Six NDSU faculty and staff members have been selected to receive Student Success Impact Awards. Carrie Anne Platt, associate professor of communication and associate dean of undergraduate education in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; Ravi Kiran Yellavajjala, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering; and Susan Council, Kay Hopkins, Tayt Rinehardt and Kate Tulibaski, all members of the College of Business professional advising team, were recognized.
Provost Beth Ingram met with each of the recipients to present the awards in early May.
NDSU’s Student Success Impact Award was created to recognize personnel who have gone above and beyond using the Student Success Collaborative platform in new ways to benefit student success.
The Student Success Collaborative is an advising platform that connects technology, predictive analytics and advising excellence to boost student retention and success. The platform can be used to view snapshots of critical student information for advising meetings, identify gateway courses that help predict student success in a program, and enhance communication among faculty, advisers and students.
Platt was nominated as a “tireless advocate” for the Student Success Collaborative by Ann Burnett, professor of communication and director of women and gender studies. “She's demonstrated a variety of useful ways to use the new technology and has sent me detailed instructions about how to find some interesting information about our students,” Burnett said. “She's also encouraged everyone in our college, through her role as associate dean, to utilize the system.”
Yellavajjala was nominated by Milka Singha, academic and student services coordinator in the civil and environmental engineering department. “Dr. Yellavajjala, the department’s newest faculty member, has consistently used and implemented the platform since his arrival at NDSU,” Singha said. “His dedication and enthusiasm of the program will definitely be a trend setter for the department and campus.”
Scott Beaulier, dean of the College of Business, nominated the college’s team of professional advisers, all of whom have “fully embraced SSC into their advising and outreach activities.” Beaulier said members of the team have served on several committees formed to launch the Student Success Collaborative on campus, including the workflow development, training, super-user group and campaign development committees.
In addition, they “collaborated with faculty to identify success markers for the College of Business to more accurately track and predict student graduation progress,” Beaulier said. “I believe they are leading the way to illustrate what SSC can do to enhance the student experience and promote student success and retention at NDSU.”
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