The Student in Student Success
Last fall, at the Illinois Higher Education Equity Conference hosted by Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, I witnessed a transformative moment that would challenge how I understand student success in higher education. During a panel discussion where students of color shared their campus experiences—from microaggressions to cultural insensitivity—one student's response crystallized an essential but overlooked truth.
When an audience member asked, "What single question from your professors could make the most difference?" one student leaned forward with certainty and said, "No one has ever asked me what my definition of success is."
The simplicity and power of this statement silenced the room. It revealed a fundamental disconnect: while institutions measure success through standardized metrics like GPAs and graduation rates, students—particularly those from marginalized backgrounds—may be operating with entirely different definitions of achievement. What followed was a compelling articulation of how higher education's expectations often fail to align with the lived realities of the students we serve.
This moment forms the foundation of my argument: before we can effectively support students, we must first understand how they define success for themselves.
For some students, just making it to college is success. For some students who have lived lives with dreams deferred or delayed, acceptance into our institutions in an honor. And when they get to campus, when they enter our classrooms and sit through our PowerPoint presentations, take our tests, and respond to essay prompts, they are operating in a different mindset than we may think (hope).
Our metrics of success are grade point average (for students) and retention and graduation rates (for institutions). These are standard markers of success. And I agree - I am still proud that I graduated undergrad with distinction, especially after a college transfer, declaring 7 different majors, being on academic warning, failing introductory sociology (my eventual degree) and a real serious internal dialog on the gravity of what I was doing. I would be the first in my family to graduate college if I could make it. That became my definition of success - make it.
I eventually had to change my relationship with higher education.
The research on student belonging in higher education is rather clear - belonging is as good a metric of student success as GPA or retention. The thing is, belonging is built on relationships.
It is time to focus on the relationship between students with their student success. So here is my idea: ask students for their definition of success. More specific if warranted, "What does success look like to you at our university?"
The concept is belongingness uncertainty. And I submit, the key factor in student success is targeting this uncertainty. The first step is to learn of the students' definitions of success at our institutions.
The rationale behind this is simple, and rooted in mindset theory, validating questions build rapport and connection. More important, they feed a mindset of growth because the definition of their success is validated. Validation leads to persistence, and persistence leads to success.
I have, for years, entertained the anxieties of my statistics students. For two full weeks I poke fun at the fact that on their first day survey, 90% indicated they strongly agree or agree that they only enrolled in my class is because it is required for the major. I have been doing this for 15 years. The data NEVER change. But it opens up the conversation of success. Their success in my class is NOT an A. It is survival. Once I figured this out, it transformed how I teach my class because now it is focused on the students' definitions of success: finding relevance to their future as criminologists, social workers, and human services professionals.
Working with individual students is like designing a new course. You have to understand the desired outcomes before you can move forward. It all starts with the definition of success. And that is the opening to building a relationship between that student and their academic success.
Along the way, we as educators hope that their definitions come into alignment with those of the institution.
But I also hope the expectations of the institution come more into alignment with students. Like Bronfenbrenner's ecological system theory, relationships are multifaceted and synergistic. This would be intentional and cultural, curating an interconnected web of educational environments focused on the relationships we have with their success over the course of their career at our universities.
Creating a campus-wide culture of student success predicated on alignment between institutional-centric and student-centric definitions of success is big work. But to get started, we need to be focusing on what our students have to say about their success. I am working on a more robust list of students' success-focused questions, but here is a list I am developing for working with students and unpacking their definitions of success at my institution.
How do YOU define success? "In your own words and based on your personal values, how do you define what it means to be successful? What elements or experiences are essential to your definition?"
Personal Success Metrics: "Think about a time when you felt truly successful. What specific elements made that experience feel like success to you? Are these still elements of your personal success metric?"
Beyond Traditional Metrics: "Universities often measure success through retention rates, GPAs, and graduation rates. What non-traditional or overlooked indicators do you believe should be valued when evaluating student success?"
Success Tensions: "As students, you likely balance multiple priorities. When have your personal definitions of success conflicted with institutional or societal expectations? How did you navigate that tension?"
Academic vs. Social Success: "How do you view the relationship between academic success and social success during your college experience? In what ways do these two areas complement or conflict with each other, and how do you balance them as a student?"
Evolving Definitions: "How has your understanding of 'success' changed since you first arrived on campus? What experiences or insights prompted these shifts, and how might they inform how you support other students?"
Student Success as Institutional Success: What could the university do to incorporate more student definitions of their success with institutional definitions? How can we support ways students can better connect their personal definitions with institutional definitions?
Thanks for reading. I would love to hear other ideas about student belonging and how this connects to success. What about this list of questions? What should I add? Anything missing? Let me know what you think!