Student Success Initiative

As part of campus strategic priorities, the senior leadership team launched a Student Success Initiative (SSI). The SSI is designed to be expansive and comprehensive in nature, bringing together faculty, staff, students, and administrators from across the four major UMD units (Academic Affairs, Chancellor’s Units, Finance and Operations, and Student Life). 

“My highest priority outcome from this initiative is to identify cross functional integration across campus that will lead to better student outcomes in and out of the classroom.”  -Interim Chancellor Dave McMillan

The charge for this work from the senior leadership team includes:

• The SSI will identify existing data that will inform their work. 
• The SSI will draw on best practices in student success, retention, and persistence.
• The SSI will need to be mindful of resources, (human, financial, space, etc.). The SSI should explore resources that are currently available, resources that may need to be redeployed, etc.

To achieve this charge the group is implementing a design thinking approach. This approach will examine existing challenges to student success and identify possible solutions. Additionally, this approach allows us to explore the topic of student success in a way that is not limited by existing structures or philosophies. The SSI brings together a broad group of colleagues from across the campus. The individuals will form new relationships and collaborations that will have a positive impact on our campus for many years to come.

By the end of the spring 2024 semester, the SSI will submit a recommendation report to UMD senior leadership that includes the subgroup summaries and relevant appendices of resources and data collected.

SSI Structure

The SSI is led by Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management Trevor Eagle and Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life Jeremy Leiferman. The SSI is organized into five subgroups. Each subgroup includes representation from across the campus.

• Academic focused: Topics that involve faculty, pedagogical, or classroom interventions, including research efforts. 
• Student focused: Topics that involve students, outside the classroom, or significant non-academic staff interventions. 
• Theoretical framework and structure: Topics that include academic and non-academic units that support student success. 
• Technology, systems, processes: Topics to include all things technology and processes that impact the student experience.
• Physical space considerations: Topics to include all space (indoor and outdoor) that students experience.

View the full SSI membership roster.

SSI Timeline and Current Status