We are fortunate to work at Loyola University of Chicago (LUC), one of many institutions prioritizing its commitment to student success. While we have a structure that includes a Division of Student Success, the success of students is not the work of a select few on campus but a promise to every student that an institution will provide holistic support. LUC is on a journey to create a connected ecosystem of support across campus, based largely on embedded and intentional milestones that center the student experience. Our campus is implementing a campus-wide strategic lan and student success strategy, and this article will share our reflections, aspirations and accomplishments as we pursue the shared responsibility that is student success.
As one of the largest Jesuit Catholic institutions, we discuss our values and the impact on our students and work daily. We invite you to examine, regardless of your faith tradition, the ties between Jesuit values noted in this article and the tenants of education and student development that guide your work.
Creating a Connected Ecosystem
As a component of the Student Success Strategy, various cross-functional workgroups were formed, bringing staff and faculty voices into shared spaces to discuss best practices from institutions outperforming in areas related to student success, as well as to gather factual information about current practices at LUC. We wanted our students to feel supported, connected and confident in navigating their experiences on campus with ease. No one could argue that students’ ability to have a seamless undergraduate or graduate experience was essential, but unsurprisingly, that takes effort and potential compromise.
We see daily that employees find intrinsic motivation from alignment with the institution’s mission, vision, values and student experiences regardless of their role on campus. Many spend decades or more perfecting their department, program or initiatives. In doing so, we naturally build partnerships, find allies and collaborate, but at times we also complicate and create niches that are siloed. No student should have to understand how to read an organizational chart to navigate resources and experiences on their campus.
“Ecosystem” has become somewhat of a catchphrase across higher education. Whether speaking to career services or admissions, you may hear this term more often. Ecosystems, as we use the term, mean connected networks that allow staff and faculty to engage across the boundaries of offices or departments, and where students can feel that those across campus are working together to support them. At LUC the following are examples of ecosystem development at work:
Career community framework: integrates career content from orientation through graduation (recent highlights include 800+ first year students attending a Careerpalooza event and integrated career curriculum in first-year seminars)
Majors and minors fair: brought together faculty and staff from 60 academic and student services units to help students explore pathways with targeted messaging coordinated across offices to undecided students
While the following recommendations are ongoing work for us, we see the need for:
Cross-functional efforts and communication: to bring together offices, departments, divisions and staff/faculty under shared goals
Cohesive data and processes: to allow for clear data lifecycles on students, elimination of redundancies and the ability to reflect using historical data and predict student needs in real time
Shared resources: to encourage knowledge sharing so multiple staff and faculty can be the source of information and resources for students navigating their personal, intellectual and career goals
Jesuit value: “Presupposition” in simple terms means assuming good intention. Beyond simply assuming the best in others, it also pushes us to work towards finding common ground through kindness. In a stressed world, with pressure from all angles on higher education, imagine how we could better serve students if we remind ourselves of the good in others who share in these efforts.
Prioritizing Embedded and Intentional Milestones
Requirements and checklists have often felt counter to those with knowledge of student development. The ideal is to create a campus culture where impactful engagement is unavoidable, not because there is a threat if those elements are completed but because students want to experience the positive benefits and potential outcomes organically. Embedded experiences can ensure equity because the process of embedding should prompt institutions to discuss the barriers keeping some students from participating. At LUC, the following are examples of embedded milestone efforts at work:
Campus-wide definition of high-impact practices: to identify priorities and barriers
Funded research: Chicago Community Trust grant funding allowed for the creation of paid eight-week research experiences for Arrupe College continuing-ed students alongside faculty mentors and support from student success staff
While the following recommendations are ongoing work for us, we see the need for:
Campus-wide definition of student success: to create a shared language and responsibility around retention, persistence, graduation and postgraduation outcomes
Signature high-impact experiences: to create a culture of what it means to be a student at your institution and core aspects of the student journey both in and out of the classroom
Jesuit value: “Magis” is often translated as “more” or “greater” but not in reference to quantity or scale. This value does not guide us as staff, faculty and students to simply do more and work harder but to do our work with more intention and care for others, which is key as we consider the experiences most impactful to student success.
Centering the Student Experience on Discernment, Purpose and Vocation
Even the most dedicated student success or higher education professionals sometimes need reminding that students are at the center of our work. While we endeavor to enhance our structures, systems and processes, we also aspire to ensure students acquire and hone practices they can apply long after they graduate. At LUC the following are examples of centering the student experience at work:
Shared common goals: committed to increasing first-year undergraduate retention, six-year graduation rates and first destination security, eliminating equity gaps for Pell-eligible students
Embrace our Jesuit heritage: to create a culture where silence and reflection, high-impact practices and career preparation are threaded throughout students’ experiences.
Redesign of first- and second-year advising model: to approach summer advising differently to best prepare students for their first semester, including embedded modules in first-year seminars and new workshops
While the following recommendations are ongoing work for us, we see the need for:
- A common framework for character development
- Audits of student experience to identify the user experience of online platforms, dashboards, resources and communications from all areas of campus
- Synergy between career and academic advising offerings
Jesuit value: “Cura personalis” or “care for the whole person” may sound similar to frequently referenced student development theories. This Jesuit value relates deeply to student success, as we work to understand the many facets of a student’s identity, experience on campus and, beyond that, play a role in their ability to engage and learn.
Our Division of Student Success shares the motto, “To serve as good company on students’ journeys as they come to, go through, and move beyond Loyola Chicago.” We often discuss making heart-driven and data-informed decisions. Thinking strategically, using data and being predictive does not eliminate personalization but allows us to scale equitably.
In August 2025, LUC hosted the inaugural Student Success Summit and second annual event in August 2026. This summit provided space for staff across campus to highlight initiatives, best practices and resources while showcasing alignment between institutional priorities and divisional/departmental goals related to student success. This one-day conference fostered conversations around making student success and retention a campus-wide effort.
By keeping students at the center of our work, we can all, as higher education professionals, make student success our shared responsibility and fulfill our promise to students.
References:
Loyola University Chicago Student Success Annual Report 2025-2026