In June 2018, LSC-University Park administration met with representatives from across the college for its annual leadership retreat, where they discussed opportunities to innovate to better serve students. This is where the bold goal to dramatically increase graduation rates and, ultimately, student success, was born. The measurement would be to reach a 50% graduation rate among full-time, first-time-in-college students within three years of enrolling at LSC-University Park, an increase of 300% from 2018 graduation rates.  

"GradUP is much more consequential than reaching 50% graduation rate by 2021," said LSC-University Park President Dr. Shah Ardalan. "GradUP represents LSC-University Park's shared commitment to student success."

With a goal established, administrators, faculty and staff formulated roadmaps to get there. Over the last few weeks of summer, a 50% graduation rate steering committee was formed to plan and implement projects to enhance student success and completion. By focusing and measuring results on smaller groups of students, the college could ensure that its plans and actions would lead to growth and success for all students.

GradUP didn’t start with its name in the summer of 2018. That fall, faculty and staff generated a range of names, but ultimately rallied behind GradUP to represent the upward movement all were working toward for students. With a name, the first-ever GradUP graphic identifier was developed, further making the initiative visible in an effort to keep student success always top of mind. 

As GradUP's visibility grew, faculty and staff were moving forward on many initiatives in instruction and student services. Both areas partnered to create tailored course schedules that would allow students to complete critical core courses for their degree or certificate plans. Support seminars across a range of topics, including study skills and organization, were scheduled regularly. Advising worked individually with students to develop academic plans for their unique paths. Retention interventions were built to provide additional support and provide wrap-around services for students. GradUP sparked new ideas for faculty and staff to help students reach graduation.

Simultaneously, the college set out to define what GradUP truly meant for students and the community. LSC-University Park's Leo's Think Tank, a diverse group of faculty and staff from across the college tasked with innovative projects, wrote a six-word story in February 2019: 

You commit. We commit. You graduate.

This represents LSC-University Park’s definition of GradUP in six words. Since then, the creation of six-word stories at LSC-University Park challenges individuals to succinctly and concisely describe who they are and what matters most.

"Our GradUP six-word story embodies the collaborative commitment of students, faculty, staff and administration to student success," said Dr. Ardalan. "This is our pledge to student graduation and success."

In a short amount of time, the six-word story has taken root. Students and employees are part of the You commit. We commit. You graduate. culture and even create their own six-word stories. 

Since that retreat in 2018, GradUP has become a guidepost for the college’s dedicated administration, faculty, staff and, most important, students. Ingrained in the very culture of LSC-University Park, GradUP continues to grow and push the needle on student success.