ABSTRACT 

Saint Peter’s University (SPU), of Jersey City, New Jersey, an eligible Minority Serving 

Institution (MSI) under Title III, will establish the PeacockSuccess by Optimizing Data and 

Support (PODS) Project, an Early Phase Postsecondary Student Success (PSSG) Program, to 

improve postsecondary success for underserved students, including retention and completion. 

The PODS Project will address Absolute Priority 1 by: adopting an evidence-based, integrated, 

holistic, team-based advising approach; conducting an individual-level randomized control trial

(RCT) to test the effect of PODS advising on improving credit accumulation, retention, and 

persistence for underserved students; and addressing the Competitive Preference Priority.

SPU will implement three interventions to improve academic success, and increase 

retention, persistence, and progress toward graduation among underserved undergraduate 

students through: (1) PODS team-based advising; (2) retention-data platform expansion and 

training; and (3) establishing a Male Resource Center. Over the 48-month project period, SPU 

will provide holistic, integrated, team-based advising for 719 first- and second-year students; 

increase access to support for 2400 students by improving use of the Navigate retention-data 

system; train 100 faculty members to use the retention-data system to support and communicate 

with students; train 30 new faculty mentors; and engage at least 200 male students in services 

through the Male Resource Center, including a for-credit course, Leadership Lab workshops, and 

social and cultural programming to boost their sense of belonging and academic success.

Outcomes for the PODS Project are to: increase the percentage of first-year students with 

targeted credit accumulation by 4%, increase first-year retention by 4%, increase persistence to 

the third year by 4%, and increase progress to graduation rates by 4%, over the baselines, in the 

aggregate and among underserved students; and increase on-campus engagement and sense of 

belonging for BIPOC male students. Ultimately, the project will put SPU on a course to 

eliminate equity-based gaps in academic outcomes.

SPU will conduct a rigorous individual-level randomized control trial that will produce 

evidence of PODS-advising effectiveness using a design that meets WWC Evidence Standards 

with or without reservations. The study will be conducted by WestEd, the project’s external 

evaluator. Evaluation questions include: (1) What is the impact of PODS-advising participation 

on student retention, persistence, credit accumulation, and GPA? (2) What is the impact of 

faculty use of the Navigate platform on student retention, persistence, credit accumulation, and 

GPA? (3) What impact does student engagement with the MRC have on students’ leadership 

skills and sense of belonging? and (4) To what extent is the PODS Project implemented with 

fidelity? The impact study will examine differences between the retention, persistence, credit 

accumulation, and academic performance outcomes of students who receive PODS advising 

compared with control group peers. Four student cohorts will participate in the RCT, and will be

randomized into treatment and control conditions. Each student will have an equal probability of 

assignment to the treatment group. Students will be followed for up to two years. Outcome 

measures include: continuous re-enrollment at SPU one year (retention) and two years 

(persistence) from baseline; number of credit-hours completed in the outcome year (credit 

accumulation); and academic performance as measured by overall GPA. Analyses spanning 

multiple years will examine cumulative credit-hours completed and cumulative GPA over the full 

period covered by the analyses.