Academic Coaching Model

The "NEW" Unified Academic Coaching Model

Our students come to CSU with the expectation that we will help to prepare them to be successful when they go out into the world. It is our job to provide our students with infinite support and opportunity to earn success.

Starting in Fall 2024, CSU will begin the transition to a new Academic Coaching Model as part of a strategic effort to advance student success and improve retention and graduation rates – key components of the university’s strategic commitment of expanding the scale, scope, and integration of student mentoring, advising, and coaching to prepare students to join the workforce and our pursuit of preeminence. And to review, revise, and optimize use of all tools deployed to monitor student persistence and academic progress.

CSU’s current Advisors and Graduation Success Coaches, Faculty Senate, Academic Steering, Dean’s Council, and Cabinet Members arekey to this model’s implementation and success. As part of these changes, we will be prioritizing the Unified Academic Coaching Model and investing in our current employees to boost purpose, morale, and retention, and in recognition of their incredible commitment to our students and their outcomes.

FAQ

The below FAQs address questions about how we will move forward and what these changes may mean for you.

Why is CSU making these changes?

The new, unified model brings together leadership in Student Belonging and Success, Enrollment Management, and Academic Affairs to ensure seamless pathways for students from matriculation at CSU as new students to graduation with a degree or credential to establish a robust, efficient, and innovative network of student success support professionals.
The change integrates restructuring the CSU current advising model work more effectively and efficiently, it establishes a vanguard alliance and an academic advising leadership team who will provide policy recommendations and practical modifications, it creates a unified advising identity, commits to meet advising needs better, and invests in those who engage in advising.
CSU data shows that if approached holistically with sound academic coaching, these student groups may have a better foundation and path toward graduation.

What exactly is changing?

The current advising model will now restructure to an Academic Coaching Model. Under this new model, advisors and coaches will merge responsibilities under new titles, new job descriptions, and corresponding compensation (see White paper). The organizational structure will include the AVP of Student Belonging and Success reporting to the Vice President of Student Belonging and Success and will be overseeing these roles:

Senior Academic Coach
Associate Academic Coach
Assistant Academic Coach

Will I move out of my college?

Everyone will continue to serve and work in their current locations. Our new academic coaches are experts in their respective programs and uniquely situated to best serve CSU undergraduate students within the college or unit. The AVP of Student Belonging and Success will be positioned to work closely with Associate and Assistant Deans in each college.

Is everyone in advising affected by this change?

The changes impact all undergraduate student academic advisors and graduation success coaches at CSU.Graduate advisors are not included in the new model.

Why not graduate advisors?

By integrating CSU advising roles with CSU graduation success coaches, we seek to provide a robust, efficient, and innovative network of student success support professionals focused on increasing undergraduate student belonging and engagement, improving academic success, growing persistence and retention rates, enhancing student satisfaction and well-being, and improving career readiness and post-graduation outcomes.

Who decides which employees transiton to the academic coach role?

Tachelle Banks, Vice President, Division of Student Belonging and Success and Nigamanth Sridhar, Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs

Can other colleges/units make changes to their staff who are advising other types of students, specifically graduate students or online students?

In this new structure, university leadership invested in the Academic Coaching model to improve our performance on several key undergraduate student metrics. All academic coaches will provide academic advising and coaching services to undergraduate students in their major field. This includes Athletics and Honors.  We do not anticipate that academic coaches will be deployed outside of Student Belonging and Success.

Do pay changes come with this restructuring?

CSU is challenged given this time of change and during a significant decline in the workforce. Compensation is competitive. The starting salary for CSU Advisor positions is $45,000. The starting salary for CSU Graduation Success Coach positions is also $45,000. The new structure should also incorporate growth pathways for professionals, including salary ladders.

CSU is locally and nationally competitive and will recruit and retain high-quality professionals for the Academic Success Coach positions. With equitable compensation leveled across the university, we anticipate that attrition, across or between university teams or units, will occur due to a diminished workforce.

What is the timeline for the project?

Full implementation will begin in May 2025.  
In partnership with AASCU, CCA, and NISS all Academic Coaching employees will be trained on policies, procedures, essential information, technology use, and accountability metrics through May 2025, with ongoing training and professional development.

Who is responsible for processing these changes?

Tachelle Banks, Vice President, Division of Student Belonging and Success and Nigamanth Sridhar, Provost and Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs will lead the implementation of this new model and will work closely with the AVP for Student Belonging and Success and HR to ensure that all of those affected by the changes are given the appropriate salary adjustment and their reporting line moved to the Division of Student Belonging and Success. 

What is the long-term objective?

The Division of Student Belonging and Success will provide leadership, holistic, and integrated support for multiple academic and social support units on campus to identify and address the needs of CSU's diverse student body; provide strategic direction to the campus in implementing an inclusive, equitable and engaged model of student success that includes the academic and co-curricular experience of students and an integrated student success model; and provide the campus with data-informed strategies and metrics that are monitored and evaluated to ensure efficient and effective programs and services that address the needs of students.

Unified Academic Coaching Model

Timeline

Questions?

We recognize that the campus community will have questions about the plan for the Academic Coaching Model. In the event that yours have not been answered in theFAQ section, we encourage you to express them here.

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Academic Coaching Model

The "NEW" Unified Academic Coaching Model

FAQ