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Academic Alignment for Student Success Initiative

UCF is dedicated to being a leader in higher education for its commitment to student success and degree completion. The Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs is better aligning student success and academics to advance UCF as a pacesetter in higher education for supporting students and degree completion.

The strategic alignment results from months of planning by our academic leaders with input from faculty, staff and students. It also follows various reports and assessments over the years that encouraged UCF to take bold steps to enhance, reform and reimagine ways to better support students and their journey to achieving a degree.

The changes address priorities that include:

  • strengthening advising, especially through the role of faculty and advising enabled by data analytics;
  • defining a shared philosophy for student success; and
  • aligning shared ownership, accountability and impact to deliver on our student success goals.

Teams Charge and Key Focus

In September 2019, UCF established implementation teams charged with refining a new student success model and structure that will put student success at the center of UCF’s academic operations. The teams are tasked with completing their work by January 2020. Teams and their lead members are below.

Alignment Steering Team

Name Department Email
Paige Borden Associate Provost and Chief Analytics Officer Paige.Borden@ucf.edu
Joe Adams Senior Communications Director joe.adams@ucf.edu
Jana Jasinski Vice Provost for Faclty Excellence Jana.Jasinski@ucf.edu
Tim Letzring Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Tim.Letzring@ucf.edu
Rebeca Richards Assistant Vice President, Academic Budget, Planning and Administration, Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs Rebeca.Richards@ucf.edu

Division of Teaching & Learning Internal Alignment Team

Name Department Email
Melody Bowdon Associate Vice Provost for Student Learning and Academic Success and Associate Dean, College of Undergraduate Studies Melody.Bowdon@ucf.edu
Harrison Oonge Assistant Dean, Division of Student Learning and Academic Success and College of Undergraduate Studies Harrison.Oonge@ucf.edu
Wayne Bowen Director/Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies, College of Undergraduate Studies Wayne.Bowen@ucf.edu
Rebecca Piety Director, Student Academic Resource Center, Division of Student Learning and Academic Success Rebecca.Piety@ucf.edu

Center for Higher Education Innovation Team

Name Department Email
Tim Letzring Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Tim.Letzring@ucf.edu
Ryan Goodwin Director, UCF Center for Higher Education Innovation Ryan.Goodwin@ucf.edu

Registrar's Office & Academic Services Team

Name Department Email
Tim Letzring Senior Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Tim.Letzring@ucf.edu
Brian Boyd University Registrar, Registrar's Office, Division of Student Learning and Academic Success Brian.Boyd@ucf.edu
Juanita Sembrano Associate Director, Academic Services, Division of Student Learning and Academic Success and College of Undergraduate Studies Juanita.Sembrano@ucf.edu
Wayne Bowen Director/Professor, Interdisciplinary Studies, College of Undergraduate Studies Wayne.Bowen@ucf.edu

Operations , Budget and Human Resources Team

Name Department Email
Rebeca Richards Assistant Vice President, Academic Budget, Planning and Administration, Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs Rebeca.Richards@ucf.edu
Barbara Smith Communications Director, Division of Student Learning and Academic Success and College of Undergraduate Studies Barbara.Smith@ucf.edu
Sharon Ekern Associate Vice President for Administration and Student Life, Student Development and Enrollment Services sekern@ucf.edu
Bryant Nunez Director of Operations, Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs Bryant.Nunez@ucf.edu
Norma Suarez Budget Director, Division of Student Learning and Academic Success and College of Undergraduate Studies Norma.Suarez@ucf.edu

Advising and Student Success Team

Name Department Email
DeLaine Priest Associate Vice Provost for Student Success and Advising, Division of Student Learning and Academic Success Delaine.Priest@ucf.edu
Teresa Dorman Associate Dean, College of Sciences Teresa.Dorman@ucf.edu
Delia Garcia Director, Student Advising, College of Arts and Humanities Delia.Garcia@ucf.edu

Analytics & Strategic Planning Team

Name Department Email
Paige Borden Associate Provost and Chief Analytics Officer Paige.Borden@ucf.edu

Faculty Center Team

Name Department Email
Jana Jasinski Vice Provost for Faculty Excellence Jana.Jasinski@ucf.edu
Melody Bowdon Associate Vice Provost for Student Learning and Academic Success and Associate Dean, College of Undergraduate Studies Melody.Bowdon@ucf.edu

Communications & Outreach Team

Name Department Email
Joe Adams Senior Communications Director joe.adams@ucf.edu