Commitment and Action: For Our Students. For Their Future.
The National Student Success Project spotlights five shared commitments — and many innovations — to help students achieve their goals in college and in life.
Our five commitments support student success in college and beyond.
- Academic ExcellenceJames Madison UniversityResearch Starts in Year OneFYRE pairs first-year and transfer students with faculty mentors for paid research or creative inquiry early in their JMU experience.
- Return on InvestmentEl Paso Community CollegeA Launch Pad for Economic MobilityEPCC connects affordable education and workforce training to careers, higher earnings and greater economic mobility for students, families and the region.
- Academic ExcellenceSUNY OneontaBuilding a More Proactive Approach to Academic SuccessSUNY Oneonta connects early identification, coordinated outreach, and academic support to help students address challenges and persist toward graduation.
- Dialogue & CommunityWestern Carolina UniversityCatamounts for Civility Builds Skills for Respectful Dialogue Across DifferencesWCU’s Catamounts for Civility connects students through a conference, retreat and small-group dialogues to practice listening, empathy and respectful discussion.
- AffordabilityNorthern Virginia Community CollegeADVANCE Helps Students Lower the Cost of a Bachelor’s DegreeNOVA and George Mason align courses and coaching to help students protect earned credits, avoid unnecessary costs and earn an affordable bachelor’s degree
- Return on InvestmentMonroe Community CollegeBuilding Student Success: A Holistic Approach to Improving Return on InvestmentMonroe Community College transformed how it operates around a simple premise: student success requires an integrated institutional approach, with holistic advising at its center. By uniting Academic and Student Affairs, MCC aligned people, priorities, and resources around the whole student, building capacity to sustain improvement in completion and post-graduation outcomes.
- Career PathwaysHofstra UniversityBuilding a Culture of Career ReadinessHofstra is expanding career advising, internships, employer engagement, and early career exploration, with 92% of graduates working or in graduate school.
- Career PathwaysBunker Hill Community CollegeSuccess Signals: Empowering Students by Connecting Faculty and Success TeamsFaculty send kudos, alerts and tutoring referrals through Success Signals. The student’s success team reaches out to the student to provide support and referrals. Faculty are informed about the outreach and provide any follow up if needed.
- Academic ExcellenceBaylor UniversityTracking Outcomes for 99% of GraduatesOutcomes Data Infrastructure, a survey and dashboard tracking employment, graduate school enrollment, salary, and career success outcomes by college and major, with a 99% knowledge rate.
Publishing these commitments shows that colleges and universities are serious about putting students first.
See Our Follow-ThroughMore Than an Endorsement
Joining this project is a public commitment to students and families.
Participating colleges and universities are expected to show how they are advancing the project's commitments through policies, programs, and initiatives that support student success. Participation is not based on financial contributions, sponsorships, or membership fees.
Higher education is the essential engine of American prosperity ... As leaders of colleges and universities of all kinds, public and private, ... we unite in support of these commitments to our students.