomes.

Contact email: 
Kristene.Kelly@asurams.edu
Primary Contact: 
Kristene Kelly, Director of Athletics

Peer and Lead Tutoring (Albany State University-2025)

Strategy/Project Name: 
Peer and Lead Tutoring
Momentum Area: 
Purpose
Category: 
Access for Underserved Populations
Peer and Supplemental Instruction
Tutoring
Strategy/Project Description: 

Peer and Lead Tutoring is provided to all students seeking assistance in academic courses. Peer and Lead tutoring is provided to students on campus in the Math and writing centers on both East and West campus. In addition, Sunday Night scholars is offered to student in Housing and Residence life on the 1st Sunday on the month, in Hall 5 on East Campus from 7-9 pm. Our Peer Tutors come highly recommended form faculty who have seen first-hand the students ability to grasp the concept in which they will be providing support. Our Lead Tutors are persons within our community who currently educators or retired in related fields of studies. These peer and lead tutors provide approachable, judgment-free support, often finding creative ways to explain challenging material.

Activity Status: 
Refining/Maintaining
Evaluation/Assessment plan: 
  1. Annual increase in the number of unique students utilizing tutoring services.
  2. Annual increase in the number of unique students participating in supplemental instruction sessions.
  3. Retention and GPA data of students who regularly participate in academic support services.
  4. Contribution of these engagement increases toward ASU's retention goal of 82% by 2027
Progress and Adjustments: 

We are continuing to see an increase in student usage of the centers. We offer in person and online tutoring with Tutor on Demand. Our availability are 9-6 Monday through Friday. In effort to increase students knowledge of subject we offer support workshop in various subjects. In addition, we are implementing events on the topic Revealing Figures: An Expo of words, stories and numbers where we have activities aligned with story writing and Math is everywhere.

Plan for the Year Ahead: 

In effort to have a greater impact on student services, we will training provided to our tutors by Lenorad Geddes, founder of the The Learnwell project.  We will also be  collaborating on the FYAP with University College to ensure our workshops and other offerings align with students’ specific needs.

Challenges and Support: 

Challenges:

Students are strongly encouraged to visit the writing centers to have essay reviewed for formatting and grammatical and technical errors. The writing center has 2 full time employees on state line and 1 full time on grant. The additional services are provided by peer and lead tutors who are all supported by a grant. A challenge that will gravely impact our services is the cutting of grant funding.

Supports:

Our institutions Human Resources department implemented a new hiring process at the beginning of the semester, with no alerts to the campus. This impacted our ability to serve our student. We encourage our students to visit the centers early and often. Our Services are being mandated but not enough staff to support the needs of the student population.

Contact email: 
Natalie.knox@asurams.edu
Primary Contact: 
Natalie Knox, Director Academic Support Services

Supplemental Updates

Observations and Next Steps

Albany State University continues to seek data-driven and evidence-based strategies to address student success and academic realities.  We are continuing our partnerships with Encoura (formerly Ruffalo Noel-Levitz), EdSights, EAB-Navigate 360 and other partners to inform and refine our processes based on our unique context.  We seek to humanize data through qualitative methods to better analyze what the quantitative data are telling us.  This is why we have employed the First Year Assessment Protocol (FYAP) that will help us better understand our incoming students’ skills, strengths, and areas for improvement.  We intend to use this data to build sustainable supports for student success. We are establishing both communication flows and data reporting streams to make our data-use more effective.  Additionally, University College is committed to hosting data drives during the fall and spring that allow faculty and staff to review data and collectively brainstorm strategies to address areas for improvement.  Resource mapping will also be a part of these data drives to ensure we continually focus on identifying areas for improvement and units and resources to be used towards that end.  As can be seen in our Athletics Advising activity described in section 2, when our efforts are targeted and intentional, we see measurable growth in significant areas.  We intend to continue thusly more broadly for all students.  As another example, our Academic Support Services team is using data from the Territorium Proficiency Profile assessment to create workshops that are less general and more focused in nature.