Student success coaches aim to support first-year students, increase retention

UB students are receiving additional support to help them navigate their first year of college, thanks to a pilot program pairing students with a network of personal success coaches.

The Student Success Steering Committee, a cross-campus partnership, developed the pilot when tasked by Graham Hammill, vice provost for academic affairs in 2021 to find opportunities to support student success.

“Our goal is to enhance student experiences by creating a support network of advisers, success coaches and technology that eliminates feelings of being bounced around and improves student retention,” says R.J. Multari, director of student success planning. “We also hope to free up advisers so they can refocus specifically on academics instead of the other things that have morphed into the advising role.”

The committee determined that first-year students should have a consistent, initial point of contact to help them understand what resources and opportunities are available to them. That’s where student success coaches come in.

Student success coaches help students develop academic and personal skills tied to undergraduate collegiate success, such as goal-setting and self-advocacy skills, and address barriers to student success, including assisting students with identifying academic skills, strengths and areas of improvement.

“Many students need support adjusting to life at an R1 research institution,” Multari says. “If you look at the 38 public universities that are part of the Association of American Universities (AAU), 17 have some type of a success coaching program. The idea is new to universities, but the concept is rooted in corporate America. We’re learning that we can take job coaching theories and apply them to higher education.”

The pilot includes five academic units: the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the School of Management, the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the School of Public Health and Health Professions. There are nine coaches and one program coordinator embedded within the academic units, as well as in Exploratory and Preprofessional Advisement.

“Our coaches have very diverse academic and professional backgrounds, which was intended by design,” Multari explains. “These aren’t only people with master’s degrees in higher education. They come equipped with experiences working in school psychology, counseling, social work, teacher education, campus living and community colleges. We were looking for people who had a foundation that could help them listen to and help students, while also identifying larger trends.”

Each coach is assigned a caseload of about 200 first-year students, who they strive to meet with a few times each semester. Mayra Lopez-Perez joined the team as UB’s inaugural student success coaching program coordinator in November 2022.

“I was a first-generation college student myself,” Lopez-Perez says. “I went to college six hours away from home and started in January, which is later than most. I felt thrust into college, and I couldn’t ask my mom for help because she hadn’t experienced it herself. It was a very lonely time.

“Student support has come a long way since then, but the transition from high school to college can still be a culture shock,” she says. “When I saw this opportunity to help those students, I knew it was where I was meant to be. This is what I wanted to do.”

Lopez-Perez coordinates nine coaches and has her own caseload of 50 students from the Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center.

“Our goal is to create an environment where students know they don’t need to know everything,” she says. “A place where they have someone they can come to when they have questions, to receive help with no shame and no judgment. By the time they’re done with us, they’ll know how to set up goals, manage time, interact with professors, create study groups and be prepared with skills to use at UB and through to their careers.”

UB alumna Karli Degraw was hired along with the other student success coaches this past January. She was previously assistant director for health education and promotion at Towson University in Maryland. She works with students at the School of Public Health and Health Professions.

“A lot of this role is filling gaps,” she says. “There are so many programs, departments and services at UB, and sometimes too much can feel like nothing. We know that taking advantage of one single opportunity can completely change the trajectory of a student’s life and be a catalyst to feel connected on campus. Our role is to be their touchpoint to find that opportunity.”

She recalls one student meeting that left an impact.

“Early on, I met with a student who was struggling,” she says. “I connected them with resources and provided them with information about health and wellness, and sleep nutrition. At the end of the 45-minute conversation, they told me it was the most supportive they’ve ever felt at UB. That really stuck with me.”

So far, the team says the pilot is a success. Of the 1,512 first-year students who have been assigned to a coach, 976 have scheduled meetings. They hope to continue to learn from the pilot and eventually build the program so that every first-year student is assigned a student success coach when they’re admitted to UB.