NMU’s Retention Enhancement Initiative (REI) has provided high-risk students on academic probation with extra tutoring, hands-on learning and support outside of the classroom.

The rise in those students’ grade point averages has shown the REI’s emphasis on English is directly related to student success.

This fits in with NMU’s “right-to-try” philosophy: students with low high school GPAs should be given a chance in college.

Students on academic probation should not be the only ones to benefit from academic returns on an investment in writing and reading comprehension.

Implementing a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) initiative will provide students with ample writing experience in their chosen field.

Michigan Technological University has been a writing-across-the-curriculum university since the 1970s.

Michigan Tech’s enrollment in the fall 2011 semester was 7,034 students, comparable to NMU’s own student population of 9,417 according to the 2011-12 NMU profile.

An emphasis on writing in all courses will grow both students’ and professors’ verbal and written communication skills.

Programs like the REI are fantastic: they provide students with the resources needed to reinvent themselves in college.

Struggling students should not be the only ones the administration focuses on. Giving students the opportunity to develop intellectually in their thinking and on the page makes a degree from NMU even more valuable.

NMU can make their programs more robust by promoting WAC in all departments.

Like the high-risk students the university admits, the administration should reinvent the NMU bachelor’s degree.

Academic success can be attained by all NMU students, but they have to write to try.