DSS Current Projects

The Division of Student Success leads projects and programs, in collaboration with all other parts of the university community, to support the success of our students in achieving their educational goals.  This page includes an overview of projects and programs that the division has sponsored and championed in support of the goals within NMSU LEADS 2025, the strategic plan adopted in May of 2019.

Ongoing Projects

Navigate Network of Care

Navigate Staff and Faculty and Navigate Student is a technology solution designed to create a network of care for students by integrating offices through the software, thus providing a robust common data to better coordinate support. The technology assists students with scheduling appointment with academic advisors, faculty mentors, financial aid advisor and advisors in Military and Veteran Services.  Students can schedule tutoring sessions in Navigate, create their academic plan, see if they have holds on their account, and organize study sessions in their classes.  Navigate supports both Goal 1 and Goal 4 of NMSU LEADS 2025.

Navigate Steering Committee
Project Sponsor:  Dr. Renay M. Scott
Project Champion:  Dr. Tony Marin
Navigate Administrator:  Jana Williams
DACC Navigate Administrator:  Kelsey Kurupas
NMSU-Grants Lead:  Dr. Patrick Clingman
Las Cruces Campus Lead:  Dr. Marissa Fowler

Objectives for 2022–2023

  • Add tutoring support services to Navigate
  • Identify program milestones for at least 50% of the programs
  • Enhance the Navigate web site by adding support and training resources for users.
  • Increase the adoption of Navigate Analytics among academic administrators

Objectives for 2023–2024

  • Expand the number of student user of Navigate
  • Expand the number of students with an academic plan in Navigate
  • Expand the number of faculty mentors scheduling appointments through Navigate
  • Expand and institutionalize the adoption of Navigate Analytics among academic administrators

Centralized Advising

Project Sponsor:  Dr. Dan Howard, Provost replaced by Dr. Renay Scott, VPSS


Project Champion:  Dr. Tony Marin

In 2018 spring, NMSU centralized the advising function within a unit entitled the Center for Academic Advising and Student Success.  In 2018 fall, NMSU committed to a best-in-class workflow tool, Navigate, and membership in the Student Success Collaborate developed by the Education Advisory Board (EAB).  Navigate would allow NMSU to incorporate other student success units such as financial aid, tutoring, the diversity programs, and the Aggie One Stop into the tool to create a network of care surrounding students with the goal to improve retention and completion at NMSU.  

To evaluate the impact of the decision to centralize advising, NMSU committed to four related activities. 

  • National Survey of Student Engagement (Advising Section)
  • Navigate Analytics
  • CAS Standards and Self-study
  • Helio Campus Survey

Reports on Centralized Advising (coming soon)

Data Tools Workshops

Project Sponsor:  Dr. Renay M. Scott
Project Champion:  Melody Munson-McGee

Data Tools workshops evolved from the work of the LEADS 2025 Goal 1 team that prioritized gaining access to and analysis of data as important for identify future objectives in support of Goal 1:  Student Success and Social Mobility.  The first Data Tools Workshop was held _________.  The purpose of the Data Tools 2023 workshop was to show case dashboards within NMSU Analytics that can assist academic departments and programs with information about student retention and barrier courses.  The second purpose of the Data Tools 2023 workshop was to introduce the campus community to Navigate Analytics.  Navigate Analytics is a tool within the Navigate Staff platform that will assist departments using Navigate with understanding their productivity and the impact of their outreach and support campaigns. 

Graduate Outcomes

Project Sponsor:  Dr. Renay M. Scott
Project Champion:  Dr. Tony Martin

NMSU has long searched for a better methodology for understanding the employment outcomes of graduates.  In academic year 2022-2023 an RFP process led to the identification of Stepping Blocks to assist the university in developing dashboards to assist academic programs and the Division of Student Success  in learning more about graduates early – mid – late career outcomes.  In 2023 spring, Stepping Blocks released the data dashboard on graduate outcomes.  During the 2023 summer, NMSU will work with the academic colleges to identify individuals from each college to be trained on the dashboard.  In 2023 fall, the dashboard will be released to the academic colleges in support of the goals of the colleges in reporting on graduate outcomes. 

Aggie Launch Pad

The Aggie Launch Pad project is designed to support student retention by providing first-time, full-time undergraduate students technology to support their student and academic journey to degree completion.  In fall 2021, students were provided an iPad bundle to assist them in completing their courses, researching, and connecting to Navigate and offices at NMSU.  In fall 2022, students were provided with a choice of a Dell or Apple Laptop.  The project includes the expansion of technology literacy through workshops on leveraging technology to assist in successful completion of courses, instruction in safe social media use, and learning Swift coding. Aggie Launch Pad supports Goal 1 of NMSU LEADS 2025. 

Aggie Launch Pad Steering Committee
Project Sponsor:  Dr. Renay M. Scott
Project Champion:  Dr. Tony Marin
Bookstore Liaison:  Collin King

Objectives for 2022–2023

  • Ensure that every incoming Aggie has up-to-date and reliable technology that will support their academic achievement.
  • Increase the visibility of technology and information literacy workshops for students.
  • Increase attendance at workshops.
  • Monitor first-time, full-time retention rates.

Objectives for 2023–2024

  • Ensure that every incoming Aggie has up-to-date and reliable technology that will support their academic achievement.
  • Introduce Apple Swift Coding workshop to NMSU students
  • Create Apple Swift Coding on-demand courses in NMSU-On Demand.

Aggie Camp 

Fort Keystone is an extended orientation for incoming first-year and transfer students that focuses on NMSU spirit, traditions, and connection.  For Keystone supports Goal 1 of NMSU LEADS 2025. 

Project Sponsor:  Dr. Renay M. Scott
Project Champion:  Dr. Ann Goodman

Objectives for 2022–2023

  • # of participants
  • Retention rates of participants
  • Learning outcomes?

Objectives for 2023–2024

  • Increase the number of participants at for fall 2023 Fort Keystone event.

Superstrong VitaNavis

Superstrong by Vita Navis is a career inventory to assist NMSU students with identifying their career interests and how those interest link to degree programs offered by NMSU.  Vita Navis has been embedded in the Aggie Welcome and Orientation for new undergraduate students to assist students with career exploration. Superstrong supports Goal 1 of NMSU LEADS 2025.

Project Sponsor:  Dr. Renay M. Scott
Project Champion:  Dr. Tony Marin

Objectives for 2022–2023

  • Ensure all first-time undergraduate students in fall 2022 completed inventory
  • Ensure all first-time undergraduate students in spring 2023 completed inventory 

You@NMSU

You@NMSU is a technology solution available to students, staff, and faculty that allows users to explore habits that can help lead to a healthy life-style.  The solution allows users to set goals and monitor progress toward goals, explore campus and community resources, and browse articles with insights into health and wellness issues.  You@NMSU supports Goal 1 and Goal 4 of NMSU LEADS 2025.  

Objectives for 2022–2023

  • Pilot the platform with two athletics teams
  • Develop an annual report template and report on impact of program

FAFSA Completion Grant (2021–2023)

 The FAFSA Completion Grant helps NMSU assist our public-school partners and students with the goal of increasing the number of high school students completing the FAFSA.

NMSU saw an increase in completion of the FAFSAs from academic year 2020–2021 to 2021–2022, with an overall increase in New Mexico of 7.6%.  With respect to one of the target audiences of the grant, the Las Cruces Public Schools, NMSU witnessed an increase in FAFSA completions from the same academic years of 17.2%.  The FAFSA Completion project supports Goal 1 of NMSU LEADS 2025. 

Summer Experience Transition Programs

  • Aggie Accelerate is a week-long campus experience for high school students. This transition program provides social events, interactive workshops on essential mathematics concepts, and college readiness skills such as time management, study skills, understanding one’s learning style and financial literacy. Aggie Accelerate supports Goal 1 of NMSU LEADS 2025.
  • Aggie Jumpstart: Aggie Jumpstart is an eight (8) week summer experience that helps high school students complete a mathematics course to improve their college math readiness skills. Aggie Jumpstart supports Goal 1 of NMSU LEADS 2025.

Project Co-sponsor: Dr. Enrico Pontelli
Project Co-sponsor: Dr. Renay M. Scott
Project Co-champion:  Dr. Tony Marin
Project Organizer:  Amanda Barrier
Project Organizer:  Cody Womack

Objectives for 2023–2024

  • Obtain partial permanent funding for at least 50% of the budget of each program.
  • Increase participation in each program by 10%.
See Also Sustaining Projects