Student Affairs NOW The Connected College: Leadership Strategies for Student Success
Nov 12, 2025
Elliot Felix is an author and higher education consultant dedicated to fostering student success, while Dr. Daniel Maxwell is the VP for Student Success at the University of Houston–Downtown, known for bridging academic and student affairs. They discuss innovative strategies for breaking down institutional silos and enhancing student belonging. Key topics include redefining student success through metrics and personal goals, integrating co-curricular experiences into academics, and the importance of horizontal leadership to unite staff for greater impact.
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Leadership Connects Campus Functions
- Student success requires leaders to connect functional expertise across campus rather than protect silos.
- Elliot argues leadership must enable collaboration across academic, student, tech, and advancement functions.
Strategy Enables Cross-Unit Work
- Silos often persist because strategy and structure don't align to allow collaboration.
- Elliot says focused strategic priorities let teams say no and stop being spread too thin.
Student Success Is Multi‑Dimensional
- Elliot declines to fix one definition of student success because it varies by institution and student goals.
- He frames success as metrics, belonging, thriving, and individualized goals depending on context.
