In his remarks at the launch of the National Student Success Project, American Council on Education (ACE) President Ted Mitchell told the crowd, “Despite what people said we couldn’t do, today marks a day when higher education has truly come together as a sector.”

Mitchell’s words speak volumes about higher education’s efforts to reclaim the national narrative about the value of college at a time of declining public trust. The National Student Success Project, kicked off last week in Washington D.C., centers around a pledge from over 50 colleges and universities to focus their missions and resources on helping students reach their true potential before and after graduation. 

From its student-centered theme to its carefully crafted commitments, the initiative may indeed unite a sector that has been underprepared in responding to the public’s disappointment in higher education on many levels. 

The participating schools have signed on to take action on five key commitments that reflect some of the major expectations of students and families: return on investment, affordability, academic excellence, career preparedness, and constructive dialogue. In making students the center of the campaign, higher education leaders may also be reminding the public, and themselves, they have not forgotten their core mission. 

“This is about reminding America who we are, what we do well, and who we do it for,” said Garry Jenkins, the president of Bates College, one of the schools participating in the project. 

The Meaning of Success

This initiative is not the first time higher education has organized around a response to questions about its worth or direction, but it is perhaps the most broad-based. The project is a collaboration among five education associations: ACE, the American Association of Community Colleges, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the Association of American Universities, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. This selective group of organizations collectively covers all sectors of higher education: community colleges, flagship and regional state colleges, elite liberal arts schools, R1 institutions, and HBCUs. 

Leaders are eager to expand the ranks of participants, hoping to move from contract to coalition to movement. While targeting the frequently cited problems within higher education, the project is also an opportunity to move from defense to offense by including aspirational elements within the commitments, often having to do with thriving after graduation. And while leaders defer to participating schools to define student success, the project opens the door to a wider interpretation.

“I do think the view of student success has to be more than just first-year earnings or retention,” Jenkins said. “As important as these are, we need to include personal growth and support, thriving and flourishing, belonging and connectedness. That is what leads to successful outcomes in life and work.” 

For the first commitment, return on investment, leaders identify “value” in terms beyond just the assurance of a post-graduation job. “Delivering a strong value for the investment students make means they finish their academic programs and flourish afterwards, equipped with knowledge and skills that can lead to meaningful employment and a life of purpose,” the project’s materials state. 

"Delivering a strong value for the investment students make means they finish their academic programs and flourish afterwards, equipped with knowledge and skills that can lead to meaningful employment and a life of purpose."

The career pathways commitment includes “igniting ambitions through real-world experiences and robust guidance.” Here, the language expresses support for experiential learning opportunities, educational best practices that are known to improved wellbeing in life and career. 

The commitment to academic excellence calls out the quality of the educational experience, including faculty dedication to student learning. For some, this is a welcome acknowledgement that higher education is first and foremost about educating students. “Anything that put the student first in the educational experience is a major step forward for all of us,” said Angela Lindner, the executive director of the LearningWell Coalition, which publishes LearningWell magazine. 

In responding to the news of the project, Lindner said, “We are excited about this initiative because student life-long flourishing in career and life is embedded in each of the five core commitments. This initiative promises to realign higher education with shared goals of student flourishing and public good.”

The National Student Success Project is, for now, a website that includes a description of the commitment categories with examples of existing initiatives that reflect their intent. These include: a first-year research program at James Madison University where new students work with faculty mentors on paid research projects; Western Carolina University’s Catamounts for Civility that brings students together through a series of events where they practice listening, empathy, and respectful discussions; and Bunker Hill Community College, which connects students to faculty and a success team that sends kudos, alerts, or tutoring referrals. 

The website can’t tell us what will happen next, but it does state that signing onto the project is more than just an endorsement. Those who are participating are demonstrating their commitment through policies, programs, and initiatives that support student success. For many institutions, it is a call to action. For others, it is an opportunity to give greater voice to what they have long upheld.

You can reach LearningWell Editor Marjorie Malpiede at mmalpiede@learningwellmag.org with comments, ideas, or tips.