EAB’s Technology Pioneer Award recognizes an institution that is consistently on the leading edge when it comes to technology, testing new solutions to advance student success.
This is the seventh year in a row that EAB has recognized outstanding achievements in student success. Awardees are chosen from among the colleges, universities and individuals that use Navigate, EAB’s student success management system.
Chris Atkins, associate director of advising technologies at Marshall University, said it is an honor for the efforts of the campus community to be recognized.
“The Navigate initiative at Marshall has provided the university the smart technology tools to support our students like never before,” Atkins said. “Over the past few years, we have seen significant increases in our retention and six-year graduation rates. These gains can be largely attributed to the work of our advisors, faculty and staff, who have learned to utilize the tools EAB provides with the Navigate platform to connect with, support, and encourage our students on their academic journeys.”
While technologies can help an organization bring an initiative to scale, they can also help navigate a crisis, said Dr. Sherri Smith, associate provost at Marshall.
“We really were in the right place at the right time when COVID-19 hit. We had just rolled out a new Navigate initiative with faculty when we had to switch to distance learning in the spring,” Smith said. “Instructors were able to use the system quickly to refer struggling students to the advising and student success offices. This allowed us to reach and intervene with an extraordinary number of students at a time when communication and collaboration would otherwise have been more difficult.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic forced institutions to rely on technology like never before to support students on their educational journey,” said Scott Schirmeier, president of EAB Technology. “This year’s awardees, like their predecessors, are true leaders. They exemplify what schools can achieve with a campus-wide approach to student success, strong leadership and an unrelenting commitment to helping more students reach their potential.”
The following institutions and one individual also were named winners of the 2020 Student Success Collaborative Awards from EAB:
- Return on Education Award: The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
- Return on Education Award: Perimeter College at Georgia State University
- Visionary Leadership Award: Stacey Moore, York Technical College
- Collaborative Citizenship Award: National Louis University
- Technology Pioneer Award: Washburn University
The awards were presented at CONNECTED20, a three-day gathering, virtual this year, of leaders from the country’s most progressive four-year colleges and universities, as well as community colleges.