History
The Student Success Initiative (SSI) was a collective change management process aimed at enhancing equitable progress to degree completion and removing roadblocks to student success at UIC. The history of this effort dates back to a campus-wide initiative that began with the Chancellor's charge in February 2012. From 2012 to 2014, UIC engaged in a collective effort to develop a comprehensive roadmap for increasing student success. This initiative was led by the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, along with the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, and involved over 200 UIC students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
In Summer 2014, UIC received a grant from the Association of Public Land-grant Universities, which provided support for implementing the recommendations outlined in the Student Success Plan. With this grant, Negar Mansourian-Hadavi was hired to lead the implementation phase. The Office of Project Management for Student Success Initiatives (OPMSSI) was established, and a project management framework was developed to support the SSI implementation process.
Between 2014 and 2017, the OPMSSI director worked with a leadership team that included representatives from Academic and Student Affairs at the Vice Provost and Associate Vice Chancellor levels. UIC leadership, including the Chancellor, Provost, and Vice Chancellors for Academic and Student Affairs, endorsed SSI and tasked OPMSSI and the SSI Leadership Team with implementing priority projects. The priorities were determined based on (a) expected high impact, (b) feasibility, and (c) timeliness. During this period, 90% of the recommendations from the original Student Success Plan were implemented through the initial 20 SSI projects or incorporated into ongoing efforts within other UIC units. As a result, new programs, structures, and technology tools emerged, supporting reforms and enhancements in student success. Many of these changes facilitated subsequent SSI projects with more targeted goals.
After 2017, OPMSSI continued to identify and launch SSI projects based on internal and external student success research, national best practices, and campus priorities. By 2022, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and leadership transitions, OPMSSI had successfully led over 31 SSI projects, focusing on marginalized student populations, college transition, and barriers to persistence and completion.
In October 2022, UIC restructured several offices within Student Affairs and Academic Affairs to create a more cohesive and aligned student experience from recruitment through graduation. As part of this restructuring, OPMSSI transitioned from Undergraduate Affairs to Student Affairs. This shift provided an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned and expand the initiative’s scope to include graduate and professional students in addition to undergraduates. An SSI Leadership Team was established to identify and prioritize projects, while an Advisory Board was convened to receive updates on ongoing projects, provide guidance, and advocate for necessary resources. During this phase, this office led 4 high-impact, campus-wide collaborative projects..
By Fall 2024, OPMSSI had completed its final projects, and all project reports were archived under the "Completed Projects" tab. With the conclusion of these efforts, the director of OPMSSI transitioned to the Division of Student Affairs to support ongoing student success projects within that division. The legacy of the Student Success Initiative remains in the programs and structures established through its years of dedicated work.