GBC is committed to the success of our students and seeks to provide an environment that encourages instruction, the learning experience, and overall personal growth.

The GBC Student Retention Office has developed an Early Alert Program (EAP) to identify and support at-risk students. This program is a collaborative effort involving administration, faculty, staff, and students from our entire service area. The goal is to:

• Provide faculty with a means to identify at-risk students early in the semester (preferably prior to midterm).
• Refer students to college resources appropriate to their needs.
• Actively assist students, especially first year students, in becoming academically and socially successful.

Here's how the EAP works:

1. Faculty or staff identify students with at-risk behaviors and notify the Retention Coordinator of at-risk students by one of the following means:
   • Submitting the online referral form.
   • Phoning the Retention Coordinator (RC) at 775.753.2304.
   • Emailing the Retention Office with the student name, email address if possible, and comments.
   • Filling out a paper Referral Form (PDF* file) and delivering it to the Retention Office at GBC Elko mailbox number 24.

     *Requires the Adobe Reader plugin for your browser, available free from Adobe.

2. Information will be reviewed and student contact initiated within three working days.
3. A Peer Mentor, the Retention Coordinator (RC), a counselor, or the student's adviser will speak with the student to review the identified concerns and provide support.
4. Students will be provided with campus and community referrals and resources when necessary.
5. If desired, the referrer will be notified of actions taken and progress made.

Why Should I Use the Early Alert Program?

As a faculty member, you are the most influential person students come in contact with; therefore, you are the best person to recognize students experiencing academic or personal difficulties. These students may be at risk for dropping out or academic failure. Most often you can address such challenges directly with your students, but occasionally the problem may be beyond your resources or time.

The Early Alert Program supports both the student and faculty during the course of the semester. Most of the research shows that the first 6 to 8 weeks of the semester are the most critical for students and their continued success. The goals of the system are to work closely with students to improve the quality of their work in class, increase student retention, increase awareness of student support services throughout our service area and increase interaction between students and faculty.