What Is Early Alert?

Early Alert is a retention program that puts students in contact with the appropriate campus resources in order to assist them in meeting their educational goals at EKU. Faculty members contribute directly to the Early Alert Retention program's success by referring students who are doing poorly in their academic work, chronically absent from class, or exhibiting disruptive behavior in class. Eastern Kentucky University is committed to the retention and graduation of its students by providing a learning environment that is conducive to student success. The Early Alert Retention Program has been put in place to help ensure that every student is able to take full advantage of the educational opportunities available at EKU.

The Early Alert form (http://www.advising.eku.edu/earlyalert/) is to be used by instructors to notify the Office of Academic Advising and Retention about students with poor attendance, academic concerns, and/or disruptive behavior. Contacting students early greatly enhances their chances for success in class and college. However, intervention at any time is critical and this procedure is not intended as a substitute for the instructor to inform students of their academic progress. Advisors will encourage students to speak with their instructors, as well as refer them to campus services for assistance.

The Process:

Instructors refer eligible students to the Early Alert Retention program through the use of a simple online form (http://www.advising.eku.edu/earlyalert/). Upon submitting the form, the referring instructor will see an immediate, automatic web response to confirm their submission. The submitted information is sent electronically to both the Retention Coordinator, who is housed in the Office of Academic Advising & Retention, and the referring faculty member via email.

Students referred by instructors to the Early Alert Retention program are contacted initially by phone and/or email by the Retention Coordinator. The Retention Coordinator works to schedule an appointment with the student to discuss the academic concerns expressed by the instructor and to develop an academic success plan. As part of that plan, the Retention Coordinator may refer students to other campus offices as appropriate. Ultimately, it is the student's responsibility to follow up and take advantage of the resources and referrals made available to them.

The Retention Coordinator will maintain contact with students as appropriate to help assist with the completion of their academic success plan.

For more information on the Early Alert Retention program, please contact Lisa Cox at lisa.cox@eku.edu or 622-2263.