Transforming Institutional Strategy to Drive Student Success

5%

Increase in retention rate achieved three years ahead of goal

+117%

Increase in first-generation students between 2022 and 2025

A unified institutional student success strategy—centered on student experience, leadership development, and data-informed decision-making—accelerated retention gains, strengthened institutional alignment, and reshaped the university’s impact years ahead of schedule.

A unified vision creates momentum for student achievement.

Ohio Wesleyan University—a historic liberal arts institution—faced a changing higher education landscape that demanded a stronger, more unified message about the value of the liberal arts.

To get there, they chose a partner who could help them reshape student success strategy, strengthen internal leadership, and use data to unlock new pathways for student success. Carnegie partnered with OWU through the Moving the Needle process to transform not only processes but people, culture, and impact.

Student Type

Undergraduate

Solution

Institutional Strategy

The Challenge 

Ohio Wesleyan University knew that thriving in today’s higher education market required more than incremental change. They wanted not only to raise their profile but also to articulate the value of the liberal arts. The institution sought to strengthen its competitive position, clarify its story, and better align internal structures around student success.

At the same time, the university recognized the need to improve retention, expand selectivity, and deepen its commitment to an equitable experience for underserved student populations. Achieving these goals required not just new strategies but deep cultural change and a trusted partner to support a multi-year, mission-driven evolution.

Our Approach

Our partnership with Ohio Wesleyan began with a campus-wide effort to listen deeply, build alignment, and center every decision around the student experience. By embedding with the culture, the leadership and particularly, middle talent, Carnegie helped the institution achieve the capacity required to sustain long-term change for student success.

What Worked

  • Data-informed student insights to identify opportunities to better serve local, high-achieving, first-generation, and underserved students.
  • Strategic advising and alignment to unify the president, cabinet, and board around clear priorities grounded in student experience.
  • Leadership development to empower faculty and staff as internal change agents capable of sustaining culture transformation.
  • Board-level decision support to strengthen data-driven governance and guide long-term financial and enrollment planning.
A campus scene with text: 85% retention achieved two years ahead of goal.

The Results

Ohio Wesleyan’s transformation has reshaped the institution from the inside out. Retention gains arrived three years ahead of schedule, leadership capacity has strengthened across departments, and the university is attracting more of the students it most seeks to serve—local, high-achieving, first-generation, and Pell-eligible students. The number of first-generation students enrolled rose 117% between 2022 and 2025, and the number of Pell-eligible students rose by 72% over the same period. With stronger alignment between strategy, people, and culture, Ohio Wesleyan has reinforced its position as a leading liberal arts institution and created a sustainable path for future student success and institutional growth.

5%

Increase in retention rate achieved three years ahead of goal

85

Faculty and staff engaged in leadership development

+117%

Increase in first-generation students between 2022 and 2025

+72%

Increase in Pell-eligible students between 2022 and 2025

Services That Drive Success

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