Are You a Student-Ready Leader? Our Shared Responsibility for Advancing Student Success

Dr. Tia Brown McNair, Partner, Sova

This session explores the critical role of leaders in creating student-ready institutions where all students are supported in achieving their academic and personal goals. Participants will examine how leadership practices, institutional culture, and collaboration can drive the achievement of equitable outcomes. Through principles outlined in Becoming a Student-Ready College and practical examples, attendees will gain insights into key strategies for fostering a shared responsibility for student success across departments and roles. This session will assist leaders in removing barriers, enhancing engagement, and promoting a culture of belonging for all students.

Hidden Voices: Student Conversations about Higher Education

Dr. Liz Gross, Founder and CEO, Campus Sonar

The online, peer-to-peer conversation that influences student perception and decision-making regarding higher education is hiding in plain sight on places like Reddit, Instagram, YouTube, and X. Social media and forums offer a unique opportunity to understand the student perspective on success and belonging, and Campus Sonar is studying it. Join Dr. Liz Gross, Founder and CEO of Campus Sonar, to learn how students show up in conversation, review various trends, and gain insights from the most common topics. We will engage in a discussion about the implications of the findings for colleges, universities, and leaders and explore ways to further center student voices in your strategies.

Begin with Belonging: How Thriving Colleges Approach Student Success

Joretta Nelson, Ph.D., Vice Chairman & Founder of MTN / Owner

Despite decades of research and resources dedicated to improving student success outcomes like retention and graduation, the needle has remained largely unchanged at many colleges and universities across the United States. To make matters worse, widening performance gaps persist between different student populations across the field. For two decades, Credo has partnered with institutions through a dynamic project called Moving the Needle (MTN). Coupled with Credo’s proprietary research on thriving universities and continued innovation around student success, institutions experience systems-level improvements, leading to positive, sustained gains in retention and graduation rates. In this session, grounded in theory, research, and data, participants will review critical institutional characteristics and leadership strategies for fostering a thriving culture of student success. Participants will focus on the prominent role of student belonging — reviewing and discussing strategies for encouraging faculty and staff colleagues to embrace their roles as student success champions.