Student Success
Summit

What do students really think about their academic journey—and what do they need to succeed? This session draws on findings from our 2025 study of over 24,000 Canadian postsecondary students to explore key themes across the student experience: how they choose their school and program, what they think of the supports they access, what challenges they face, what keeps them enrolled, and how they prepare for their careers.

Participants will gain fresh insight into student motivations, stressors, and satisfaction with services—plus actionable ideas to improve advising, programming, and institutional strategy. Whether your work focuses on first-year experience, student success, or career development, these insights can help align your efforts with what students say they truly need.

Learning Outcomes

• Interpret key findings from a large-scale study of Canadian postsecondary students to understand their motivations, challenges, and priorities.
• Apply data-driven insights to enhance advising, programming, and student support services.
• Align institutional strategies with student-reported needs to improve engagement, retention, and career preparedness.

With the ever changing post-secondary landscape, it is increasingly important for institutions to apply a holistic approach in enabling student success. In 2022, Student Affairs at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) created the Career, Co-op & Student Success Centre (CC&SS), amalgamating several portfolios under one unit: career development, co-operative education administration, and student success. Grounded in values of advancing equity and inclusion, the model was developed to enable all students’ access to success. For the last 4 years, we have supported students to discover and navigate resources that enable them to achieve their personal and career goals as they transition in, through and out of TMU. This presentation will provide a quick overview of the CC&SS model, effective strategies and the learning journey we experienced along the way.

• Recognize the interconnections between various aspects of student success (e.g. career development, academic success, personal development).
• Outline strategies to create a holistic student support model.
• Describe the opportunities and challenges in implementing a holistic student support model in an organization.

Faculty are often told to “build in flexibility” for student well-being, but most institutional mental health efforts still concentrate on clinical, downstream supports rather than the classroom itself. The National Standard of Canada for Mental Health and Well-Being for Post-Secondary Students identifies pedagogy and learning environments as key psychosocial determinants of student well-being — meaning the classroom is already part of the mental health system, whether or not faculty have been equipped to treat it that way. This session introduces the Well-Being in Learning Environments open educational resource, developed through a cross-institutional partnership between Student Wellness & Equitable Learning and faculty across Humber Polytechnic, and shows how the same tool that informs institutional strategy can also shape a single course.

Rather than presenting well-being as a policy handed down to instructors, this session walks participants through the module itself — its strategies for course planning, learning environment design, and assessment — so they can see, in real time, how a systems-level commitment translates into classroom-level choices. Participants will use the OER as a working tool during the session, not just a resource to take away: identifying where their own course planning, communication, or assessment practices already reflect well-being-informed design, and where a small, deliberate shift could make the biggest difference.

The session is built around interactive elements, giving participants space to compare their current practices with peers, test ideas against the module’s strategies, and leave with at least one specific, implementable change for their next course or term. Attendees will also receive direct access to the open-source module for continued use and adaptation at their own institution — free for any faculty developer, advisor, or instructor to build from.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyze how classroom and course design function as part of a broader, systems-level approach to student well-being, using the Well-Being in Learning Environments module as a working example.
• Assess their own course planning, learning environment, and assessment practices against the module’s strategies to identify where well-being is already embedded and where a deliberate shift could have the most impact.
• Identify at least one specific, implementable strategy to apply in their own classroom/work.

There is a version of leaving that never shows up in your retention dashboard. No formal withdrawal form. No dramatic moment. Just a student who used to show up early now arriving late. Who responded to emails within the hour and now takes four days. Who sits across from you in an advising appointment and says everything is fine, in that particular way that means the opposite.

Student success professionals are uniquely positioned to catch what the system misses. Not because of the data, but because of the relationship. This session is for the advisors, retention coordinators, and support staff who work one-on-one with students and have felt the quiet shift in a conversation before they could name it.

We will explore what slow disengagement actually looks and sounds like from the student success side of the desk, why well-intentioned outreach sometimes pushes students further away, and what it takes to have the kind of conversation that makes a student feel like staying is worth it.

Attendees leave with a downloadable Conversation Guide they can use immediately, practical language for re-opening a connection when a student has gone quiet, and a clearer sense of where their current practices are building trust and where they may be unintentionally closing the door.

Learning Outcomes

• Distinguish between short-term disengagement and the slower behavioural signals that precede withdrawal, and identify when to shift from a routine check-in to a re-engagement conversation
• Apply at least two reframed conversation approaches for reconnecting with students who have become vague, inconsistent, or quietly distant
• Audit one current support practice to identify where well-intentioned processes may be creating distance rather than closing it

This session demonstrates the magic that can happen when systems design meets registrarial precision. Participants will discover how we leveraged CUE’s existing infrastructure, and implemented automated workflows necessary to move beyond departmental silos and ‘time-waster’ tasks.

We will explore:

• The audit – how we identified the specific manual tasks that were draining staff energy.
• The build – a look at our SIS design choices that streamline our workflows across the entire student lifecycle.
• The synergy – how a close partnership between IT and Student Enrolment Services allowed us to focus on automation and continuous incremental improvements.
• The result – CUE’s experience with a lean approach, including reduced processing times and automation to support a more agile work environment and lessening pinch points for applicants and students.

Post-secondary institutions are navigating an era where public expectations for “meaningful outcomes” continue to rise, even as staffing and funding for student support services face significant constraints. In this climate, we must explore more sustainable ways to deliver on our promise to students. To truly deliver on our promise of student success, we must look to our most consistent and high-influence touchpoint: the classroom.

This session invites everyone to explore how we can collectively wrap support around the classroom, empowering faculty to ignite student purpose without increasing their administrative burden. Drawing on data from the 2025 Brainstorm Student Interests Report (a survey of 24,900+ students), we will examine how a student’s career goals act as a powerful engine for their academic achievement and persistence.

When students see the “Why” behind their studies, anxiety is replaced by a sense of direction. This interactive workshop is designed as a collaborative exchange of ideas, exploring how we can empower faculty to act as strategic “anchors” for retention and success. We will discuss practical, sustainable ways to help students connect their learning to their futures—strengthening the student-faculty bond without adding to the weight of the academic workload.

This session explores how York University’s Markham Campus created a consistent student experience across multiple faculties with distinct governance structures. The Markham Model of Student Success uses Program Resource Clusters (PRCs)—monthly, cross-functional meetings—to align advising, admissions, learning skills, career education, student life, counseling, accessibility, and wellness. This approach fosters collaboration, reduces duplication, and improves responsiveness to student needs, ultimately enhancing student outcomes and institutional agility without requiring a structural overhaul.

This presentation shares how the Markham team moved from a bumpy start to what they now call a “lumpy but working” model, where each lump represents a point of connection, progress, and partnership. Participants will learn how leadership teams across decentralized faculties can apply similar governance and communication structures to achieve alignment in their own institutions, without the need for structural overhaul.

Learning Outcomes

• Examine how multiple faculties with separate governance structures can coordinate effectively under one shared campus vision for student success.
• Analyze how data sharing, early alerts, and cross-functional problem solving can improve both student outcomes and institutional agility.
• Reflect on the idea that integration is not perfection, but progress, and consider how to sustain momentum even when systems remain lumpy but improving.

Indigenous learner success depends on a variety of experiences culminating in a space of colonial incursion, fear, and worry for the future. Education continually evolves to embed a foundation of Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action while embracing the significance of the United Nations Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The role of post-secondary spaces in these transformational shifts towards equity and parity in educational opportunities is ongoing and amplifying as more Indigenous learners enter post-secondary and advance into education, industry, and the community workforce. At the College of New Caledonia, our Indigenous Education team is aligned with our Indigenous Education Plan “Lhk’enazdulkat | We Change Ourselves”. A Dakehl term, acknowledging the need for change within ourselves, ignites opportunities to transform spaces of learning to be places where everyone can be safe to show up authentically. Safe spaces are where learners can celebrate the culmination of their ancestors within their identities while balancing academia with cultural and spiritual experiences. This is the path we continue on through the efforts of our team to allow mentorship opportunities to flow freely, empower learners to advocate for their experiences, and foster real connections with services across the college and with faculty. In this presentation, we will share case studies of learner success, lessons learned along the way, and ideas to inspire you to try the wins we experience each day on our campuses situated on the territories of twenty-two (22) First Nations and the Métis Nation.

Learning Outcomes

• How to embed the full human experience in academia
• The hidden value of culture and spirituality for learners
• Lessons learned and keeping momentum with humility

In alignment with the Career Everywhere movement, the University of Connecticut’s Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills launched the Career Champion Program in 2019 to build a university-wide community dedicated to student career development. Recognizing that students often turn to trusted faculty, staff, alumni, and mentors for career advice, insights supported by UConn’s National Alumni Career Mobility surveys, the Career Champion Program was designed to meet this need by equipping campus and community members with the tools, resources, and confidence necessary to support students’ career readiness.

This cross-functional initiative engages over 1,100 Career Champions, including faculty, academic advisors, student affairs professionals, alumni, and employers, all of whom play a vital role in shaping UConn students’ professional trajectories. Career Champions receive curated, up-to-date career development information, labor market trends, and best practices through ongoing professional development and tailored communications. By embedding career guidance throughout the student experience, the program ensures that no matter where or with whom a student engages, they are met with knowledgeable, supportive guidance on their path to a fulfilling post-graduation life.

Now a model of institutional collaboration, the Career Champion Program exemplifies how universities can foster inclusive, scalable, and sustainable career ecosystems that support all students—regardless of major, background, or career interest. As a nationally recognized leader in career development innovation, UConn’s program provides a compelling blueprint for embedding career readiness across the higher education landscape.

By attending this session, participants will be able to:

• Identify the core components and strategic goals of UConn’s Career Champion Program.
• Apply best practices for engaging faculty, staff, alumni, and employer partners in meaningful, sustained career development efforts.
• Design or enhance a similar community-of-practice initiative on their own campus, using scalable tools and data-informed strategies shared in the session

Students stay where they feel seen. This session will explore six intentional touchpoints that significantly increased student retention, engagement, and sense of belonging at St. Jerome’s University. Beginning during the residence application process and continuing through students’ arrival on campus, these strategies helped students feel known, connected, and supported from day one.

Participants will learn practical, adaptable approaches that increased student involvement, awareness of campus resources, and institutional pride through relational and low-barrier interventions across the student experience.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand how early and intentional relationship-building contributes to student success.
• Recognize low-barrier strategies that increase student awareness of campus resources and involvement opportunities
• Reflect on opportunities within their own campus context to strengthen student belonging throughout the student journey.

What happens when you stop treating research as a report and start using it as a catalyst for change?

This session shares the story behind an award-winning recruitment marketing campaign that transformed extensive student journey research into a clear, compelling strategy that earned both national and international recognition. Rather than overwhelming stakeholders with data, the team distilled hundreds of insights into a simple guiding that aligned decision-makers, inspired creativity, and kept the project moving from insight to execution.

Through a candid case study, attendees will learn how the University of Waterloo combined student journey mapping research, in-house expertise, faculty collaboration, freelance support, and AI-assisted pathway modeling to create a recruitment marketing campaign that generated 24M impressions and 6,000 leads on a modest budget. We’ll share how to translate complex qualitative and quantitative research into a focused message that resonates across an institution. We’ll explore how data can become a relationship-building tool – not just with prospective students, but with internal partners, senior leaders, and creative agencies. Most importantly, we’ll discuss how to build the trust and confidence needed to convince colleagues to embrace new approaches, take calculated risks, and accept that innovation sometimes means being willing to fail before you succeed.

Whether you’re leading brand strategy, enrolment marketing, communications, or student experience, this session will demonstrate how keeping research simple, actionable, and human can lead to work that not only delivers results—but earns recognition on the national and international stage.

Learning outcomes:

• Distill deep research into a simple, memorable “mantra” that guides decisions and accelerates momentum.
• Lead organizational change by helping teams embrace experimentation, innovation, and the possibility of failure as part of the creative process.
• Translate student journey mapping into marketing strategies that are authentic, actionable, and measurable.

Before the session begins, participants will take a few minutes to complete the Student-Centric Mindset Scorecard — and during the session, we’ll turn insights into action. In this interactive 45-minute workshop, participants will reflect on their results, explore how their mindset shapes the student experience, and identify opportunities for growth. Through guided prompts and small-group dialogue, participants will leave with a clearer understanding of their patterns, actionable ideas to strengthen their practice, and a personal commitment to one intentional change that enhances student-centred work.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand what their scorecard reveals about their mindset and practices.
• Identify personal strengths and areas for growth.
• Commit to one small, actionable step to enhance their student-centred work.

How can institutions better support new students before challenges impact their success? This session highlights StartSmart, a proactive and personalized student success and retention program implemented in response to declining first-year retention rates. Through a readiness self-assessment, personalized feedback, and early outreach from StartSmart facilitators, students develop the skills, confidence, and connections needed to navigate the transition to university.

Since launching in Fall 2023, more than 3,600 new undergraduate students have participated in StartSmart. Presenters will share why the initiative was introduced, how it was implemented, and how readiness data helps identify opportunities for support and connect students with resources before challenges become barriers.

Attendees will learn how the program was launched, key lessons learned, and retention outcomes. Whether your institution is looking to strengthen first-year support, enhance retention efforts, or build a more proactive approach to student success, you’ll leave with practical ideas and strategies that can be adapted to your own context.

• Describe the StartSmart program, including its rationale, goals, and key components.
• Identify strategies for using readiness assessment data to inform early intervention, connect students with supports, reduce barriers to success, and improve first year student retention.
• Apply lessons learned from the implementation of StartSmart to strengthen student retention and success initiatives at their own institutions.

This session showcases how NAIT’s School of Media and IT and Academic Advising leadership redesigned advising from a transactional service to a proactive, integrated student success model. Through cross-functional collaboration between academic leadership, advising, and program teams, this model has improved student navigation, support, and engagement. Participants will leave with practical strategies to implement a more coordinated, data-informed advising approach within their own contexts.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify key elements of a proactive, program-integrated advising model
• Describe how role clarity and collaboration improve student outcomes
• Recognize how advising can support retention, workload balance, and student experience

Join us for an engaging session exploring the creation and impact of the “Academic Advising Community of Practice” at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM). As the inaugural co-chairs, Jen and Megan will share their two-year journey designing and sustaining a low-barrier, inclusive professional community for academic advising staff across departments on campus.

This session will highlight how our Community of Practice (CoP), grounded in care and knowledge exchange, has evolved into a supportive space where advisors can seek mentorship, share expertise, and build meaningful connections. Attendees will gain insight into practical strategies for fostering collaboration, breaking down institutional silos, and cultivating a culture of holistic support among staff, which impacts student success.

Participants can expect actionable ideas, reflections on challenges and successes, and inspiration for creating similar communities within their own institutions.

Whether you are looking to strengthen advising practices or build more connected professional networks, this session offers valuable takeaways for anyone committed to student success and staff well-being.

• Learn about the invaluable nature of community building
• Learn how to start and sustain your own Community of Practise
• Learn to anticipate and navigate challenges to the success of your C.o.P.

Join us for a dynamic closing session designed to spark reflection, connection, and momentum. Our panel of speakers will share the insights they’re taking back to campus to strengthen student success—and recommend standout sessions you won’t want to miss on replay. You’ll have the chance to weigh in via live polls, respond in the chat, and share the takeaways that resonated most with you. Before we close, we’ll invite you to commit to a few simple next steps—so you leave the Summit not just inspired, but ready to act.

Learning Outcomes

• Reflect on key insights from the Summit and identify strategies to apply on your own campus.
• Engage with peers and panelists to prioritize takeaways and highlight standout sessions for future reference.
• Commit to concrete next steps that translate inspiration into practical action to enhance student success.