This case study explores student success at at a large public midwestern urban university in the U.S. with a diverse student body comprised of many first-generation students, students with elevated financial needs, and/or who come from educationally disadvantaged high schools. This university engaged in a complete overhaul and transformation of its approach to students, resulting in a 21 percentage point increase in graduation rates over six years – one of the largest in the US for public insitutions this size. Working from Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2006), Sense of Belonging (Strayhorn, 2012), and Student Engagement Theory (Kuh, 2009), the transformation included a shift from focusing on access and retention to focusing on student success, which includes emphasis on student learning, student belonging, student engagement, student progress to degree, and degree attainment. Furthermore, there was a paradigm shift from being a transactional institution to a relational student support strategy. As a result of a coordinated strategy including multiple initiatives, the institution has developed a culture of student success. In explaining this shift, the paper examines the student characterstics and challenges within the university as well as within the US educational context. The paper also includes a taxonomy of student barriers which are related to student development theory. We also provide a multi-step process for promoting progress to degree completion which relates student needs and barriers to institutional actions and promotes institutional responsibility for student success. The paper also provides an examination of the role of technology in student success, including the role of data in driving decisions, the value of technology to align business processes and the emerging use of predictive analytics to provide granular proactive support for students. We provide a methodology for student progress tracking. We conclude with a toolkit of student success strategies and a model for democratic institutional change.

Kuh, G. D. (2009). What student affairs professionals need to know about student engagement. Journal of College Student Development, 50(6), 683-706. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2006). Self-regulation and the problem of human autonomy: Does psychology need choice, self-determination, and will? Journal of Personality, 74, 1557–1585. Strayhorn, T. L. (2012). College students' sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students. Routledge.