Integration of Technology with Student Success Strategies

Michael Goemans, Director of Student Success Technology, Connecticut State Community College

Michael Goemansis the Director of Student Success Technology at Connecticut State Community College. He has Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from University of Hartford, where he focused his interests on advising frequency and persistence and building a foundation of research showing how student engagement correlates with outcomes.

Journey and Insights of a Transformational Leader

My professional career in higher education has been guided by a commitment to equity and student success. At the University of Hartford, where I spent over nine years, I gained a deep appreciation for the transformative power of access and support in higher education. Teaching courses across various departments, I saw how students thrived when advising, resources and belonging were prioritized.

My doctoral dissertation demonstrated that advising is not just transactional but deeply tied to retention and completion, especially for underserved students. Those experiences shaped my philosophy: decisions must be data-informed and equity-driven and leadership must create structures that remove barriers.

Today, as Director of Student Success Technology at Connecticut State Community College, I oversee platforms such as CRM Advise, our holistic case management tool, and coordinate institution-wide surveys to elevate the student voice. The merger of our 12 colleges into CT State Community College reinforced my belief that success requires both technological infrastructure and human relationships. My role is about integrating tools and best practices so advisors, faculty and staff can act quickly and equitably in supporting students.

A good leader manages systems effectively and ensures that tools are functioning as intended. A transformative leader goes further, aligning technology with mission, equity and culture. They inspire teams by emphasizing that technology itself is not the ultimate objective; rather, it is a tool to enhance student learning, improve advising, and support equitable outcomes across the institution. Transformative leaders build coalitions across departments, fostering collaboration between IT, advising and academic leadership. They cultivate trust — showing transparency in how data is used and empowering the staff through training and professional growth. Most importantly, they center student outcomes, asking not just “Is this system efficient?” but “Does this help students persist, complete and belong?” That orientation distinguishes leaders who make incremental changes from those who create sustainable, systemic transformations.

“By embedding safeguards and openly communicating our practices, we create a culture where data empowers students and staff rather than creating fear”

At CT State, technology plays an increasingly central role in advancing equity and persistence. We are unifying advising and student support across 12 campuses, while respecting each location’s identity. Tools like CRM Advise provide advisors with timely data on student engagement, course progress and risk factors. Real-time feedback surveys add the student voice, ensuring we hear directly about barriers such as technology gaps or commuting challenges. But the real work is in integration — aligning technology with advising practices, academic policies and resource allocation. Technology supports but does not replace relationships; it enables advisors to act in time and with precision. In a large and merged institution, technology allows us to scale support equitably and to embed evidence-based practices consistently across campuses.

Education Technology in Foreseeable Future

The biggest challenges are personalization, integration and ethics. Students expect seamless experiences where systems talk to each other and services are tailored to their needs. Many colleges still have siloed tools, making it hard to deliver cohesive support. The opportunity lies in unifying systems to create a holistic view of each student.

Another challenge is ethical use of data is balancing predictive analytics with transparency and fairness. CT State is preparing by investing in infrastructure that connects systems, prioritizing data integrity and embedding equity into design. We are training staff — not to just use technology, but to interpret data in context — ensuring that human judgment and empathy remain central. By fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation, we aim to lead in creating student-centered technology ecosystems. Such an ecosystem can only be fostered with trust, which is built through transparency and respect. Students need to know how their data is being collected, used and protected. At CT State, we focus on proportionality — using data only to the extent necessary to support success. We balance predictive insights with ethical considerations, ensuring no student is reduced to a data point. Advisors are trained to interpret data as a starting point for conversation, not a final judgment. By embedding safeguards and openly communicating our practices, we create a culture where data empowers students and staff rather than creating fear. The balance comes from remembering that behind every metric is a person with goals, challenges and potential.

Striving for Student Success Strategies

My advice is to center students and equity at every stage. Start with the question: “How will this improve outcomes for our most underserved students?” Align technology with institutional strategy rather than adopting tools in isolation. Invest in staff capacity — training, professional development and time to learn. Blend quantitative data with qualitative stories, because both are essential to understanding impact. Finally, communicate consistently: success requires buy-in from advisors, faculty, leadership and students. When technology is positioned as a tool for equity and persistence, integration becomes more than operational — it becomes transformational.

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