In this episode of the Innovating Together podcast, host Bridget Burns is joined by Dr. Allison Calhoun-Brown, Senior Vice President for Student Success at Georgia State University, to explore how the university moved from fragmented, paper-based advising to becoming a national exemplar of proactive, data-informed student support. This conversation highlights the real-world steps Georgia State took to transform advising; boosting graduation rates, closing equity gaps, and creating scalable systems that prioritize student care and timely intervention.

Listeners will gain practical insight into:

• How to clean and organize institutional data for actionable use
• The difference between predictive analytics and proactive advising
• Building cross-campus buy-in and securing leadership support
• Creating consistent advising standards and training
• Engaging students meaningfully and equitably in support systems

“You can do good and do well at the same time.” - Dr. Calhoun-Brown

Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, introduces an episode of the Innovating Together Podcast featuring UIA Summit session presenters Clare Creighton, Director of Oregon State University’s Academic Success Center & Writing Center, and Steve Wuhs, OSU’s Deputy Senior International Officer. Ms. Creighton and Dr. Wuhs talk about how to create a unique strategic plan, flip challenges into assets, build leadership teams, share data, operate task forces, and foster collaboration. Topics include:
 

• OSU’s Prosperity Widely Shared strategic plan
• Reframing an institution’s weaknesses as strengths
• The Every Student Graduates advisory and leadership group
• The data behind student success initiatives
• Building and coordinating task forces to implement ESG’s recommendations
• Student success through leader collaboration

 
Tune in to learn about the nuts and bolts of building an institution-wide student success program.
 

Bridget Burns, CEO of the University Innovation Alliance, introduces a powerful episode of the Innovating Together Podcast, featuring a UIA National Summit session with Brandee Popaden-Smith, Senior Director at University College, Arizona State University.

In this talk, Brandee shares the story behind Work+, ASU’s innovative approach to student employment that reimagines how institutions support working learners. Sparked by the UIA’s Bridging the Gap from Education to Employment initiative, ASU asked: What if we became the kind of employer we want our students to have?

Topics include:

• What empathy interviews revealed about student work
• How ASU launched and iterated Work+ to meet real student needs
• Why student employment should be part of a student success strategy
• The messy, nonlinear process of building a national model
• The launch of the Work+ Collective, now over 25 campuses strong

Tune in to hear how one university turned internal jobs into purpose-driven learning experiences—and why waiting for perfect solutions risks leaving students behind.