Access our on-demand webinar: How two universities transformed student support

Learn how UMGC and the University of Utah built coaching programs that last — and how their strategies can work on your campus

What happens when two very different universities invest in their people — and in the power of coaching — to strengthen student success?

That was the question at the heart of our recent webinar, Transforming Student Support: How UMGC & the U of Utah Built Lasting Coaching Programs. Moderated by InsideTrack’s Senior VP of Partner Success, Steve Ast, the panel features higher ed leaders and program directors from University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) and the University of Utah. Together, they explore how each institution built sustainable, in-house support models — and how coaching became a catalyst for long-term impact.

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Scaling support at a distance: UMGC’s model for high-touch coaching

Serving nearly 100,000 students — including more than 60,000 military learners — UMGC is the largest public university in the country. The majority of its students are adult learners balancing full-time work, family responsibilities, military service and online coursework. This level of complexity calls for something more than standard student services. It requires intentional, personalized support — at scale.

UMGC has been moving toward a coaching-centered approach for years. In partnership with InsideTrack, the university launched a comprehensive training initiative to equip their 189 success coaches with evidence-based tools to better serve their 45,000 stateside undergraduate and graduate learners. Over the course of four InsideTrack-led training cohorts and another five led by UMGC, the entire Office of Student Success has now been trained in InsideTrack’s research-proven coaching methodology.

The impact? Student outcomes are trending up. Course success rates rose from 80% (pre-partnership) to 84% (post-partnership) — a meaningful jump given the university’s size. Term-to-term re-enrollment and long-term persistence also increased.

But leaders say the transformation has been just as powerful for staff. “When you develop your people, it pays itself back,” said Susan Hawkins-Wilding, vice president of student success. “We’ve seen a huge increase in retention among our coaching staff — up to 80%. They feel confident, empowered and energized by the difference they’re making.”

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Campus-wide alignment: A culture shift at the University of Utah

Across the country, the University of Utah honed in on alignment — bringing campus partners into the fold early to build shared understanding and lasting support structures. Their coaching initiative began with a one-on-one retention coaching pilot for 500 first-year students. But that was just the start. Through coach training, staff certification and executive coaching for university leaders, Utah laid the groundwork for a broader culture of student success — one rooted in collaboration, equity and shared purpose.

“One of the benefits of our first round of training was inviting campus partners — student affairs staff, cultural center leaders, anyone student-facing,” said Dr. P. Brandon Johnson, senior associate dean of student success and transformative experiences. “We wanted them to understand what coaching really is, so they could refer authentically and use some of those same skills themselves.”

The result was what Utah calls a “success team model,” ensuring every student feels supported by a dedicated team — at the ready to guide them, cheer them on and help them navigate every step of their college journey. “We tell students that when you come to the University of Utah, you’ve got a team of people here to support you,” said Dr. Stephanie Santarosa, director of student success coaching. “If you don’t know where to go, come to us — and we’ll help you find what you need.”

That commitment has paid off in retention gains across the board, especially among historically underserved populations — including retention rates that were  8.7% higher for first-generation students and 21.4% higher for Pell-eligible students vs. their non-coached peers. And by investing in internal capacity, Utah has positioned the program for long-term sustainability. “Once we saw the impact of direct coaching,” Dr. Johnson added, “we knew we could scale that by growing our team and creating the infrastructure to support it.”

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Takeaways for building your own coaching-centered model

Throughout the conversation, panelists shared practical advice for institutions looking to strengthen — or start — their own coaching-based support programs. Among the most valuable insights:

• Train and certify internal staff to build long-term capacity
• Engage cross-campus partners early to foster buy-in
• Align leadership through executive coaching and shared goals
• Use student feedback and outcome data to refine the model
• Focus on people — both students and staff
• Keep your “why” at the center of your program

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From insights to action: Lessons for building what lasts

Whether you’re just beginning to explore coaching or looking to evolve an existing program, this on-demand recording offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to build a student support model that lasts. You’ll hear how UMGC and Utah developed scalable, in-house coaching programs tailored to their campus needs — and how those efforts are paying off. From boosting student outcomes and equity to improving staff morale and retention, both institutions are seeing tangible results. 

Panelists also share how they secured leadership buy-in, funded their initiatives, and used student feedback and outcome data to refine their models over time. If you’re aiming to build lasting infrastructure for student success — and support the people doing the work — this conversation is full of insights you can use. It’s a firsthand look at how two institutions made it work — and how you can too.