Student Success Launch and Summit

The 2025 Summit explored how MSU’s faculty and staff continue to reform MSU using the Five Opportunity Areas of Student Success, celebrating impactful contributions across campus. New for 2025, the Summit took place over two days: day one was in-person, and day two was virtual.

In partnership with the MSU Spring TALKS Conference, the opening morning of day one featured Dr. Nick Sanders, professor of Rhetoric and Writing at Oakland University, and Spartan Alum, as keynote speaker. The morning session reviewed key efforts including the Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy Guide, Learning Community, and initiative database. Recipients were also announced and awarded for the Five Opportunity Areas of Student Success Recognition Program. Afternoon breakout sessions covered topics such as: incorporating all five areas of success in your bridge, transition or cohort program; addressing sense of belonging in curricular and co-curricular efforts; tending to returning students’ success; assessing student success efforts; mapping student engagement, and more. 

Day two's virtual sessions provided opportunities to interact and engage across the five opportunity areas of success. Recordings of the May 7 keynote session and some discussions were available to virtual attendees the morning of May 8.

Presentation materials can be accessed here: Summit 2025 Presentation Materials. 

The 2024 Student Success Summit was held on Wednesday, May 8 from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. in the Minskoff Business Pavilion. Featuring opening remarks by President Guskiewicz, Interim Provost Jeitschko, and Vice Provost Mark Largent, with Dr. Kristen Renn as keynote speaker, this year's event focused on deep learning around the five opportunity areas of undergraduate student success, critical thinking around meeting 2030 goals, and a celebration of outstanding fellow Spartans.

For continued learning and those who were unable to attend, find materials from the day of the Summit linked below:

·      Student Success Summit Presentation (PPT)

·      Opening Remarks and Presidential Address (video)

·      Dr. Renn’s Keynote Presentation (video)

·      Student Interviews (video)

The 2024 Student Success Launch took place on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2024, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the MSUFCU Club in Spartan Stadium. This event invited campus partners to participate in workshopping and discussion around the projects, policies, processes and practices that can remove student barriers and support the five opportunity areas of the Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy:

• Self-discovery of purpose
• Educational success
• Developing a sense of belonging
• Contributing to an empowered community
• Developing wellbeing

Materials from the day of the Launch

• Student Success Launch 2024 Presentation (PPT)
• Launch 2024 Feedback Survey

Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy Database 

Please consider contributing to the Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy Database form. The purpose of this survey is to build a database of campus efforts that specifically align with and help us enact researched and documented MSU strategies for closing our opportunity gaps.

Five Areas of Success Learning Community 2024

Please consider joining members of a campus-wide community that will contribute to new discoveries and refine the institutional commitments and metrics for five opportunity areas of undergraduate success outlined in the Spartan Undergraduate Experience Strategy Guide. This guide supports our 2030 Strategic goals of increasing retention and graduation rates by closing opportunity gaps in undergraduate student success. This group will meet monthly in different formats (workshops, lunch and learns, design labs) depending on the topic and participant interest.

Sign up to join the community! Attendance is welcome at any and all of the scheduled meetings. 

The 2023 Student Success Summit, Building Bridges and Cultivating Compassion, was held at the Business College Complex (BCC) on Monday, May 15, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Dr. Alexis Travis, Assistant Provost and Assistant Vice President of Health and Wellbeing, opened the summit. Dr Travis is a passionate leader with 10+ years of expertise in developing strategic collaborations, building coalitions, and creating innovative programs for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Travis was followed by Keynote Speaker, Dr. Soumya Palreddy, co-founder of the Palreddy-Lowe Learning Lab. Dr. Palreddy is an anti-bias/anti-racism educator in progress, a licensed psychologist, and trainer.

Breakout sessions were led by campus partners and highlighted an overview of strategies, activities, and ideas they have implemented and/or plan to implement in alignment with the summit theme. 
Through collective wisdom and engagement between the presenters and attendees, the summit worked to build community, foster dialogue, and promote collaboration for the continued advancement of Student Success at MSU. 

2023 Student Success Summit Planning Team 

• Kimberly Blair-Chambers
• Chastity D. Gaither
• Helena Gardner
• Taylor Marino
• Sadiq Mohammed
• Jessica Oyoque-Barron
• Kanchan Pavangadkar
• Kristi Porrell
• Jieron Robinson
• Lance Sharp
• Justin St. Charles
• Kari Stone-Sewalish
  
  

Learn more

The 2023 Student Success Launch was held on Wednesday, Sept. 6, from 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. in the Kellogg Big Ten A&B room. This event centered around reaffirming commitments to student success, building community across campus student success work, and collaborating on moving key initiatives forward.

Learn more

The 2022 Student Success Launch was held Tuesday, Sept. 27, 1-4 p.m. in the MSU Union Ballroom and via Zoom. 

The event highlighted the work that is going on across campus to close opportunity gaps while increasing student learning, persistence, and success. 

Watch recordings from the Launch:

• Welcome
• Opening Remarks
• Panel Discussion