Beacon Student Success
Since our founding in 1964, UMass Boston’s mission has been to provide every student with access to an affordable and transformative education. Guided by our strategic plan, For the Times, holistic student success is our top priority and demonstrates our commitment to ensuring all students have the support, resources and pathways they need to achieve their full potential.
Our approach to this work positions students at the center and aims to further build a campus community that is prepared to receive and empower them. It is a commitment to work collaboratively to create a campus culture and institutional structures that holistically support our exceptional student population.
Our responsibility is to work collaboratively and partner in ways that support and elevate the college experience. Success will be defined by our students’ accomplishments, goals and aspirations.
We Serve All Students
- For the veteran student who is returning from service
- For the transfer student who is making the transition from a community college
- For the first-generation first-year student who is residing on campus
- For the returning student who is seeking to finish their degree
- For the graduate student who is seeking deeper knowledge and is engaged in impactful research
Beacon Student Success Framework
The Beacon Student Success Framework helps organize our student success efforts and reminds us that the work of supporting students requires a holistic approach. We recognize that college progression and completion sits at the intersection of four dimensions:
Student Success Metrics
To create shared accountability for our Holistic Student Success work we will closely monitor metrics around student retention and graduation.
These metrics will be included in our strategic plan key performance index tracking.
Student Success Committee Structure
To help organize our efforts we have created a committee structure that draws from the Beacon Student Success Framework. The committee structure includes:
Student Success Council: meets monthly with Student Success Workgroup chairs to receive updates, strategize, track progress and support the campus efforts.
Student Success Workgroups: draws from staff across campus to work collaboratively to identify and make progress on student success best practices and initiatives.
Both the Council and Workgroups will closely monitor our student success metrics.
Student Success Council
- Alexis Fishbone, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Financial Services (Holistic Wellness Chair)
- Ashlee Carter, Associate Dean of Students (Holistic Wellness Chair)
- John Drew, VC for Enrollment Management, Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Student Success (Student Success Council Chair)
- Joseph Berger, Provost and VC for Academic Affairs (Academic Core Chair)
- Garrett Smith, Deputy Chancellor and Interim CIO
- Karen Ferrer-Muniz, VC for Student Affairs
- Shawn DeVeau, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students (Sense of Belonging Chairs)
- Susan Gauss, Associate Provost (Academic Core & Sense of Belonging Chair)