Next Practices

Introducing new technology into an institution is only the first step. Ensuring that teams are fully prepared to use it in ways that align with strategic goals is where the real work begins. Strategic enablement is more than training users on where to click. It’s equipping people to apply data and tools thoughtfully, effectively and consistently to support long term student success.  In this episode I talk to Stephanie Smith Euting, Director of Strategic Enablement at Civitas Learning about turning software adoption into measurable impact. With nearly 20 years of experience in higher education and ed tech, Stephanie shares how she helps institutions move beyond one time training to build ongoing strategies that support their people, processes and priorities. She explains the difference between functional training and strategic enablement, the importance of quick wins and how to plan for long term engagement. Stephanie also talks about the common pitfalls that derail technology rollouts and offers practical advice for creating a culture of continuous learning. Whether it’s collaboration across departments, refining workflows or using predictive analytics to guide student conversations her advice is grounded in real world application. This conversation shows how a focused enablement strategy can help institutions get the most out of their tools and drive lasting change.   Show Notes: [03:08] Stephanie shares a little bit about her background. [04:51] Defining strategic enablement and how it's different from training. [05:41] Strategic enablement anchors your knowledge and uses cases, strategies, and data. [07:42] The importance of having the right teams and leaders working together to understand the "why". [09:11] Stephanie loves how Civitas Learning can help support these strategies. [09:15] Adopting a “crawl, walk, run” approach to avoid overwhelm and support gradual adoption of new technologies. [10:00] Using data tools to provide real-time insights for staff, such as advisors, to support student needs effectively. [11:00] Building on initial success with predictive analytics and more proactive student engagement strategies. [12:20] The importance of layering data insights into workflows to improve academic planning and outcomes. [13:10] How ongoing reinforcement and repetition support cultural shifts and technology integration on campus. The importance of workshops. [14:35] The importance of partnerships with vendors. The value of vendor partnerships that go beyond software delivery and include strategic collaboration and support. [15:47] Applying the human touch in conjunction with the software and industry experience.  [16:45] Knowledge sharing and Innovation helps us to continue to learn from each other as we strive for the next level. [17:06] Keeping up with the times and utilizing things like AI with student success tools. [18:01] Strategic enablement is ongoing. Having support in place and opportunities to engage is crucial. [19:01] Strategic enablement isn't one size fits all. It allows us to hone in on individual institutional priorities.   Links and Resources: Stephanie Smith Euting - LinkedIn  

Across Purdue Global’s virtual halls 38 000 students, nearly all of them working adults, log in after shifts and school runs, yet they are moving toward Purdue degrees faster because the university treats their lived experience as real academic currency. Dr. Frank Dooley, Chancellor Emeritus of Purdue Global, explained how his team built policies that convert military medic training, corporate leadership courses, and on‑the‑job technical certificates into college credit.  On Purdue’s residential campus the playbook looks different: first‑year students find peer tutoring and study‑skills boot camps embedded in their earliest classes. The result on both campuses is the same with higher completion rates driven by flexibility and timely feedback instead of a one‑size‑fits‑all schedule. I sat down with Frank to unpack the mindset shifts behind that success and the practical systems that keep it running, from micro assessments for time‑starved adults to visible walk‑in help for traditional freshmen learning to manage independence. We also talk about awarding credit for prior learning at scale, building employer partnerships that turn CHIPS Act funding into real careers, and designing courses that accommodate neurodiversity and the coming wave of AI‑driven change. If you are searching for a blueprint that leaves cookie‑cutter education behind, pull up a seat.   Show Notes: [02:57] Dr. Frank Dooley has had a long career. He's a Professor of Agricultural Economics. He's been at Purdue since 1998. He went into the Provost office in 2011, and worked with undergraduate programs. In 2020, he became the chancellor of Purdue Global. [03:53] He's now on sabbatical. [04:07] We learn about the dual perspective of what students really need to be successful. [05:55] Working adults and learners who come back have all kinds of experience. They need to be able to expand that experience. [06:49] There's a lot of assessment in smaller bites. [07:55] Throwing out the playbook that was built for the traditional student population. [08:38] The adult learners may need more support. The importance of keeping in touch with learners who may have missed an assignment window. [11:21] One commonality with both groups of learners is they don't always ask for help. [12:03] The importance of using data to be proactive. [13:24] Letting traditional students know who the TAs are.   [15:11] It's harder for online students to build relationships with classmates. [17:27] There are many students on the autism spectrum. Having recognition and understanding that students are different. [19:59] Unique challenges that adult learners face. [22:00] We talk about the ability to give credit for prior learning. Purdue Global has an entire center focused on this. [26:07] Adult learners are very intent on finishing as quickly as possible. [27:52] Valuing different types of education and institution types and building a more inclusive and effective higher education system. [29:39] It's important for institutions to tie to the employer base they have in their location.   Links and Resources: Dr. Frank Dooley - LinkedIn Purdue Global   

Nothing beats seeing a student’s confidence bloom when the right support team steps in. At Austin Community College, Dr. Giao Phan, Dean of the Public and Social Services Division; Kathy James, a nineteen-year advising veteran who now coordinates support across every campus; and Dr. Rania Salman, Assistant Department Chair and dedicated mentor in early childhood education, have turned collaboration into an everyday habit instead of a distant goal. Dr. Phan describes how her division built trust by showing up for students and colleagues semester after semester. Kathy explains how a single advising platform finally lets faculty and advisors view the same student information, closing the gaps that once sent everyone in circles. Dr. Salman brings the story down to the classroom, sharing what it feels like to walk beside students from their first class to graduation, using each conversation as a chance to guide and encourage. You’ll hear how this trio moved from frustration to momentum through slow, thoughtful training, plain-spoken conversations, and a lot of patience. What began as a modest pilot is now a campus-wide mindset where technology serves people, silos stay open, and every student knows someone is in their corner.   Show Notes: [04:11] ACC is a community college that serves in an expansive district of students throughout Texas. All of the students have access to an advisor. [05:17] There are 10 areas of study focused on specific career objectives. [06:15] As the Executive Dean for Advising, Kathy's role is overseeing the process, policies and procedures for all of their advising student services. [07:22] Giao is the Instructional Dean over the Public and Social Services Division. Her role is to help 10 academic programs and their Department chairs was scheduling their curriculum, advising, and any needed resources. [08:31] Rania's primary role is a faculty member. She's also a department chair. [09:09] We talk about their successful partnership with student affairs and faculty. They started the journey through the Guided Pathways model. [10:33] It was helpful to categorize the students by area of study.  [12:08] Technology has helped create an easy way to get information to students and faculty. They needed to consolidate to just one system. The Civitas Learning Platform helps them develop partnerships from an advising standpoint with faculty, deans, and department chairs. [13:51] Having technology to communicate in place has really helped understand the roles and true responsibilities of advising and working with students. [14:10] We take a macro view of advising and how having one system makes it so much easier and possible. With Civitas they can bridge the two worlds of department chairs and student affairs. [16:27] Having communication centralized has helped get the right communication to the right people. They also can look at the touch points which have helped increase completion rates. [17:05] Having access to the data and knowing the touch points and overarching issues has also been a major game changer. [19:46] Navigating the challenges between having faculty and student affairs working together. [25:46] Kathy shares her perspective from advising and student affairs. [31:06] How to get faculty to come to the training and how is it ran. When the deans are onboard, the team also gets onboard. Deans and department chairs identify faculty to do this work.  [35:08] These efforts have made their jobs easier and their programs more student focused. [36:39] Getting everyone on the same technology has made communication so much more clear and helps identify faculty that want to engage.  [37:46] The note taking has created accountability and added a human touch. It's an organizational culture shift that helps students.  [39:14] It's important to have a trail that lets you know if the students have received the right guidance, especially when it comes to things like declaring majors. [40:10] Achievements include getting everyone at the same place at the same time.   Links and Resources: Dr. Giao Phan - Austin Community College Dr. Giao Phan - LinkedIn Dr. Rania Salman - Austin Community College Dr. Rania Salman - LinkedIn Kathy James - Austin Community College Kathy James - LinkedIn Delivering Holistic Support at a Large Urban Community College District with Dr. Ruth Reinhart  

What if the programs designed to help students were actually making things worse or simply doing nothing at all? It’s a question more institutions are asking as they confront the hard truth: not every initiative leads to better outcomes. This episode takes a closer look at the data behind student success and how colleges and universities can learn which efforts are truly making a difference. You’ll hear from a powerhouse team at Civitas Learning who bring a combined 75 years of experience in higher education. Nova Davidson shares insights from her two decades in enrollment management and advising. Rob Friedhoff, a former advising leader at Grand Valley State, the University of Michigan, and Valdosta State, brings practical wisdom from both large research universities and regional institutions. Nathan Miller rounds out the group with a rich background in online education, curriculum design, and adult degree completion. Together, they explain how the Student Impact Report helps schools track and evaluate the actual effectiveness of their student support programs. The conversation dives deep into themes like segmentation, data-informed action, and how to build a culture of impact without overwhelming your staff. They share real-world examples of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to persistence, career readiness, and belonging. Whether you’re trying to streamline services, personalize support, or measure ROI, this episode offers actionable takeaways and a refreshing reminder that the path to student success starts with asking better questions.   Show Notes: [02:32] Nova Davidson started her higher ed. journey about 20 years ago in Enrollment Management and Admissions. She's been working with schools for the last 9 years with Civitas.  [03:02] Rob Friedhoff spent about 20 years on campus and grew up in the advising world. He joined the team at Civitas about 3 years ago. [03:54] Nathan Miller has been with Civitas for just over a year. Prior to that he spent 15 years in higher education. [04:52] The Student Success Impact Report is a broad look across everything that's being evaluated. There are a number of initiatives that don't have an impact on student outcomes. This creates a disconnect between effort and investment. [06:05] Ways that customers are using initiative analysis to inform and improve student success. They use segmentation to identify what really should be focused on. [07:04] They use the platform in an iterative manner and continue to build upon that. [08:11] This report helps campuses know what caused an increase in retention or persistence. [09:04] Understanding what's happening helps with wise decisions about where resources should be utilized. [10:04] Nathan talks about the importance of understanding what it is that's actually working so focus can be continued on that. [11:05] Building teams around taking a look at data and making data informed decisions. [12:21] Measuring the impact of work allows successful teams to celebrate their wins. [13:59] The theme from our findings include holistically supporting students throughout their experience. [15:05] How automated outreach can sometimes be counterproductive. [16:04] Themes that are becoming more and more important include career outcomes. How do students' interactions impact their journey? Connectedness and supporting student success. [17:40] Taking down the business process barriers and opening opportunities to students. [18:19] Using impact analysis to measure career decisions or completion rates.  [19:48] The importance of understanding the data and who is actually being impacted by it. The data can uncover student populations we might not be aware of such as students who hit certain cumulative GPA tipping points. [22:12] Best practices for measuring the impact of your programs. [24:34] Having data informed work can be useful in knowing which initiatives to focus on. [25:44] Data can help with having conversations about the willingness to take action. [29:42] Talking about assessing, measuring, and evaluating and then understanding how to apply these findings. Ways to turn insights into actions.  [32:27] Tips and lessons learned.   Links and Resources: Nathan Miller - LinkedIn Nova Davidson - LinkedIn Rob Friedhoff - LinkedIn Civitas Learning Resources for Scaling Student Success How an IR-Led Outreach Experiment Boosted Student Persistence at Greenville Technical College  

When students need support, it often makes all the difference when help feels personal, not procedural. At Utah Valley University, Ryan Bailey, Director of the Student Success Center, and Jamie Muhlestein, Associate Director of Student Success and Support, have helped build an innovative program that brings recent graduates and upperclassmen into part-time professional roles, focused on reaching out to students exactly when they need it most. Through consistent, genuine conversations mostly by text, the specialists are helping students stay connected, navigate challenges, and feel seen throughout their college journey. In this conversation, Ryan and Jamie share how UVU is transforming traditional student support by making relationship-building a core strategy. We explore how small but powerful changes, like removing unnecessary financial holds and assigning students a consistent point of contact, have had a measurable impact on retention and graduation rates. It is a reminder that sometimes the biggest difference comes from simply reaching out in a way that feels real, caring, and tailored to the individual. You will also hear how UVU is expanding its efforts to support juniors, seniors, and even students who left school just shy of graduating. By combining data, outreach, and human connection, Ryan and Jamie are showing what’s possible when a university leads with empathy and action.   Show Notes: [01:43] We're talking about how UVU Student Success Center created student success specialist roles for recent graduates and upper-class students. [02:09] They are helping out with a number of initiatives through texting and calling from welcoming them to campus to seeing if a student has logged into a particular class. [02:35] They have had wild success with the Student Success Specialist roles. [05:08] UVU is in Orem, Utah with an enrollment of around 43,000 students. It's open enrollment.  [06:16] The Student Success Center supports students broadly. [06:42] Jamie is the Associate Director for Student Success and Support here in the Student Success Center. Her role is helping to manage the Student Success Center and the different programs within it. [06:54] They have a leave of absence program. There's also tuition waivers which helps with retention and completion. There's also coaching and Student Success programs. [07:43] Being able to help students with anything under the sun is one of the most sought after jobs in education. [08:28] Ryan talks about some of the top challenges that they face. [10:24] Jamie talks about the leave of absence program for people taking a religious mission. [12:45] Eliminating holds help them be more free and open with students when helping them with registration. They wanted to navigate the barriers that students would face. [14:33] They are working on a lot of cool projects and are trying everything. They have a centralized Success Center and want to be the main hub for any help students need.  [16:54] They have nine Student Success Specialists that are part-time employees. They are all recent or current students and that's where the peer mentorship comes in. [17:59] They use the Civitas system to house their early alerts. All of the faculty on campus have access to the platform through the learning management system which they use Canvas for. [18:36] Faculty can submit an early alert before the student drops. [19:19] The student will get a text within one business day. [20:23] Texting has been really beneficial for the students. [22:15] The messages are personalized, so they don't resend the same exact text again. [24:45] They also have three full-time members who are dedicated liaisons to other resources on campus. [30:35] Having the right people in the right positions makes all the difference. [33:23] Time to brag about the impact that these student programs are having at UVU. They've seen positive trends in retention with a 3% bump. [34:53] Retention Mentors begin in 2012. In 2020, they became a Success Specialist, and now they're the Student Success Center. [38:58] They just started having full-time success coaches called Student Success Coordinators. They've also done outreach for “some college, no degree”.  [43:15] UVU is a great place to work!    Links and Resources: Jamie Muhlestein - Utah Valley University Jamie Muhlestein - LinkedIn Ryan Bailey - Utah Valley University Ryan Bailey - LinkedIn  

When a simple check-in email leads to a 77 percent increase in student persistence, it’s clear something powerful is happening. At Greenville Technical College, data is more than numbers on a dashboard. It’s a way to connect, support, and transform student outcomes. What started as a pilot outreach project by a team of data analysts quickly became a catalyst for campus-wide change. In this episode, Kevin McMindes shares how his team used predictive analytics and personalized outreach to make a real difference. From identifying students most in need of support to tracking the impact of advising appointments, Kevin explains how they turned insight into action and why even small efforts done with care can move the needle in a big way. You’ll hear how one advising appointment per student became a game-changing goal, how initiative analysis revealed which programs delivered the greatest return, and how empathy combined with data can drive meaningful and lasting impact. If you're looking for practical ways to support students at scale without losing the human touch, this episode will give you a roadmap.   Show Notes: [03:04] Greenville Technical College is one of 16 technical colleges in South Carolina. They serve 10,000 to 12,000 students per term. It's their mission to empower and impact student's lives. [03:49] Kevin is Assistant Director of Analytics. [04:33] We learn about challenges like persistence rate and retention rate.  [05:12] They adopted the four disciplines of execution.  [06:12] They had a goal to reach out to students who were in the lower persistence rate. [07:05] They reached out to their students and tracked the results. When they charged it out they realized they were actually moving a lot of students. [07:25] By the end of the fall, they had moved 219 students. [08:23] The actual numbers were higher than their predictions. They went from a 32.5% predicted persistence to 58% actual persistence. [11:13] There were a  number of students who needed to be connected with resources.  [13:17]  After the study, people wanted training and a lot of it was about convincing them that this is going to make their lives easier. [13:35] A lot of students can be reached out to with a single email. [14:40] They decided to set a goal to have each student have an advising appointment. They used the Inspire platform and pulled the data and put it in a dashboard to drill down.  [15:38] They accomplished 44% of their goal and then 109%. [16:10] With that success, they started focusing on what's really good for students. [17:16] Kevin shares his analysis strategy using the Civitas platform. [19:40] Kevin shares how advising is structured at Greenville Tech. [21:09] With the 40x results they've had, a lot of people are interested in using the predictive analytics platform. [22:20] Being able to segment the students is key. [24:48] As part of the Strategic Data Project that was operated out of the Harvard Center for Education Policy and Research, Kevin was able to look at success initiatives and analyze them. [26:12] They also discovered Brainfuse Online Tutoring was effective and cheap.  [27:28] The idea of reaching out to scholarship recipients and asking how it's going. [31:55] The importance of having a renewed focus on an advising appointment for the student. It's important for students to have a personal connection with somebody on campus. [36:32] It's so helpful to be able to personalize messages even when they're sent out at scale. [38:15] Individuals can make a difference.   Links and Resources: Kevin McMindes - Greenville Technical College Kevin McMindes - LinkedIn Brainfuse Online Learning  

Higher education stands at a crossroads. With growing public skepticism about the value of a college degree and mounting financial demands on both students and institutions, the need for bold, student-centered leadership has never been greater. Today, you'll hear from someone who has not only confronted these problems, but also turned them into possibilities for positive change. My guest, Dr. Nicholas S. Zeppos, Chancellor Emeritus of Vanderbilt University, shares the story of Opportunity Vanderbilt, one of higher education's most ambitious financial assistance efforts, and what it took to erase undergraduate debt while boosting access and student achievement. He discusses the groundbreaking developments taking place in the sector, ranging from enrollment cliffs and rising costs to political scrutiny and the need to rethink how institutions serve communities. This episode is a strong call to action for higher education executives to change old behaviors, get closer to their data, and stay engaged with both their internal and external audiences. Dr. Zeppos provides practical advice on how colleges should make the case for their worth, embrace transparency, and develop new solutions to guarantee students prosper in and after college.   Show Notes: [03:12] Vanderbilt has about 6,500 undergraduates getting a fairly traditional liberal arts experience. They are alsod a hybrid Institution with a large research university. [04:41] Dr. Zeppos has been at Vanderbilt almost 40 years and has held almost every job except football coach. [05:10] We learn about making the case for access and providing resources for access to college. The high loan burden at Vanderbilt was deterring enrollment. [06:01] Creating Opportunity Vanderbilt and raising $700 billion dollars has transformed the campus, graduation, and completion. No Vanderbilt undergraduate will leave with undergraduate debt. [07:19] The college experience is more than getting a degree, it's also setting students up for success. [08:43] It's really important to prepare students by focusing on their psychological, emotional, social, and academic development. [09:48] Dr. Zeppos wanted to go from a model of is the student graduating to is the student thriving? [10:53] The importance of using data to connect and prioritize focus and services. [12:39] There's also challenges with perception and the perceived value of higher education. [13:29] There's a dramatic reset going on with universities and colleges. [15:22] Universities and colleges are dealing with enrollment cliffs and funding cuts or even endowment taxes. [16:36] How the expenses of higher education are growing faster than the revenues. [18:32] How leaders can shift and start to think differently about the value higher education offers. [20:14] College presidents and boards need to get out and talk to congress and their senators. [23:20] There needs to be a solution with the costs of higher education. [26:17] Using data and having an economic impact statement. [27:11] Dr. Zeppos used to have the Saturday Rhodes Scholars once a month. [28:11] The importance of physically presenting yourself in the local communities and with constituents. Listen and be part of the solution. [30:51] To get started do a full-blown audit. How connected are you with the community and leaders? Look for solutions to lower costs.   Links and Resources: Civitas Learning Website Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts Dr. Nicholas S. Zeppos - Vanderbilt University Dr. Nicholas S. Zeppos - LinkedIn Opportunity Vanderbilt  

Student success in higher education isn’t just about reacting to problems — it’s about building systems that anticipate them. And at the University of North Carolina Asheville, that proactive approach is making all the difference. Joining today’s conversation are two incredible leaders who are doing this work every day: Regine Criser, Director of Student Success, and Lynne Horgan, University Registrar. Regine oversees UNC Asheville’s Academic Success Center, leading efforts in advising, writing support, and peer tutoring, while Lynne brings over 25 years of experience to her role managing student records and registration processes. Together, they’ve built a powerful partnership — one that bridges student success and the registrar’s office in ways that are still rare across higher ed. In this episode, they share how UNC Asheville is leveraging data, technology, and collaboration to support students holistically — especially during moments of crisis like Hurricane Helene. You’ll hear how they’ve tackled challenges like retention and graduation rates, how they communicate with students in real time during emergencies, and why their integrated approach is leading to real results — including their largest year-over-year retention increase ever. They also offer a behind-the-scenes look at how breaking down internal silos, using tools like Civitas Learning, and focusing on personalized, proactive outreach is helping their students not just stay — but thrive.   Show Notes: [03:33] UNC Asheville is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. They are the designated public liberal arts and sciences school of the UNC system. [05:11] A common challenge across institutions of higher education is fall-to- fall retention. They experienced the dip in the fall of 2021. They were focused on building the retention rate up to 80%. [06:19] They were concerned after Hurricane Helene, because they thought it would be another derailleur in retention and graduation rates. The work they had already put in helped carry them forward. [07:47] One of the biggest challenges was navigating so much data. It really helps to have it all in one system. [09:25] Most of their students fall into the traditional student category. More than half of them need to work alongside school. [10:26] After the hurricane, they needed to embrace their students who had a variety of needs. [11:13] The registrar's office is focusing on two primary action items. These are registration and graduation applications. [12:15] It was also important to get updated information and deadlines out after the hurricane.  [13:26] They also have student success specialists that can help students explore available support systems. [14:42] They were also able to text all of their students through one platform, and then they could focus on the information that they're getting to the students. [18:52] People, processes, and technology adopted in recent years to help implement and facilitate their approach to student care. [20:56] Civitas has really helped them reach the goals that they've been trying to achieve. [21:41] How collaboration between student affairs and the registrar office really makes a huge difference. [22:46] We learn how they're leveraging data and technology to support their work. [27:51] Lynn and Regine get a little time to brag about how well their system is working. Students registering on time is huge. Seeing the data also helps them make decisions that better suit the students on their paths. [29:48] Their intentional work also played a role in a 5% increase in retention.   Links and Resources: Civitas Learning Website Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts Regine Criser - UNC Asheville Diversity and Decolonization in German Studies Lynne Horgan - UNC Asheville  

Philip Hunt, Special Assistant to the President & University Registrar at North Dakota State University, shares his extensive experience in higher education. He discusses NDSU's holistic strategies to combat declining enrollment, emphasizing the significance of retention and student success analytics. Philip highlights the importance of cross-functional collaboration and data-driven decision-making in enhancing student experiences. Additionally, he explores proactive solutions to foster diversity and inclusion, showcasing practical steps to engage the entire campus community.

Chris Campbell, Chief Information Officer at DeVry University, shares insights on transforming education through technology. He emphasizes that students are individuals, not just statistics. The conversation explores how data analytics and AI personalize support for students, enhancing engagement and retention. Innovative tools like the DeVry Digital Care Engine help address unique challenges. Chris advocates for a holistic approach to education, highlighting the importance of understanding diverse student backgrounds to foster success.