For financially strapped students trying to cover their mounting expenses to attend college, like working and the time needed for both commuting to their jobs and school, poor academic performance is often the end result of such efforts.

Such commitments and the sacrifice they demand have created quite the unfortunate predicament many students find themselves in. In fact, the negative toll on their grades often leads to students being stripped of their financial aid, blocked from registering for any more classes, and at risk of being removed from living in the on-campus dorms - often their only living option.

This growing epidemic has been brought front and center by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. So much so that it caught the attention of the national media, including NBC News. Through their combined efforts, and with the help of Florida Atlantic University, they helped shed light on one of its own students who found themselves in this dilemma

Hasan Dickinson, 18, was consumed by the kind of bureaucracy that so often hinders the academic goals of undergraduates. Given the runaround from one office to another, he was left with little options and less hope of remaining in school — until he found himself referred to someone whose title was “retention specialist.”

“I never heard of that,” Dickinson said. “Literally her job is to keep you in school.”

Through the efforts and guidance of his retention specialist, more than enough grant and scholarship money was uncovered to eliminate most of his debt and living expenses. On top of that, Dickinson was able to quit one of his jobs, retain his on-campus dorm, and sign up for the current semester, the second of his freshman year.

It’s a worthy example that both colleges and universities, such as FAU, are emphasizing to curb the steady drip of dropouts who end up with little to show for their time and tuition. Such a windfall wastes huge amounts of taxpayer money used to subsidize public universities, and in turn, leaves employers without enough of the graduates in need to fill their vital positions.

But the initiatives put forth by institutions, like FAU, are a step in the right direction, and avoid the potential negative economic impacts such a domino effect can pose for students, schools, and all who support higher education.