Gloria Gibson is the former president of Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) in Chicago, an academic institution that offers more than 60 undergraduate majors and minors. Adopting a student-centered approach, the NEIU faculty, staff and administrators all invest heavily in the success of their students. During her presidency, Ms. Gibson focused on providing increased educational access for students in the Chicago area, as well as expanding into new regional and global areas.
This article will look at student-success leadership teams and the various types of support they provide to students, from fiduciary provisions and ensuring all students enjoy access to the necessary IT resources to assisting students affected by natural disasters.
As colleges grapple with the realities of demographic shifts and continuous enrollment declines, forward-looking institutions are coming to recognize the need to better support the changing student population. Due to personal and collective trauma experienced by college students in recent years, the call to serve them beyond their learning needs has become even more urgent. Student-success leadership teams can have a significant impact before, during, and after college, safeguarding both the welfare of students and the financial stability of learning institutions themselves.
Historically, some universities have treated the academic progress of their students as a separate realm from their own cocurricular and extracurricular activities. This view was reflected by formal administrative divisions, with academic affairs siloed from other offices. Today, more than ever, the onus is firmly on learning institutions to implement large-scale change to help learners from diverse backgrounds achieve their educational and career goals, transforming students’ lives and benefiting society as a whole.
Although they generally include or report to cabinet-level leaders, depending on the size of the university, student-success leadership teams vary in terms of formal designation and administrative rank. Incorporating leaders of student and academic affairs as well as admissions and enrollment, they frequently consult with or include the chief data officer and personnel from divisions like financial aid; residential life; diversity, equity and inclusion; career services; disability services; counseling and health services; learning centers; and IT offices.
Strategic activities from energetic and conscientious teams can have a broad impact, helping to guide student engagement and academic success. College support teams should meet regularly with students to assess their needs, such as providing mental health support, increasing access and training to digital tools, or assigning a peer or professional mentor. In the case of a natural disaster rendering it impossible for students to attend lectures in person (COVID, flooding from tornados, horrific forest fires), student support teams can pave the way for access to flexible-learning platforms. Alternatively, making student success a priority could entail waiving fees and fines that prevent students from enrolling or graduating, or securing transcripts for graduate school or job applications.
Education, whether at a university or specialized training, can transform the life trajectories of students from diverse backgrounds. The COVID-19 health crisis exacerbated already significant opportunity gaps, putting learners from low-income households at an even greater disadvantage than their peers. Against the backdrop of a predicted decline in college enrollments in 2026, colleges are increasingly focusing on student success and satisfaction rather than maintaining a sole emphasis on boosting enrollment figures.
Policymakers and parents are placing pressure on colleges and universities to produce graduates capable of securing good, well-paying jobs and career opportunities. Recognizing that many students from low-income households are the first in their family to go to college, student retention has become more of a priority than ever before. In the United States today, forward-looking universities are seeking innovative new ways to support students, simultaneously safeguarding the future of their student populations and preserving their own long-term institutional health.