Aviso Retention Announces Aviso Aspire Awards at Annual User Summit

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Aviso Retention, an AI student success software and equity solution that helps colleges and universities keep underserved students engaged, increase retention, and optimize the chances of degree and certificate completion, today announced the Aviso Aspire award winners at the annual Aviso User Summit. This year, the user summit focused on "The Right to a Better Future" and welcomed Keynote Speaker, Dr. Terrell Strayhorn, sharing his message on optimizing retention and student success by fostering a sense of belonging.

The Aviso Aspire Award is presented to higher education institutions that have worked to improve equity and equity-mindedness on campus and in the communities they serve. This year's Foundation winner is Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC). As an Aviso Retention partner, LBCC has deployed effective outreach programs for Pell-eligible students, including the STEP (SNAP Training and Employment Program) with the State of Oregon; funding tuition, rent, and food. LBCC increased enrollment in the program by 35% leveraging Aviso to deliver targeted and personalized messaging, achieving a graduation rate increase of 30% for underserved students.

"Like so many community colleges, we have multiple ways to support students but we haven't always had a good way to find the students that need the help. When we implemented Aviso, we were able to find students whom we knew might benefit from support, like students who were Pell-eligible. A staff member could connect to them and say "Hey, I'm Jessi; I noticed you might be eligible for this program and if you'd like to know more, just let me know." That personalization and direct connection make such a difference, and we saw an outcome that reinforces the effectiveness of utilizing Aviso," says Melissa Williams, Manager, Grant Compliance and Special Projects at Linn-Benton Community College. "We are honored to receive this award and are so excited to continue to find ways to engage with our students using Aviso to help them reach their educational goals."

Aviso Retention announced winners of two additional award categories for improving equity and equity-mindedness with the Aviso Aspire Merit and Achievement Awards. The Aviso Merit Awards recognize college partners who have shown a commitment to improving equity on campus and in the communities they serve. Combined, these schools impacted more than 37,000 students. The winners for this year's Merit award are Columbia College, Nash Community College, North Central State College, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and Vance-Granville Community College. Through their partnership with Aviso Retention, many of these institutions have increased student engagement through proactive and personalized communications and early alerts that let them know when a student may be struggling with a lack of food, housing, child care, quality mental health care, and access to financial aid. Aviso helps these institutions take a holistic approach so that all students can be successful in their academic journeys. These institutions have demonstrated a passion and dedication for creating equity-mindedness like Columbia College who fosters a sense of community and belonging that welcomes all students, which has been demonstrated in their national campaigns "Many Voices. One Columbia College" and "YOU are Welcome Here".

The Aviso Aspire Equity and Impact Special Achievement Awards are given to college partners who have made significant impacts on specific student populations and their communities. This year's winners include Blue Ridge Community College who increased adult-student and minority enrollment by 41%, Butler Community College who has been recognizing excellence in diversity since 2012 in both individuals and companies that focus on making communities more inclusive, and Southwestern Community College who participated in the First in the World grant initiative and have continued their focus on equity in education, introducing a Minority Male Mentoring Program to better support Native American men with the goals of increasing retention rate by five percent and graduation rate by 10 percent within 24 months.

"Our annual user summit furthers Aviso Retention's mission to encourage equity and equity-mindedness in higher education," says Alexander Leader, Founder & CEO, Aviso Retention. "With the help of such great partners, we were able to create positive outcomes for underserved students. In doing so, we will be able to further ensure the prioritization of each individual student and their higher education journey with even greater success stories for these students."

This announcement follows Aviso Retention's commitment to equity and the Minority Male Success Initiative (MMSI) research in partnership with the North Carolina Community College System. This three-year study kicked off in December 2019 and will report the second year of results at the end of 2021.

For more information on Aviso Retention, visit https://www.avisoretention.com.

About Aviso Retention

Founded in 2012, Aviso Retention is an AI student success software and equity solution that helps colleges and universities keep underserved students engaged, increase retention, and optimize the chances of degree and certificate completion. Aviso does this in a holistic way, by combining proven coaching methodologies, supportive software tools, and predictive analytics.

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SOURCE Aviso Retention