A New PATH for Student Success

Libby Sullivan| September 3, 2024

New York Tech’s unwavering commitment to student success has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in the form of a new multiyear grant. New York Tech is one of just seven institutions in the country to receive a Postsecondary Student Success Grant; the nearly $2.8 million in funding will support student retention, persistence, and graduation over four years.

Monika Rohde speaking to a student

Pictured: Pathways for Advancing and Thriving in Higher Education (PATH), is co-led by Project Directors Francesca Fiore, Ed.D., associate provost, and Senior Associate Dean Monika Rohde (pictured).

The project, Pathways for Advancing and Thriving in Higher Education (PATH), is co-led by Project Directors Francesca Fiore, Ed.D., associate provost, and Monika Rohde, M.A., senior associate dean

PATH will use evidence-based strategies to supplement and enhance New York Tech’s existing advising and student success infrastructure by offering specialized support and programming for second- and third-year underserved students. Support will include holistic coaching, tutoring, community-building activities, and more to improve persistence, retention, and graduation rates among participating PATH students in their second, third, and fourth years of study.

“We are excited about this project’s potential impact on the academic progress and achievement of our students,” Fiore says. “PATH advances New York Tech’s mission to provide all qualified students with access to educational opportunities and success in school, their careers, and their lives.”

Additionally, PATH will provide strong connections to on-campus employment, enhanced and dedicated academic support, and enrichment activities designed to strengthen participating students’ sense of community and belonging. The project extends and builds upon the significant support that New York Tech provides to first-year students by offering tailored resources and services to a select group of three student cohorts in their second and third years of study. Those meeting the criteria outlined in the grant proposal (students who are Pell-eligible, low-income, first-generation, and/or identify as students of color) will be invited to participate. Specific activities of the PATH program include:

  • Dedicated second- and third-year student welcome events and study halls staffed by peer tutors
  • Student success coaches providing holistic support
  • Participation in community-building and enrichment activities and events
  • Dedicated graduation celebration for PATH participants

“To improve achievement outcomes for second- and third-year students, we will scaffold enhanced student support on top of advising and wraparound services currently available to them,” Rohde shares. In addition, PATH students will receive priority registration dates—ensuring access to courses needed for their academic progress—and priority access to on-campus employment, which correlates positively with student retention.

Both Fiore and Rohde noted that the PATH project aligns with and complements New York Tech’s five-year, $2.25 million Title III grant received last year, the Achieving Collegiate Excellence (ACE) program, and other institutional initiatives that support student success at New York Tech.

More News

Group photo of students with architecture model

Architecture Students Awarded in Design Competition

Eleven New York Tech architecture students recently competed at the NOMA (National Organization for Minority Architects) conference in Baltimore and came away with honorable mention in the 2024 Barbara G. Laurie Student Design Competition.

Site Dean Shane Speights teaching students in a medical simulation lab

More Than a Medical School

NYITCOM-Arkansas is delivering on its mission to increase the number of physicians and reduce healthcare inequity in the Delta region.

Group photo of New York Tech faculty, staff, and students

New York Tech Shines at LISTnet Awards

Several members of the New York Tech community were honored recently at an awards ceremony hosted by the Long Island Software & Technology Network (LISTnet).

Professor Robert Alexander with a group of students

Lighting the Path Forward

More than 20 undergraduate and graduate students are working on research projects exploring connections between eye movement and perception.

Portrait of Krishna Jograna and Ritika Radadiya

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

M.B.A. students and roommates Krishna Jograna and Ritika Radadiya are inseparable and inspire each other to become better businesswomen.

Portrait of Maria Gonzalez

Student Veterans Find a Place to Call Home

Beginning with recruitment, and building a culture of belonging and offering a pathway to employment, more and more veterans are choosing New York Tech.