SUNY Oneonta is strengthening its approach to academic success by identifying students who may benefit from additional support and connecting them with resources earlier in their college experience. Shaped by institutional data, a complementary set of initiatives allows the university to respond to students at different points in their academic experience. The Office of Academic Success and Achievement brings together SUNY Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE), Guided Opportunities for Academic Life & Success (GOALS), and retention efforts supported by the Navigate student success platform to leverage early alerts, attendance outreach, and targeted campaigns.
Introduced in 2025, SUNY ACE served a cohort of 150 first-year Pell-eligible students. The university doubled the number to 300 participants for 2026-27. “We are providing comprehensive academic support to help students complete their academic journey to a bachelor’s degree within two years for transfer students or four years for first-year students,” said Anna Legname, ACE Program Director at SUNY Oneonta. “This support includes dedicated ACE advisors to guide students’ progress from entry to graduation, enhanced career and academic support services, workshops and activities, priority course registration and financial assistance for tuition, textbooks and transportation expenses.”
Read more about SUNY ACE student experiences at https://suny.oneonta.edu/news/suny-oneonta-expands-ace-student-success-program. GOALS provides support for students facing academic probation or deferred dismissal, offering them guidance to get them back on track.
For retention, SUNY Oneonta designed a targeted early-intervention model around 150 incoming students with high-school averages below 85 who were not participating in AOP or SUNY ACE. Navigate supports coordination by connecting information from faculty and staff with outreach and referrals. The objective is to make that information actionable so that students receive timely support and stronger connections to advising and academic resources.
The effectiveness of this collaborative work will be assessed through student engagement with support, academic standing, persistence, and progress toward completion.