Kalpana Srinivas

Kalpana SrinivasMember, BBI Board of Advisors, Ph.D.


Dr. Kal Srinivas is the Director for Retention in the Office of Academic Programs at Syracuse University. This position has been newly created and designed to meet a need on campus to help enhance college access and enrollment to non-traditional college students and ensure the success of all students through graduation. She reports to the Associate Provost for Academic Programs and will be working closely with the Vice President of Enrollment Management, the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs, and the Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research and Assessment.  Working collaboratively across campus, as the Director for Retention she is responsible for the coordination of university retention efforts, programs and services. She oversees the access and success of special populations (e.g., first generation, students of academic concern, intra-University transfer students) and special programs (e.g., Say Yes to Education, KIPP, Posse, Haudenosaunee Promise) as they progress to graduation.

As part of Syracuse University’s larger commitment to creating an inclusive student body, Kal will work with all schools, colleges, and divisions across the University to further the ideals of supporting all students. The underpinning concept being that any student attending Syracuse University receives the individualized services and support necessary for their success through graduation. Syracuse University has a history of strong academic excellence and support and as the Director for Retention she will assist campus stakeholders in thinking critically, analytically, and creativity to meet the needs of our diverse student population.

Responsibilities include:

  • Work with School/College advising teams to develop best practices for access and retention
  • Benchmark other universities and leverage initiatives initiated by State and Federal programs
  • Assessment of target programs across campus to find out if our students are learning what we as a school are trying to teach them and provide feedback to both students and faculty
  • Coordinate the implementation and use of the Early Indicators Warning system
  • Design, develop, implement, and coordinate retention programs across the university
  • Identify areas of needed change that would increase student success and retention
  • Collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative information on what causes attrition and develop recommendations, alternate systems, and procedures to increase retention
  • Design and perform assessment studies to determine the effectiveness, performance, and future directions of programs designed to increase retention and graduation rates