The President’s Focused Learner Program (PFL) was a KSU initiative seeking to assist incoming students at risk of “Murky Middle” GPAs with their ability to navigate the academic and personal well-being factors often necessary for a student’s academic success. The PFL Program spanned all majors at KSU.
As of Fall 2024, the services and events previously offered within the PFL program were incorporated into the Academic Coaching and Support office, enabling more comprehensive support for “murky middle” students.
The President’s Focused Learner Program (PFL) was formally retired at the end of Summer 2024. However, the core strategies and student success components of PFL—such as academic coaching, workshops, peer mentoring, and targeted outreach—have been fully integrated into the work of the Academic Coaching and Support office. While no new PFL cohorts were inducted after Fall 2023, the evaluation below reflects the ongoing evolution of support through the Academic Coaching office.
KPIs:
- Student Interactions with Academic Coaching and Support
- Enrollment based on engagement
- First-year full-time retention rate
Baseline measure (for each KPI):
- Fall 2024: 2,796 student interactions
- Fall 2024 to Fall 2025 retention of participants: TBD
- Fall 2023 cohort: 76.7%
Goal or targets (for each KPI):
- Fall 2024: 10% increase in the number of student interactions over baseline
- Fall 2026 to Fall 2027 retention of participants: TBD
- Fall 2026 cohort: 82%
Despite the fact that the PFL program has merged into the broader services provided by the Academic Coaching and Support (ACS) office, the students who were formerly part of the PFL program continue to be tracked via EAB Navigate and encouraged to engage with ACS’ services, which include academic coaching, peer mentoring, success workshops, and academic enrichment events.
As of Fall 2025 the services and events formerly provided by the PFL program were integrated into the Academic Coaching and Support office (ACS), allowing broader support for “murky middle” students. Although the PFL program has been retired in name, its successful elements designed for “murky middle” students are now part of Academic Coaching and Support. This transition allows us to offer broader support, including academic coaching, success workshops, guided study sessions, registration assistance, enrichment events, online resources, and targeted academic outreach.
Additionally, academic coaching has been expanded. PFL students, along with any student in the “murky middle” GPA range at KSU, now have access to coaching from six coaches, compared to the single coach in the former PFL program. The ACS coaching team also provides targeted outreach to encourage participation in coaching sessions and workshops/events.
As of Fall 2025, there were 1,446 enrolled students from the former PFL program who enrolled for FA25 and who receive support from the Academic Coaching and Support office.
Since Spring 2025, over 80 workshops and events have been hosted by Academic Coaching and Support to connect students with campus resources. Specific outreach has also been undertaken at key points in spring 2025 and fall 2025 semesters to encourage “murky middle” students to engage with SSP’s academic support services. The continued development of peer academic mentoring for first-year students through “Wing Leaders” initiative has further enhanced support for the “murky middle” population.
As of Fall 2025, there were 1,446 enrolled students who were previously with the PFL program and continue to be supported by the Academic Coaching and Support office:
- FA20 cohort enrolled in FA25: 162 students
- FA21 cohort enrolled in FA25: 324 students
- FA22 cohort enrolled in FA25: 490 students
- FA23 cohort enrolled in FA25: 459 students
- Opt-In cohort enrolled in FA25: 13 students
Data for spring 2025 and Fall 2025 (as of November 3rd 2025) – All Academic Coaching and Support Services:
- Coaching appointments: 1,825
- Total programmatic offerings: 80 events and workshops in SP25 (Academic Coaching and Support)
- Total workshop/event attendance: 1,974 check-ins
Peer mentoring engagement: 1,077 check-ins
Beneficial PFL initiatives—such as intensive coaching, guided study sessions, and academic success workshops—are now fully integrated into the offerings of the Academic Coaching and Support office (formerly called Student Success Programs). Academic coaching and mentoring will remain priorities, with an emphasis on collaboration with other campus support offices. The Wing Leaders program continues to develop and thrive, and we aim to continue this upward trend.
Academic Coaching and Support collect more comprehensive data to identify the most impactful activities for “murky middle” students. Academic Coaching and Support will prioritize interventions for these students, including information about academic coaching and student success workshops and events. Efforts will be made to expand academic coaching availability, particularly for “murky middle” students and those facing academic challenges.
CHALLENGES:
The voluntary nature of academic coaching, mentoring, and workshops/events poses a challenge in reaching students at their point of need and persuading them to participate.
SUPPORT NEEDED:
The opportunity to connect with other institutions that offer academic coaching within the system would be beneficial.
