by Maria Ishaq Khan
On April 29, 2021, higher education leaders representing 18 university systems from 14 states came together at the NASH TS3 convening, focused on equity in action in their systems and at their campuses. Speaking to over 150 attendees, Dr. Rebecca Martin shared a brief history of TS3 and highlighted the significance of collective impact of systems in taking student success to scale through three selected interventions: evidence-based, improving student outcomes and closing equity gaps.
In the first plenary session, Nichole Prescott (University of Texas System) shared data around new demographics and realities for students especially from underserved communities in the post-pandemic environment. Dr. Prescott used Mentimeter to ask participants their concerns regarding students entering in Fall 2021. Participants’ synergic responses included under-preparedness, safety, mental health, anxiety, racism, COVID slide, trauma, students of color opting out, lack of adequate support services, etc. Dr. Prescott also discussed COVID slide and its potential and differential impact on students from underserved communities in relation to admissions, college readiness in the student pipeline, and traditional instruments to predict enrollment being unreliable as well as students’ mental health, financial pressures, food and housing insecurity. “It is an equity issue,” she said.
Theodosia Cook (University of Colorado System), Andriel Dees (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities) and Lais Martinez (Utah System of Higher Education) shared how they were leading equity in their systems in the second plenary session, moderated by Louie Rodrigues (The University of Texas at El Paso). Each speaker provided a snapshot of their system and overview of their roles. A key similarity across the conversation was the role of a system Chief Diversity Officer in bringing together, facilitating, catalyzing, collaborating with campus work and campus leaders, and strengthening relationships. It was emphasized that while structural inequities have persisted, approaches to address them needed to be reformed so these racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic inequities can be eliminated.
This was followed by breakout sessions which gave system teams time to reflect on their own equity work within their systems. Teams were encouraged to think about the data being used to drive their work, framing investments in this arena and the impact on campuses. System teams were then paired with other teams to share highlights of their work and learn what other teams were doing to address equity barriers, allowing opportunities for collaboration and learning across systems.
After a debrief, Dr. Deborah Keyek-Franssen (University of Utah) moderated a campus spotlight session to celebrate the work done at the campus level to support students from underserved communities with the following panelists:
- Dyonne Bergeron (University of Colorado Boulder), emphasized the power of community: courage, healing and unity and shared how University of Colorado moved forward to foster a campus climate that empowered and validated students, faculty and staff by providing opportunities for meaningful intercultural engagement and building community resilience.
- Tony Little (California State University) shared the profound impact of Male Success Alliance (MSA) established to improve graduation and retention rates for BIPOC students through trust building, and strong academic and holistic social support.
- JoAnne Malatesta (University at Albany-SUNY) discussed the personalization of student success through the overhaul of institutional infrastructure from being campus oriented to becoming student focused to address academic momentum, financial support, and student well-being.
- Laurie Sharp (Tarleton State University) talked about scaling up co-requisite models for student success in developmental education through their Texas Success Initiative. Several interventions such as peer mentoring, technology enhanced modules, and non-courses based options resulted into this initiative being successful.
- Kaydee Van Flein (University of Alaska Fairbanks) talked about Nanooks Care Campaign that builds community and sense of belonging through positive and caring interactions, developing robust outreach/interventions and enhance opportunities to help students. Motivating messages, packets and resources were made available and partnerships were developed to make students feel they belonged and were important.
The campus spotlight showed the humane side of higher education leaders and students in not only showcasing champions of student success but also underlined that while the work done was distinctive, students were placed at the heart of each initiative to ensure they had equitable opportunities to succeed.
The Equity Action Framework, rolled out at the last meeting, was revisited in the final session moderated by Dewayne Morgan (University System of Maryland). During the session, two members of the NASH Equity Collaborative shared the work and progress done in their systems inspired by this framework:
- Denise Pearson (Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education) emphasized that, “diversity, equity and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility and all stakeholders need to be engaged as this work cannot be done alone”.
- Debora Halbert (University of Hawai’I System) stressed on the need for data with an equity lens, and understand “who we are trying to count and for what purposes”
In the end, teams were brought together one last time in breakout rooms to reflect and develop concrete actions to move equity agenda forward in their systems. Throughout the convening, we saw equity in action, in systems and in campuses across the country. Here at NASH, we want to keep this conversation alive and learn about the important work you will continue to do within your systems. Please engage with us on Twitter (@NASHTS3) and LinkedIn (NASHTS3) when sharing your work and also participate in the Ultimate NASH drive.
Announcing the Ultimate NASH TS3 Follower Drive! Easier on your pocket and conscience than a PBS fundraiser, the Ultimate NASH TS3 Follower Drive is your opportunity to make sure that the good work of #NASHTS3 #studentsuccess and #equity is spread far and wide. Choose your social media platform, follow, and then ask colleagues to do the same. If we double our number of followers on each of the platform within two weeks, a randomly drawn new follower will get a one-of-a-kind NASH TS3 tote bag (what would a drive be without a tote bag?!). Take five minutes today to help us expand the reach of NASH TS3.