What 30+ rising higher education leaders learned in EAB’s fall 2024 fellowship

Developing a Robust Onboarding and Ongoing Training Model for Dual Enrollment Advisors

Eric Brooks, Director of Recruitment/Dual Enrollment, Forsyth Technical Community College

Challenge: Develop a robust onboarding and ongoing training plan for advisors working with dual enrollment students and charged with high school student and community recruitment.

Project: The objective is to develop a comprehensive and consistent training model that enhances the effectiveness of advisors, while also promoting their professional growth. Developing an intentional plan will support Forsyth Technical Community College’s academic advising and college access efforts while also supporting growth in the advising profession.

Early Results: We have evaluated departmental onboarding and training practices for advisors and begun constructing a needs assessment to identify gaps and areas for enhanced training. We have aligned our onboarding with the core competencies of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). We continue to collaborate with our college access partners to develop an ongoing training model that enhances our impact in the community

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Advising Strategies: Toxic Course Combinations and Momentum Impacts

Tanya Brown, M.Ed., Director of Strategy & Analytics, Student Affairs, Arapahoe Community College

Challenge: Students often face barriers to academic momentum due to toxic course combinations—course scheduling that unintentionally pair courses with conflicting demands, excessive workloads, or incompatible pacing. Toxic course combinations have negative and lasting impacts on student performance. Reactive advising, which addresses problems only after they arise, often leaves students without timely guidance, further compounding their challenges. Without structured holistic interventions, students may lack the necessary support, threatening their retention, completion, academic and career goals.

Project: To develop interventions for first-year students, this project leverages initial historical success data by:

1. Reviewing courses with high DFW rates
2. Identifying possible toxic course pairings, primarily in first-year courses
3. Enhancing strategic college initiatives

By analyzing the above, this plan looks to develop a holistic framework to support both students and the college to promote student success. The framework will consider but is not limited to, proactive advising strategies and outreach, strategic course scheduling, and advising recommendations to promote retention and completion.

Early Results: Preliminary findings for this project:

• Data insights: Analysis of three academic years identified 25 high-DFW rate courses, with three first-year courses showing a combined rate over 16%. Opportunities for leveraging LMS data, success markers, and predictive analytics to support targeted outreach have been identified as well as implementation of Edify to improve data-driven processes.
• Advising strategies: A milestone advising framework and restructured advising model has been developed to support proactive advising. An implementation timeline has been identified.
• Holistic interventions: Through the college’s Achieving the Dream strategy teams, initiatives are being developed to support student success by clarifying and restructuring academic maps along with course scheduling, registration, and the overall student experience.

Future phases will scale the implementation of these initiatives, refine the use of predictive tools, and ensure continuous improvement in retention, student success outcomes, and decision-making.

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Master’s Program Review: A Re-Envisioned Model

Caleb McKinney, Assistant Vice President and Associate Dean, Biomedical Graduate Education, Georgetown University

Introduction: The Georgetown University Biomedical Graduate Education Portfolio houses 15 masters programs that are roughly grouped into interdisciplinary basic science, prehealth, industry, and data science focused programs. Several years ago, we developed the first-ever evaluation framework for our programs with the intent that programs would be evaluated by their peers every five years. The current process provides metrics and information supplied by the program and by the BGE Central office (data that is collected centrally) on behalf of the program to a subcommittee of the Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC). The subcommittee synthesizes and analyzes the data, and provides a thoughtful set of recommendations on paths forward.

Challenge: The current process lacks any reflection on the program. Current subcommittee members have indicated that the program’s story gets lost in the process. The current process is also quite cumbersome and places a huge burden of responsibility on the subcommittee members. Therefore, we’ve been unable to evaluate more than one or two programs each academic year.

Project: I’ve developed a reenvisioned model for program evaluation that uses a self-study paradigm. I researched metrics for program success and analysis tools that programs can use to synthesize the findings and come up with viable paths forward to develop and act on goals geared toward improving their program. EAB provided me with many programs nationally that have self-study processes, which were very helpful to benchmark from.

Results to Date: I drafted a template that prompts programs to complete their self-study in three phases: assessment, analysis, and future directions. The assessment phase consists of a series of questions that require the program to secure data from themselves or from BGE central office to reflect on. The questions are in the following areas: program mission, recruitment and admissions, curriculum, student experience and success, and community and climate. The program then synthesizes these findings and performs a SWOT analysis during the analyze phase, before concluding with some strategic goal setting in the future directions phase. I look forward to presenting this concept to our department chairs and to the GAC for formal codification into policy in the coming months.

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Program Review Dashboards: Creating Tools to Assist in a Streamlined Program Review Process

Daniel Eastman, Director, Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Bemidji State University

Challenge to be Solved: At Bemidji State University, the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (IRE) supports department chairpersons in their program review process by collecting and providing data on program effectiveness. However, the ad hoc nature of this data collection, initiated only when requested by departmental chairs, created a barrier by requiring them to actively seek out the information and requiring the IRE office to recreate work, potentially delaying the start of their review process.

Project: The project involved developing dashboards to streamline access to critical information for program reviews. These dashboards are designed to be readily available, automatically updatable, user-friendly, and highly customizable, enabling departments to easily retrieve and analyze data tailored to their specific needs.

Results: Dashboards have been created to provide course success rates, enrollment headcount and FYE (full year equivalent) data, graduate and retention statistics, and degree outcome data. These dashboards are capable of filtering information that allows departments to compare the data as they need. These tools empower departments to efficiently conduct their program reviews with minimal reliance on ad hoc data requests. Additional dashboards are still to be made, but it’s a good start.

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Developing Data Resources to Support Academic Unit Reviews

Jay Johnson, Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research and Reporting, The Ohio State University

Challenge: The Office of Institutional Research and Planning (IRP) assists department chairs in collecting data resources for academic unit reviews. However, this process could be made more efficient for IRP and easier for department chairs to assess their progress towards the goals set in the academic unit review.

Project: To address this, the IRP office developed five user-friendly dashboards. These dashboards are regularly updated with the most current data and are readily available to department chairs for future assessments and reviews.

Early Results: So far, the dashboards have supported five reviews, receiving positive feedback. The data collection process for these reviews has been streamlined, significantly reducing the time required to compile information. However, widespread adoption by department chairs is still pending and will take some time.

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Strategic Planning for Shared Research Facilities

Melissa Reynolds, PhD, Assistant Vice President – Research Facilities, Colorado State University

The goal of this project is to develop a business case and strategic plan for creating thriving and sustainable shared facilities that offer professional services and state-of-the-art data production that address current needs while being more proactive toward future growth. Two drivers for this project include a change in our budget model and addressing the increase in multidisciplinary research on our campus. While we have seen a change in our research portfolio, our current infrastructure and funding models have not changed, leading to a mismatch between researcher needs and university support.

This project is focused on a collaborative and cross-campus effort to address immediate end-of-life infrastructure needs and staffing needs, while at the same time, planning for new instruments and services that align with college and university priorities. Towards this effort, we have inventoried our core services, created a database for researchers to find services on campus, launched the core operating budget funding initiative, benchmarked with our peer institutions, and worked with the colleges to identify their key infrastructure priorities. As we move forward, we will build on our successes by aligning research needs with funding mechanisms as we build out our roadmap for our shared facilities.

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Measuring a Cultural Transformation

Angela Lipari, Assistant VP, Strategic Initiative Support, Rice University

In 2024, Rice University launched Momentous, an ambitious 10-year strategic plan positioning Rice as a premier teaching and research university. For the Operations, Finance, and Support (OF&S) division to effectively contribute to and support this plan, we have launched a five-year strategic plan that will transform our ways of working, how we serve our customers, and the ways we engage and support our community.

While these goals emphasize creating efficient services, fostering exceptional experiences, and building an inclusive environment, measuring cultural transformation is inherently challenging. Cultural change often feels ambiguous and difficult to quantify. This challenge is amplified by the diversity of functions within OF&S, which includes units ranging from campus safety to housing and dining. Identifying meaningful metrics that reflect progress across these varied areas, while maintaining relevance for all unit leaders, is critical for success.

Project: This capstone project proposes a strategic solution: a dashboard featuring 8-10 core metrics designed to help OF&S unit leaders measure progress in real-time. The focus is on leading indicators, providing insights into trends, and enabling proactive adjustments to align with the division’s objectives. These metrics, grounded in organizational health, will guide leaders in building a cohesive, adaptive, and high-performing culture.

Results to Date: I have identified and proposed 11 potential metrics for final review and selection by the OF&S leadership team. Once selected, I will work to create a dashboard that tracks leading indicators aligned with its strategic goals. This approach ensures a cohesive and adaptive culture that fosters innovation, retains talent, and delivers on strategic goals. Through a focus on organizational health, this project establishes a clear path for measuring and sustaining cultural change within a complex and dynamic university environment.

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Office Space Management: Defining Priorities for Sustainable Future Use

Tonia Pittman, CEFP, Facilities Associate Director, UW-Madison

Across the landscape of universities, there are opportunities presented that encourages us to review space usage in terms of actual usage and align priorities to ensure availability, understanding of financial impact, and addressing staff ongoing needs. UW-Madison continues to experience enrollment growth, which means that the Division of University Housing continues to see residential growth in both living and dining spaces. This increases the need for offices for staff across our landscape. This project begins the review of our inventory of office spaces, identifying the unique needs of each department within University Housing and then determining a divisional scope for sustainable use moving forward in both human and fiscal resources.

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Utilizing Financial Planning Tools in Campus Master Planning Process

Diane E Holmes, Associate Vice President for Business Affairs/Assistant Treasurer, Scripps College

Challenge: As Scripps College approaches its centennial year, my challenge was to utilize financial planning tools to produce long-range horizon scenarios that incorporate our master planning process with a brand and demand analysis.

Project: I have used tools from EAB to think about potential solutions for future residential space on campus and the financing options available. Discussions with student life have also informed thoughts on what the student of the future desires in the residence life space. The demand and brand analysis that is being worked on by members of the senior team, together with the research provided by EAB on demographics and college-going students will also inform our plans.

Early Results: To make an informed decision on potential growth of enrollment we need the completed demand and brand study. Once information is available, we can model the financial outcomes, building plans, and potential financing solutions.

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Infrastructure and Operations: Better Communications with Our Customers

Traci Case, Chief of Staff, Infrastructure and Operations, Colorado School of Mines

Infrastructure and Operations (I&O) is the ‘city services’ team on the Mines campus. We work behind the scenes and are often misunderstood. Worse, our customers don’t even know we exist.

EAB Project Problem Statement: How might I&O better communicate what we do, who we are, and how to connect with us to get the services that are needed?

Project: I&O will conduct a baseline survey of faculty, staff and students in fall 2024 to see what they know and how they use I&O services currently. An I&O team will then create and implement a communications and marketing strategy to get the word out about I&O. We will also create an I&O staff engagement plan to encourage staff to interact with faculty and students on a regular basis. We’ll conduct a second survey in fall 2025 to see if our work is having the intended effect. In fall 2025 and spring 2026 we will engage with the capital planning and space committee to locate essential services closer to our customers. A final survey in 2026 will determine if we have achieved our goals.

Preliminary Results: The baseline survey was completed in October 2024 and demonstrated that only 23% of students, faculty, and staff knew how to engage with I&O to get the services they need. The I&O comms/marketing team began a website inventory and then a major restructure, redesign, and content review of all I&O websites in October 2024.

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University Admissions: An Exploratory Analysis

Lendie Follett, Associate Professor of Business Analytics and Department Chair of Actuarial Science, Analytics, and Information Systems, Drake University

The goal of this project is to better understand enrollment trends at Drake University through an exploratory data analysis. Specifically, my aim was twofold; first, to understand what impacts a student’s probability of making a tuition deposit after acceptance, and second, to understand the pattern of behavior of students who ultimately do not attend Drake University. I use two sources of data to answer these questions. The first question uses university admissions data while the second depends on Student Clearinghouse data.

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Bridging the Financial Aid and Academic Advisement Gap: How Academic Advisors and Financial Aid Administrators Can Collaborate to Provide More Comprehensive Support to Students

Kimberley Wells, Director of Operations, Financial Aid & Scholarships, University of North Texas

Objective: To explore how academic advisors and financial aid administrators can collaborate to provide comprehensive support to students.

My capstone project focuses on bridging the gap between financial aid administrators and academic advisors to provide comprehensive support to students. The goal is to enhance collaboration between these two crucial roles, ensuring that students receive holistic guidance throughout their academic journey. Students rely on both financial aid counselors, who are experts in scholarships and loans, and academic advisors, who guide them through degree programs and academic planning. However, departmental silos and limited resources for cross-training often hinder effective collaboration.

To address this, I propose several strategies. First, targeted cross-training sessions can equip both advisors and counselors with the knowledge needed to assist students in making informed decisions, covering topics like Financial Aid SAP and academic timelines. Providing resources such as handouts and quick reference guides during counseling sessions can further support this effort. Additionally, establishing shared processes, such as coordinating joint sessions for complex cases and creating workflows for referrals, can streamline support. Data sharing between departments is also essential, allowing for early intervention and consistent communication.

Ultimately, collaboration between financial aid and academic advising can create a more holistic support system for students. Developing clear methods of collaboration, including cross-training, data sharing, and resource guides, is crucial. Even knowing when to refer students to financial aid can significantly impact their success. By working together, we can ensure that students thrive in their educational journey at UNT.

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Identifying & Recruiting Stop-Out Students

Jen Stockdall, MS, Buena Vista University

Challenge: As enrollment struggles continue, institutions need to start paying more attention to those with some college but no degree. My goals were to increase graduation rates and enrollment numbers, but I also wanted to understand why students stopped attending.

Project: I gathered data on the BVU online stop-out students and put together a plan for how we might recruit these students to come back. For the purposes of this project, I chose to focus on online BVU students enrolled in 2018-2022 who are no longer enrolled, did not graduate from BVU, and do not have any holds.

Execution: The first message was sent to all students with a survey requesting information on why they stopped attending and if they would be interested in returning. We will follow up with those that do express interest in returning. For those that do not respond, we will continue with the campaign.

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Strategic Enrollment for Tennesee’s Healthcare Future

Elizabeth Hall, PharmD, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Office of Academic, Faculty, and Student Affairs, University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Challenge: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center is committed to training healthcare providers for Tennessee and beyond, yet total student enrollment has declined nearly 5% since 2021. Tennessee’s aging population is expected to grow by 37% by 2030, increasing demand for healthcare providers. At the same time, a shrinking pool of traditional college-age students and declining college-going rates threaten enrollment in graduate and professional programs, essential for addressing these needs.

Project: To meet the growing demand for healthcare providers, a strategic enrollment plan specifically focused on graduate and professional programs is needed. This plan considers the unique needs of adult learners and involves five key steps:

1. Data collection: Analyze enrollment trends, demographics, and retention.
2. Market assessment: Identify local and national student markets and program demand.
3. Stakeholder engagement: Host a strategic enrollment retreat to set priorities collaboratively.
4. Plan development: Draft an actionable, data-informed enrollment strategy.
5. Implementation & monitoring: Roll out the plan with clear benchmarks and ongoing tracking.

Early Results: Initial outcomes of the project include:

• Data-driven insights: The analysis of performance and market data provided clarity on enrollment trends and opportunities.
• Stakeholder collaboration: A successful strategic enrollment retreat laid the groundwork for a unified approach.
• Plan development: Progress toward an actionable strategy focused on increasing enrollment and aligning workforce needs with Tennessee’s demographic realities.

In the long term, this strategy aims to maintain a steady pipeline of healthcare professionals, align enrollment with workforce needs, and sustain institutional growth amidst demographic challenges.

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Reaching Students Through Dual Enrollment: Addressing MCB Enrollment and Access Issues by Expanding Our Dual Enrollment Offerings

Michael Martin, Professor and Finance Department Chair, Montfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado

Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to enroll in college courses for credit while still in high school, aimed at bridging the gap between secondary and postsecondary education. MCB does not currently offer any dual enrollment courses despite several potential local partner high schools across the region.

EAB Project Problem Statement: Faced with enrollment and engagement issues, MCB is missing a significant opportunity by not offering dual enrollment opportunities.

Project: I have worked with our institutional research and effectiveness department as well as our university’s dual enrollment coordinator to review how we might launch our Business College’s first dual enrollment program. I am reaching out to local high schools to discover their willingness and appetite for offering business courses. Specifically, I have approached high schools about offering an introductory finance or management course. I am also in discussion with our college’s faculty and dean to help facilitate the funding and promotion of this initiative. Once this program is operational, we will monitor to view effects on enrollment and participant/student success.

Results: Initial contact with our local school district has been completed and discussions with our (MCB) leadership/administrators regarding funding, faculty identification for a dual enrollment coordinator, and feasibility are underway.

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Student Mental Health Strategy: Implementing the Strategy and Evaluating its Efficacy

Shalini Vanan, Director, Student Wellness, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Challenge: The Student Mental Health Strategy represents a call to action for KPU to align policy and practices with the KPU mission of transforming lives and inspiring positive change in the area of mental health. This strategy aims to create a campus community that is caring, collaborative, resilient, responsive, and continuously improving, with the joint goals of promoting student wellbeing and addressing student mental health needs.

Project: The strategy was developed before the pandemic but was put on hold as the institution pivoted to adapt to the changing landscape. The strategy was revisited in 2022 with the support of a working group and in light of the National Standard for Mental Health and Wellbeing for Post-Secondary Students. The strategic areas of focus reflect the National Standard’s framework elements and components of a socio-ecological based framework for mental health and wellbeing with themes for action being guided by social justice principles.

Next Steps: The purpose in implementing this strategy is to ensure a coordinated approach, alignment to institutional principles and goals, and strategic use of key resources in support of student mental health. To ensure sustainability an advisory group consisting of key parties across the institution will be formed. This advisory group will be responsible for action planning, identifying resources and assigning responsibility, gathering benchmark data, and developing an evaluation plan. The group will also report on progress and findings through the implementation of the strategy.

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Promoting Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration with GenAI

Nina Gray, PhD, Associate Vice Provost for Research, NYU

Challenge: Increase interdisciplinary research and cross-school collaborations across NYU to drive scholarship, productivity, innovation, and impact. NYU is one of, if not the, largest private university in the United States, covering the full range of disciplines. In addition to its 19 schools and colleges in New York City, it also has degree-granting campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai and 13 global sites.

Project: I met and worked with executive sponsors, faculty, administrative stakeholders, and IT service providers over the past several months to ideate and develop a proposal for what NYU should invest in to achieve its goal to “lead the world in interdisciplinary collaboration for innovation and impact.” I convened a stakeholder working group, which met six times to discuss the possibilities, merits, and challenges associated with a digital approach that leverages the power of GenAI to foster collaboration across NYU. We also convened a faculty focus group to hear their recommendations and expectations. I also shared the needs and use case requirements with our GenAI Program leaders and managers.

Early results: Through these initial information-gathering activities, I validated faculty members’ need for help to connect them with colleagues in different disciplines or schools, as well as learned about other needs—specifically to have easier access to existing research support resources and services. I also successfully initiated work with our GenAI Program team in IT to develop an initial prototype, which will test our ability to tap into, organize, and use GenAI and data science approaches to analyze and summarize data from multiple sources and generate a LinkedIn-style internal research collaboration platform.

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Assessing Change Management for an Enhanced Funding & Support Model for Doctoral Education

Anna Thomas, Ed.D, Director of Events and Communications, Graduate School, Vanderbilt University

Challenge: In doctoral education, decentralization makes implementing change initiatives difficult. Barriers such as unclear decision-making authority, siloed structures, and entrenched norms often lead to reliance on the status quo.

Project: This project utilized EAB’s Five-Step Model for Change in Higher Education to assess the current state of a change initiative aimed at enhancing funding and support for doctoral education at Vanderbilt University. The project focused on evaluating progress, identifying gaps, and suggesting iterative next steps to address challenges and build momentum for sustained change.

Early Results: The change initiative was successful in building strong cross-institutional partnerships, which expedited the implementation of the enhanced funding model and increased engagement among key stakeholders. However, the assessment revealed that communication with students, staff, and faculty partners remained a challenge.

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A Playbook for Research: Laying the Foundation for a Strategic Plan for an R1 Institution Experiencing Significant Research Growth

Katherine Swan, Director of Research Development, University of Montana

Challenge: UM’s research enterprise has grown steadily over the past decade, necessitating a reassessment of priorities and goals. This pushed us to develop a research playbook that is responsive to campus needs and integrates stakeholder voices.

Project: The project encompasses the first fundamental step of gathering data from across campus, including interviews with academic and research leaders, surveys of faculty and staff, and open forums for feedback.

Early Result: Data gathering among stakeholders outside the office of research is complete, revealing common issues and recommendations. The most common issue cited is communication between research and campus as a whole. Other prominent issues include the need for professional development, understaffing, and a general need for increased research-related resources.

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Improving Student Success at the University at Buffalo

Trung Nguyen, Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement & Success, University at Buffalo

Challenge: My capstone focused on proposing a new onboarding process to meet the needs of changing student demographics and university strategic priorities.

Project: I used EAB research to examine the changing demographic trends of students and their unique needs. I analyzed existing institutional data to learn more about UB’s specific student demographics. I interviewed the chief student retention innovation officer to learn more about the university’s retention plans and goals. I researched other AAU universities’ models for onboarding to compare with UB’s current model.

Early Results: I have shared the proposal with some key campus stakeholders and have received positive feedback. Combining the capstone research with other divisional processes has created a foundation to start a discussion to further explore a different model to onboard new students.

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Retention Initiatives: Insights from Student Success Surveys

Andrew Lewis, Executive Director, Academic Engagement and Learning Services, West Liberty University

Challenge: West Liberty University faces a key challenge in increasing student retention, persistence, and completion. We have utilized our work with iClicker Surveys through Macmillan Learning to gauge our current plan and forecast for the future. We targeted our first-year students through their first-year experience class (Hilltopper Experience) to complete the two surveys.

The results of our survey data highlight key factors impacting students’ persistence. Declines in institutional satisfaction (10%) and course satisfaction (5%) indicate that students are struggling to connect with the university academically and socially. Additionally, low self-efficacy (41%) and self-regulation (54%) suggest students lack confidence in their academic abilities and the skills needed to stay on track, leading to potential disengagement.

Overcoming homesickness remains a significant hurdle, with nearly half of students expressing difficulties adjusting to campus life. Addressing these challenges is essential to creating a supportive environment where students feel motivated, capable, and connected, fostering long-term commitment to their education.

Project: To address the retention challenges, West Liberty University collaborated with Macmillan Learning to develop and implement two check-in surveys. These surveys were designed in partnership with university faculty and staff to assess key factors influencing student success, including course satisfaction, self-regulation, institutional experience, overcoming homesickness, self-efficacy, and sense of belonging.

By gathering feedback mid-semester, the surveys provided valuable insights into areas where students were thriving and where they needed additional support. The results informed targeted initiatives, such as workshops on time management and study skills, expanded peer mentoring programs, and enhanced communication about financial aid and support services. These efforts aimed to address student struggles proactively, fostering a more supportive and engaging environment to increase retention.

Results: Despite some declines, the results showed improvements in specific areas, including a 3% increase in students’ sense of belonging and higher commuter satisfaction at 81%. Attendance remained high, with 85% of students reporting consistent participation. The data emphasized the importance of continuous monitoring and adaptive strategies to maintain and build on these gains while addressing persistent challenges.

Future Implementation: A comprehensive project was developed to address the challenges highlighted in the surveys. Initiatives would include workshops on time management, study skills, and academic confidence to improve self-efficacy and self-regulation. Mid-semester evaluations and feedback systems will be implemented to enhance course satisfaction, while financial aid resources and social programs will expand to address affordability concerns and homesickness.

Special attention will be given to fostering a stronger sense of belonging through peer mentoring and inclusive campus events. These efforts are aimed at creating a supportive environment, encouraging students to remain engaged and successful.

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Ideal Graduate

Sam Emerson, PhD

Background: Ideal Graduate is an initiative at Oklahoma State University which aims to develop student competencies through curricular activities and experiences, on-campus involvement and leadership, and community engagement and service. Since August of this year, I have been serving as a Faculty Fellow for Ideal Graduate, aiming to promote its incorporation into the student classroom experience.

Goals: Specifically, my goals as a Faculty Fellow are to:

1. Raise the visibility of the Ideal Graduate initiative
2. Help develop tools and resources to aid in implementation
3. Work with faculty to pilot Ideal Graduate in their courses

Progress to Date: To raise the visibility of Ideal Grad, I have conducted numerous presentations about the initiative to various stakeholders, including department heads, associate deans, deans, Greek life, and new faculty. With regard to resources to support faculty and students, we have launched an Ideal Grad website and produced several tools for faculty to incorporate the initiative into their courses. Finally, I have identified several high-impact courses to pilot Ideal Grad this fall and spring.

Challenges/Barriers and Lessons Learned: Through presentations and conversations with leaders across campus, I realized the importance of working directly with faculty to promote effective uptake of the initiative in the classroom. I also became comfortable addressing and discussing common concerns with the initiative. Through working with individual faculty, it became clear that resource development should be driven by faculty need. A challenge with identifying faculty that are willing to pilot Ideal Grad in their course(s) is that faculty are not required to do so, therefore it is a voluntary choice. Even still, when asked directly many faculty agree to help, especially when the potential benefit for students is communicated.

Future Directions: Next spring, I aim to grow the involvement of Ideal Grad pilot courses and collect data to assess the effectiveness of the initiative. I also aim to enhance the resources available to faculty and students. Big picture questions for the Ideal Grad initiative include: To what degree does it add value for students and faculty? And, how can the initiative be scaled without requiring faculty and students to participate?

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Optimizing Student Success and Workforce Development Through Curriculum Integration

Katie A. Lamberson, PhD, Assistant Dean – College of Health Sciences and Professions, University of North Georgia

Challenge: The University of North Georgia (UNG) and the College of Health Sciences and Professions (CHSP) currently face two important challenges. First, first-year retention rates hover around 58-60% over the past three years. This information demonstrates a need to focus on first-year experiences to improve retention rates across all majors. Second, there is a national shortage of healthcare workers across all healthcare professions. One reason for this is the extensive training and qualification requirements for healthcare providers. This highlights the importance of accelerated pipelines to increase access to quality healthcare professionals across the nation.

Solution: To address the concern regarding retention, CHSP is tasked with creating a first-year experience course for all undergraduate majors in the college. The goal of this course is to discuss and identify healthcare profession options early to ensure students are on the correct healthcare track for their strengths, goals, and interests. Both the kinesiology and nursing departments have secondary admissions, so providing this course allows students to understand alternative options in healthcare should they be denied admission.

To address accelerated pipelines for workforce development, the kinesiology department and physical therapy department are creating a 3+ program that would allow students to complete their first year of the doctorate in physical therapy while in their final year of undergraduate studies in kinesiology. This would ultimately allow students to graduate with a DPT in five and a half years, decreasing the total time to completion by one academic year.

Early Results: The three undergraduate programs in CHSP collaborated to create a plan for the first-year experience course. Department heads conducted initial discussions on content relevant to all disciplines and determined the placement of the course within each respective program. Data was run to identify needed faculty, staff, and resources for the course. The next steps include developing SLOs and course modules.

The kinesiology curriculum was examined to determine which courses could fulfill pre-requisite requirements for the DPT program. DPT curriculum was examined to identify courses that could satisfy kinesiology requirements for graduation with a BS degree. The next steps include developing policies for admission, academic achievement, and professional behaviors.

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Seton College: Pioneering a Supportive Academic Model in New York City

Dr. Katherine Alexander, Associate Dean for Academics, Seton College, University of Mount Saint Vincent

What does a supportive academic environment look like for high-potential/low-income college students in the NYC area? In a four-year University or large community college, our community of students can feel lost or out of place. Seton College is a new associate’s degree program at the University of Mount Saint Vincent, inspired by the innovative educational model created by the Come to Believe Network. The program aims to provide high-quality liberal arts education with comprehensive support services for students who might not otherwise have access to a selective, private institution.

Our first cohort started classes in September 2024. As the first associate dean for academics, I am tasked with creating the academic culture for Seton College including faculty hiring, faculty development, curriculum development, and student academic success.

My capstone project explores the extent to which our first students feel sufficiently supported in their academic journey. I found that the majority of students feel that their professors want them to succeed and are available to help. The supportive learning environment we’ve created for our students fosters connection, encouragement, and access to resources, creating a foundation where students feel valued and empowered to thrive.

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Enhancing Faculty Retention and Attrition: Lightening the Heavy Lift of New Faculty

Kaneatra Simmons, PhD, Assistant Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, Fort Valley State University

Challenge: Faculty retention is crucial for institutional stability and student success, yet attrition remains a challenge, often tied to work environment, career opportunities, and structural support. Understanding these factors can help address systemic issues and improve faculty experiences.

Project: This project aims to enhance faculty onboarding by clarifying institutional processes and reducing administrative burdens. By streamlining key procedures, the initiative supports a more informed and engaged faculty, aligning with the university’s strategic goals.

Early Results: Early efforts include gathering insights from a pilot faculty group, identifying a key process for improvement, and consulting experts to address gaps. A deliverable is now in development to enhance clarity and reduce faculty workload, with plans for institutional adoption to improve long-term retention.

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Operating Independently, Competing Collectively: Building a Standardized Approach to Advanced Manufacturing Infrastructure Across the State of Mississippi

Reuben F. Burch V, PhD, Associate Vice President for Research in the Office of Research and Economic Development, Mississippi State University

Challenge: My strategic goal was to expand the Advancements in Manufacturing Upskilling Program (AiM UP) statewide workforce program led by MSU. Mississippi is seeing increased economic development growth, and our biggest challenge will be not having enough workforce trained in advanced manufacturing to fill all the jobs for new and incoming organizations.

Project: I developed the AiM UP program to find funding at the state and national levels for building AiM UP training labs across multiple community college locations, providing a hands-on “mini factory” experiential learning experience that is standardized across Mississippi. Using EAB’s research on the pending population cliff as well as their partnership strategy for university-industry engagement, we created the momentum needed to emphasize the importance of “operating independently, competing collectively.”

Early Results: During the timeframe of this leadership program, we had an October ribbon cutting to add two more AiM UP locations at critical commercial and defense manufacturing sectors of the state. We brought in another $4M in funding and support while winning the workforce program of the year for Mississippi.

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Faculty Recognition and Professional Development: An Analysis of Programming in the LSU Office of Academic Affairs

Emily Hatfield, Director of Engagement and Planning for the Executive Vice President & Provost, Louisiana State University

Challenge: A primary goal of the LSU Office of Academic Affairs is to address faculty job satisfaction, engagement, and retention. Faculty recognition and professional development programming contribute positively to these metrics. In this project, I analyze the current state of programming in the Office of Academic Affairs and discuss ways in which it can be improved.

Project: With data from EAB, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Cengage, I provide context behind faculty disengagement and job dissatisfaction. Then I use data from a survey that I conducted, as well as LSU’s COACHE survey, to assess the opinions of LSU faculty. I conclude with some recommendations for improvement and new tactics to consider.

Early Results: I recommend starting with four priorities: increased emphasis on external awards and recognition, a pilot program for stay interviews, a faculty development website, and increased student feedback. Our office has already launched the External Awards and Recognition Program, so my aim will be to provide as much support as possible. I plan to work on the other three priorities in the new year.

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Developing a Leader Readiness Plan for Succession

Michelle Huse, MBA, Associate Vice President for Culture & Talent, Baylor University

Challenge: Since 2020, Baylor has had emergency successors identified for key leadership roles including the president, president’s council, deans and vice provosts. These emergency successors are identified to serve in an interim capacity for a leadership role typically until a search can be conducted and the position can be filled.

Regarding our president’s council roles, and since we have had emergency successors identified, we have not seen an emergency successor move into a president’s council position when there has been a vacancy. One key factor has been the lack of development and leadership readiness for identified successors. We feel we can do a better job of developing our future leaders and creating a strong leadership pipeline for the highest level of leadership at Baylor.

Project: This capstone presentation outlines a structured approach to preparing high-potential internal candidates for executive roles at Baylor University. It emphasizes leader readiness as key to ensuring university stability and achievement of goals by addressing risks linked to vacancies in critical leadership roles.

Steps to the Leader Readiness program include:

• Identifying critical roles
• Establishing leadership competencies
• Assessing performance and potential for high-potential employees
• Evaluating essential competencies
• Developing individual development plans
• Monitor and evaluate development plan goals and success

Results: This plan aims to enhance career advancement opportunities, strengthen Baylor’s talent pipeline, improve retention, and cultivate a leadership-focused culture.

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