Our primary responsibility is to provide students with a high-quality, experiential, and transformational education.

From increasing student participation in co-curricular experiences to improving retention rates, the Strategic Plan's first pillar, Promote Student Engagement and Success, is focused on improving student experiences and outcomes.

Pillar Goals

• Ensure positive undergraduate impact, engagement, and sense of belonging through increased opportunities for and reduced barriers to student participation in high-impact, co-curricular experiences (i.e., internships, undergraduate research, field work, lab work, service learning, study abroad, career preparation).
  • Increase retention rates across all undergraduate degree programs and enhance equity in retention across all demographic groups.
  • Increase 4- and 6-year graduation rates across all undergraduate degree programs and across all demographic groups.
  • Provide world-class advising to all SBS majors by maintaining SBS advisor to undergraduate student average ratios in alignment with best practices and innovations in advising.
• Ensure undergraduate students graduate being career-, community-, or graduate school- ready.
  • Embed post-graduation planning into undergraduate curriculum and increase career services opportunities for all majors in the college.
  • Make sure our Wildcats for Life are connected to SBS and that we engage SBS alumni in mentoring and stewardship.
• Increase the number of and support for transfer students from Arizona community colleges, by strengthening academic and recruitment relationships within the state.
• Increase the number of international students served in our undergraduate and graduate programs.
• Ensure SBS maintains strong and sustainable doctoral programs.
  • Stabilize and improve doctoral program funding through assistantship, fellowship, and sponsored research opportunities.
  • Provide professional development opportunities to support career pathways into multiple employment sectors.
  • Improve doctoral student completion rates and expedite time to degree.
• Grow and sustain SBS master’s programs.
  • Offer innovative programs that support student career goals and workforce development needs.
  • Diversify access to professional master’s programs by growing need-based scholarship opportunities.
• Prepare students to be competitive for national-level awards and promote their application to such honors.
• Advance opportunities for interdisciplinary education across all SBS degree programs, grounded in ideals of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.