Meeting metrics and sustaining impact: A conversation with InsideTrack President Ruth Bauer

Highlights and insights from the latest InsideTrack Impact Report

Higher ed leaders face pressure to continuously grow and tangibly demonstrate progress toward fulfilling their mission, meeting census goals and serving learners — and many of these institutions are proving that the key to fueling student success lies in human connection. 

Our newly released “InsideTrack Impact Report: Catalyzing Growth Through Human Connection” tells the story of colleges and universities that are leveraging evidence-based student coaching to build internal capacity, strengthen enrollment, boost retention and completion, and help learners thrive in the workforce.

We sat down with our very own President of InsideTrack Ruth Bauer to discuss key findings and partner case studies from the impact report, how human connection fuels student success, reflections on 25 years as a leading coaching nonprofit, and where she sees the future of higher education trending.

‍

Top takeaways from institutions driving positive student outcomes in higher ed

‍

Q: Reflecting on the outcomes from our latest impact report, what are your top takeaways about what truly helps postsecondary institutions thrive during times of uncertainty or hardship?

A: Two takeaways come immediately to mind: One, that investing in evidence-based, proven support models is critical; and two, that building a solid plan across the complete student support lifecycle allows institutions to maintain healthy financial viability.

Let’s talk about the first takeaway. Now more than ever, institutions can’t afford solutions that only “might” work. I believe a major reason for why our partners see tangible improvements in student outcomes — no matter what those outcomes are — is because InsideTrack’s coaching methodology is research-confirmed. We’ve proven the impact of coaching through RCTs and literature reviews, as well as countless partner success stories. Our work with NC Reconnect, for example, has brought back almost 3,000 stopped-out students. Nearly half of those learners have earned a degree or credential, and the median annual earnings for CE and CTE students increased by up to $20K. For these graduates, that level of growth isn't just a stat on a chart — it represents socioeconomic mobility and a life-changing step forward for their families.

For the second takeaway, institutions that integrate coaching support at each key student milestone — from enrollment to degree completion — consistently see stronger outcomes. We know that proactive, tech-enabled outreach combined with a real human coach who can help each student address the challenges they’re facing keeps learners on track.

An integrated support plan like this allows institutions to feel confident that if one area is facing decline (for example, enrollment shifts), the entire institution will still remain financially stable. In our recent work with a cohort of 31 HBCUs, institutions generated almost $27M in total tuition revenue. By implementing Enrollment, Re-enrollment and Retention Coaching, they were able to keep more students motivated and on track to graduation.

‍

Strategies for closing the student persistence gap

‍

Q: We know that a staggering 39% of full-time students seeking a bachelor’s degree don’t complete their program within six years. What strategies are you seeing successful institutions use to move the needle on student persistence? 

A: This is such an important question, especially since closing the student persistence gap can be a major challenge for higher ed leadership. What immediately comes to mind is proactive care. A surprising number of students stop out due to smaller hurdles like an unpaid balance, complex hold processes or confusing financial aid applications. InsideTrack coaches continually provide insights to institutions about student risk factors — among other things — and many forward-thinking leaders have been able to implement process or policy changes to address these factors before they become a problem. We’ve seen partner institutions eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy, offer targeted fee waivers or debt-forgiveness steps, and accept more intuitive credit for prior learning, for example. 

And partners who implement InsideTrack Retention Coaching give learners the space to discover their "why" and develop the knowledge, skills and belief needed to reach graduation. Our impact report shares meaningful persistence outcomes from partners who have improved student success with the support of Retention Coaching. Jackson State University, for instance, had a little over 8% higher fall-to-fall retention, and the average term-to-term retention rate for all our partners was almost 80%! 

We also recently launched a Retention Toolkit that shares best practices like training student support teams on healing-centered engagement strategies and our “Five Elements of Coaching” — which have been shown to help more students persist and complete. 

‍

Successful re-enrollment tactics to bring back stopped-out learners

‍

Q: To support the learners who need to take a break from school, what do successful re-enrollment initiatives look like in practice, and what are the key factors that help these stopped-out learners not just return, but complete?

A: I want to start by saying that taking a break from school is sometimes extremely necessary. Learners face life disruptions all the time, like unforeseen financial barriers, a sick family member who needs to be cared for, or personal mental health challenges that take priority over school. However, it’s important that we help these stopped-out learners create a viable plan for returning — and support them to build the persistence required to reach graduation once they re-enroll. 

In practice, the most successful re-enrollment initiatives go beyond one-off marketing campaigns to focus on removing common barriers for learners such as unexpected account holds, inflexible advising hours or lack of credit for prior learning. Two successful statewide initiatives — NC Reconnect and CA Reconnect — use InsideTrack Re-enrollment Coaching to empower returning students on the path to credential completion. NC Reconnect students who completed their degree saw a 12 percentage point higher wage gain over students who didn't re-enroll, and CA Reconnect learners who engaged with a coach were nearly 4 times more likely to re-enroll and almost 2 times more likely to persist than their uncoached peers. 

I’m very proud of our re-enrollment initiatives because they’re a win-win-win: Students re-enroll with confidence, institutions boost enrollment ROI and states build a pipeline of skilled talent.

‍

Mitigating burnout through staff capacity building

‍

Q: Campus advisors and student-facing teams are facing unsustainable caseloads and student-retention challenges. How can institutional leaders expand their support bandwidth without overstretching their current staff?

A: Campus advisors care deeply about the students they serve but are often caught between making a quantity of contact or having a quality contact. Training advisors in a research-based coaching methodology that truly gives them the tools to assess student needs, even during short conversations, ensures that important discussions aren’t missed and students don’t fall through the cracks. Quality training can also help advisors be more strategic about outreach, making sure they connect with students at the right time with the best level of support. Even though there’s an up-front training investment, the efficiencies gained and outcomes improved in the long-run are huge.

University of Maryland Global Campus is a great example. Through an InsideTrack Coaching Development and Training program, we certified their staff to utilize our coaching methodology in their student support work — and not only did fall-to-fall retention increase, but they saw an incredible 30% increase in retention of their coaching staff. Because our programs focus on staff capacity building, student supporters can deliver high-impact support at scale without burning out. 

We should never underestimate the power of investing in staff professional development. However, to truly move the needle on staff retention and student success outcomes, that professional development must be the right training: an evidence-based methodology that turns everyday interactions into growth opportunities.

‍

Balancing human-powered support with AI in higher education 

‍

Q: Where do human-powered interventions like coaching fit into the modern student support equation?

A: In an increasingly isolated world, human connection is more important than ever. Bill Gates talks about the concept of jobs that should be “human reserved.” A critical question I have for higher ed leadership is: What parts of the student success journey should remain with a human, and what parts can be supported by AI?  

Both have an essential role, but getting the balance right can be the difference between a student stopping out or staying in school and completing their degree. At InsideTrack, our coaching programs are powered by technology so that we can scale our reach and impact, but coaches aren’t replaced by it. Every single learner who connects with an InsideTrack coach is talking 1:1 with a real human who has a minimum of 100 hours of training — and that kind of meaningful relationship development, especially at critical or sensitive points in a learner’s journey, is not something that technology can replicate. 

In fact, we just dove into this topic in a webinar with our partners at Mainstay and leaders from UALR and UCNJ. One of the core takeaways was that as technology continues to evolve, human connection is what will remain as the true differentiator.

AI is fantastic for giving instant answers after hours or lifting routine administrative tasks off staff plates, but student success is complex. A student might text an AI tool asking about test anxiety, when the root issue is actually food insecurity or financial panic. AI can give them study tips, but it takes a trained human coach using intuition, empathy and a proven methodology to uncover what’s really going on and help that learner reconnect to their “why.”

This is another reason I’m so energized that InsideTrack and Mainstay are now part of the Lemnis Collective. Together, we’re integrating our services into a hybrid model that combines smart tech with real human connection. Every campus is navigating this transition differently, and we’re here to talk with leaders about building a support strategy that works for them.

‍

Trends heading into 2027

‍

Q: Looking ahead, what trends do you see coming down the pike for higher education institutions — and what is your top piece of advice for leaders as they plan for the year ahead?

A: As I mentioned earlier, we need to embrace AI in higher education — it’s not going anywhere, so let’s use it intentionally. Higher education is developing the leaders of tomorrow who need to be tech savvy and AI fluent to thrive, but they also need to be able to connect on a human level. That’s one of the many powerful roles our coaches play. 

I also see the staff capacity issue coming to a head, and this is where leaders need to recognize that this is not just an HR problem, but a student retention problem. My top piece of advice for institutions is to consider how they can lean on hybrid support models and 3rd-party partnerships to scale capacity without driving their internal teams to exhaustion. The key for institutional leaders is to be intentional here and seek out partners who have a record of proven efficacy, measurable outcomes and strong mission alignment to ensure long-term, sustainable impact.

If you read our impact report, you’ll see that our coaching model has had tremendous success for our partner institutions. To me, this shows the critical importance of human connection in driving student persistence and completion. After 25 years of being leaders in human-powered coaching, we're as energized as ever to keep innovating and helping colleges and universities across the country unlock potential for every learner.

‍