The HEDS Student Success Champions Program supports people at HEDS institutions who lead student success projects and helps develop their leadership and change management skills.
We created the HEDS Student Success Champions Program to advance student success efforts at HEDS institutions and to help participants develop leadership and change management skills.
Student Success Champions will work with, support, and learn from an interdisciplinary community of practice focused on student success. The community of practice includes other Student Success Champions, the HEDS Directors and staff, HEDS Board members, and leaders with experience in institutional improvement.
Champions will develop their skills as they design and/or implement a student success initiative at their institution. Champions will gain confidence in their leadership abilities and build resilience to work through challenges that threaten to derail institutional change efforts.
Applications for the 2024 cohort of Student Success Champions will open on July 10, 2023.
The program is open to any employee at a HEDS institution—including faculty, student affairs professionals, administrators, assessment professionals, and institutional researchers—who is, or will soon be, leading a student success project and has support from their institution.
Each Student Success Champion will participate in the program for a two-year term. We expect Champions to attend four meetings each year (two face-to-face and two virtual).
There is no fee for the Student Success Champions Program. The program is a benefit for our HEDS member institutions. We only ask that your institution cover the cost of your travel, food, and lodging for the two face-to-face meetings each year.
The cost of each meeting, which covers three nights of lodging, food, and transportation between the Indianapolis International Airport and Wabash College, will be around $675. We can provide additional nights of lodging to accommodate flight schedules at $125 per night.
- Two face-to-face meetings each year that focus on helping Student Success Champions develop practical leadership skills: including approaches to engaging the support of academic leaders, using evidence to advance projects, building coalitions, working with challenging faculty and staff, and keeping projects moving forward in dynamic institutional environments.
- Two several-hour virtual group check-ins each year with HEDS leaders for updates on their projects, troubleshooting obstacles, and honing plans for next steps.
- Ongoing consultations that will focus on real-time troubleshooting to help the Champions sharpen their projects and overcome barriers.
To apply, please download the program description and application by clicking on the red button above.
The application process will consist of answering questions about your interest in the program and the project you’d like to work on and providing a letter of support from an administrator at your institution.
We begin accepting application submissions for the 2024 cohort of Student Success Champions on July 10, 2023.
If you have questions about the program please email Charlie Blaich and Kathy Wise.
Important Dates
July 10, 2023 – Call for applications for 2024 Cohort opens
July 19-21, 2023 – 2022 and 2023 Cohorts meeting at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN
September 15, 2023 – 2024 Cohort application deadline
October 27, 2023 – 2022 and 2023 Cohorts meeting – half-day, virtual event
November 15, 2023 – HEDS announces 2024 Student Success Champions
January 10-13, 2024 – 2023 and 2024 Cohorts meeting at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN
April 15, 2024 – 2023 and 2024 Cohorts meeting – several-hour, virtual event
July 16-19, 2024 – 2023 and 2024 Cohorts meeting at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, IN
October 18, 2024 – 2023 and 2024 Cohorts meeting – several-hour, virtual event