The National Institute for Student Success (NISS) was established as a non-profit Institute within Georgia State University (GSU) in 2020 in response to the growing demand from institutions for help and guidance in establishing their own cultures of student success that mirror that which Georgia State has built. Georgia State’s innovations led the university to go from a 31% graduation rate for PELL students in 2007 to 58% in 2021, improved graduation rates overall by 70%, lowered summer melt by 37%, and transformed its student body to be more diverse (53% minority students in 2008 to 77% in 2021). The NISS was created to disseminate these evidence-based practices proven by Georgia State to change outcomes for all students, but especially the most vulnerable college students.
Heckscher supported a cohort of 10 SUNY campuses to engage with NISS through its initial exploration process to determine a select number of campuses ready to implement evidence-based institutional practices that will ultimately lead to higher enrollment, retention, and graduation rates for minority, low-income, and first-generation-to-college students. The goal of this process is to identify barriers to student success, develop a series of recommendations for how the campus might strengthen their student supports, and determine leadership buy-in and willingness to make such changes.
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