Empowering Student Success Through Technology, AI, Data and a People-First Culture

Dr. Sarah Ellison, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Sonoma State University

In today’s higher education environment, the pressure to transform is clear, but the most effective transformation begins not with tools, but with people.

Within the division of student affairs at Sonoma State University, our commitment to student success is grounded in a simple but powerful belief: We cannot expect different outcomes if we are not willing to lead differently. This means giving our teams the time, training, and tools to do their best work, and ensuring that student support services evolve alongside the learners we serve.

Rethinking Student Success in a Digital Era

Student success is no longer defined by course completion alone. Today, it includes post-graduation outcomes, career alignment, wellness, and belonging. To support these objectives, we’re leveraging the power of AI, new technologies, and predictive analytics – not to replace the human connection, but to deepen it.

Our advising teams, for example, use tools that allow them to identify early indicators of student disengagement and intervene meaningfully. These same tools help us prioritize outreach, align services to real-time student needs, and design programming that anticipates barriers to resistance rather than just reacting to them. But technology is only as effective as the people behind it. That’s why our leadership team has focused heavily on upskilling our staff, from frontline advisors to administrative analysts, so they feel confident navigating new systems and are empowered to lead innovation in their own roles.

Leadership That Invests in People

We talk a lot in higher ed about innovation, but true innovation requires trust. It means giving staff room to experiment, ask questions, and help build the future instead of simply reacting to it. This can only happen when leadership is intentional about building a culture of clarity, empathy, and shared purpose.

Within the Division of Student Affairs at Sonoma State, that means investing in cross-functional leadership training, co-designing new initiatives with those most impacted, and building transparent feedback loops. We recognize that ideas and expertise live across the organization, and we empower directors, staff, and students to contribute as implementers and thought partners.

In our work, student success is everyone’s job, but it starts with how we support the people doing the work every day.

Contributing Perspective: Supporting Students by Supporting Staff

As someone who leads a team of student success professionals on the ground, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful it can be when leadership truly invests in its people.

Within University Advising at Sonoma State, we’ve moved away from a one-size-fits-all advising model and instead designed an approach that allows for proactive, student-centered support. But this kind of transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a coordinated effort, clear vision and a commitment to continuous staff development.

We’ve prioritized data fluency and system navigation training across our advising teams. Our advisors use a combination of student success tools to support academic planning and proactively identify students at risk of stopping out, and are able to interpret that data in context to drive informed, student-centered support. But more important, advisors have been empowered to use their professional judgment — and that trust makes all the difference.

Success in student services isn’t just about new platforms and their capabilities. It’s about building the confidence of the people using them and establishing a transparent feedback loop by regularly reporting impact and outcomes. When we support our staff with meaningful development opportunities, we see a direct impact on how students experience support, connection, and belonging.

Looking Ahead: A Shared Future

The future of student success will be shaped by how well we use data, yes, but more critically, by how well we listen to our students, staff, and communities.

As we continue integrating new technologies and advancing student success initiatives, our focus remains clear: removing barriers and creating inclusive, meaningful pathways forward. This means designing systems that are not only data-informed and adaptive, but also grounded in purpose.

At Sonoma State University, we’re not just adapting to change, we’re building a culture that leads through it.

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