Dive Brief:
-
With student success centers springing up at colleges and universities nationwide, there is some collective wisdom on how to create one well.
-
University Business reports that the centers' locations on campuses range from being part of existing spaces, like libraries, to their own massive buildings, and success depends more on getting buy-in across campus and securing funding, perhaps even from student fees.
-
One of the more challenging aspects of starting a center is getting students in the door, and University Business reports colleges should remove stigma around getting academic help, market it as a place for support beyond remediation, and include students in shared governance.
Dive Insight:
Student success centers, beyond providing academic support, offer opportunities for students to get help with the social transition of college. This is especially important for low-income and first-generation students, who are often entering a very different culture when they step onto campus than the one in which they grew up. Institutional success is increasingly being measured by student success. More than half of all states allocate at least some amount of higher education funding based on student outcomes. It is no longer enough to get students into the door; colleges must carry them through to graduation. Centers devoted to the various elements of student success are one way to address that challenge.