Learning Resources

Abstract: This article introduces an emerging, innovative practice in higher education: Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (iPASS). A research-based iPASS implementation framework is examined through a case study of Guttman Community College (CUNY), which is one year into its iPASS work. This case study, which shares practices and initial findings that include high levels of student, faculty, and staff engagement, is relevant to practitioners and academic leaders considering the use of, or in the early stages of, an iPASS approach, as well as those interested in effectively integrating technology that leads to improved student success and transformative institutional change.

Abstract: As the challenges that students face become increasingly complex and interwoven, student service providers must innovate in order to continue to connect users to their offerings. Moreover, those services must be planned for holistically with an aligned understanding of why, what, where, when, and how they will be delivered. This article draws on brightspot strategy’s work with more than 50 leading universities as an experience design and strategy consultancy as well as best practices from the field to share some of the approaches, tools, and lessons learned in designing services to meet the needs of today’s students.

Abstract: Succeeding at integrated planning at colleges and universities is a challenge. Many planning models do not work in higher education because they are not designed for higher education. Planning processes designed for corporations or non-profits do not account for the complex environment of higher education nor its unique challenges.

Many institutions struggle to leverage planning into lasting change because they create plans in a vacuum. They do not grasp the institution’s strategic issues or create a sound value proposition. They are not prepared for good planning.

To provide guidance on where to prioritize efforts, SCUP partnered with the Baker Strategy Group in 2015 to conduct a study with more than 2,200 leaders who plan at colleges and universities, and ran quantitative analysis on their responses. Several themes emerged around planning challenges and how to respond, which are explored in this report.

Abstract: Military veterans have received federal support to better prepare for success in higher education for nearly five decades. One such federal program, Veterans Upward Bound, has existed since the Johnson administration with a goal to increase veterans’ postsecondary education completion rates. Although there is clearly a demonstrated need for such efforts, the question remains whether these support programs are successful. This article explores federal reporting of programs designed to prepare veterans for the postsecondary learning environment in terms of goal achievement. Findings suggest inconsistent internal data collection methods, nonexistent outcome reporting, and conflicting data on veterans’ postsecondary success rates from non-government agencies.

Abstract: Despite the fact that U.S. federal TRIO programs, like the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, aim to enrich academic spaces for underrepresented students, there are many challenges that minority students face as they move through the program pipeline. This article provides insight into programming efforts by the McNair program at the University of Texas-Austin through interviews with current and past McNair scholars. Furthermore, areas of improvement in planning and integration for local and national application are discussed using the example of UT-Austin’s Intellectual Entrepreneurship Consortium.

Abstract: Building an institutional strategic plan for transfer students requires a systematic, holistic, integrated, and comprehensive approach rooted in institutional commitment and mission. This article discusses how to prepare and build support for transfer student success in both the administrative and academic “silos” of the institution. Readers will learn how to build campuswide support for their efforts as well as how to foster and sustain critical top leadership support across campus as they proactively address the significant informational, cultural, and economic barriers that stand in the way of community college transfer students.