Walton College Deepens Commitment to a More Connected, Supported Student Experience

For students, success in college rarely comes down to a single class, conversation or experience. It's shaped by all of them. 

The Sam M. Walton College of Business is taking a more intentional approach to connecting those experiences, aligning its Student Success efforts around the full student journey from a student's first introduction to Walton College through graduation and career placement. Led by Karen Boston, senior assistant dean for student success and chief student officer, the approach brings greater focus to advising, retention, engagement and experiential learning, and career outcomes with data increasingly guiding decisions and helping connect students with support when it can make the greatest difference. 

"Our students experience Walton College as one journey, not as a collection of separate offices or programs," Boston said. "Our goal is to make that journey feel more connected and intentional, while making sure students have the support they need at the moments when it can make the greatest difference." 

The approach brings several major areas of the student experience into closer alignment. 

Under Autumn Parker, Student Engagement and Programs connects recruitment and new student orientation with student organizations, Leadership Walton, wellness, student communications, experiential learning and commencement. Ryan Sheets leads Academic Advising and Programs with an increased focus on moving advising beyond course selection and other transactions to more developmental, goal-oriented conversations about students' progress and opportunities. 

As part of the effort, Walton College created a new senior director position and team to lead retention efforts and expanded the existing Business Communication Lab into a broader Learning Lab. Jen Caba was recently hired for the role. The area brings together retention and graduation efforts, supplemental instruction, tutoring, peer mentoring, and reconfiguring an existing position to focus on scholarships and financial aid, with Ashlee Shepherd leading the efforts.  The team also strengthens Walton College's ability to use data to identify student needs earlier and connect students with targeted support or help with addressing financial barriers. 

"Data can help us better understand where students are succeeding, where they may be encountering barriers and where additional support and knowledge for students and their families can have the greatest impact," Boston said. "But the purpose of that information is very human. It allows us to reach students earlier and more intentionally and connect them with the right people and resources." 

Career preparation and employer engagement are another important part of that continuum. Career Connections, led by Lindsey Steiger-Muck, is bringing internships and industry-based experiential learning more closely together with employer relations, career readiness and student outcomes. The goal is to better understand the labor market, respond to the needs of our employers regarding talent, expand opportunities for students to connect what they are learning with experiences that prepare them for jobs, and create an emphasis on employer relations, outreach and company partnerships. 

Other parts of the Student Success structure help provide the foundation for that journey. Sarah Judy leads Student Records and Academic Operations, including registration, curriculum and degree conferrals, and an additional reconfigured position, led by Austin Schwarzkopf, to manage the college's complex schedule of classes. Jason Adams continues to support students through the growth of our Walton Honors Program, while Synetra Hughes leads Arkansas Engagement efforts across the state. 

The work extends to the physical student experience as well. Walton College has made areas within its current facilities more welcoming and student-centered, with greater visibility and accessibility for advisers, peer mentors and student workers. 

For Boston, the individual changes are pieces of a larger effort: building a Student Success organization capable of supporting students as their needs evolve throughout college. 

"Student success is not one program or one office," Boston said. "It is the experience we create around students from the time they begin considering Walton College until they walk across the stage at commencement and transition into the workplace day-one-ready. We want students to know there are people here paying attention, helping them find and take advantage of opportunities and supporting them every step of the way."