Penn State Launches New Student Success Office, Names Interim Leader

Penn State has established the new Office of Student Success and appointed an interim vice provost who will oversee university-wide efforts focused on helping students progress from enrollment through graduation and into their careers.

The office will oversee efforts involving academic advising, financial aid, career services, student affairs, enrollment management, educational equity, undergraduate education and the Graduate School. It will work with Penn State’s academic colleges and commonwealth campuses to coordinate services that currently operate across different areas of the university. 

The university said the new office will develop “a coordinated, data-driven and outcomes-focused student success ecosystem that spans the University’s academic, co-curricular and support environments.” 

Lance Kennedy-Phillips, vice provost for planning, assessment and institutional research, will serve as interim senior vice provost for student success beginning Friday. Penn State will conduct a national search for the permanent senior vice provost, who will report directly to Executive Vice President and Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos. 

The senior vice provost will serve as Penn State’s chief strategist for student success and oversee efforts related to student persistence, retention, graduation, career readiness, experiential learning and post-graduation outcomes. 

The new office also is intended to connect academic and administrative units more closely so students can receive consistent information, coordinated guidance and easier access to available resources, according to Penn State. 

“My goal is to build the structure that will allow for the development of a more cohesive student success infrastructure, making use of data, analytics and emerging technologies to support proactive decision-making and improve student success outcomes,” Kennedy-Phillips said in a statement. 

Kennedy-Phillips has served as Penn State’s vice provost for planning, assessment and institutional research since 2015. His work has included learning-outcome assessment, accreditation and tracking the career outcomes of Penn State graduates. 

The university has also been working on other changes to its student support systems. 

Penn State is transitioning from Starfish to Navigate360, with implementation planned in phases beginning in the 2027-28 academic year. 

The new system is designed to coordinate communication, appointments and other support services while providing staff with additional data about students. 

Tonya Peeples, who stepped down as dean of Penn State’s College of Engineering in July, has also been serving as a special adviser to Sotiropoulos on the development of the university’s student success strategy. Her work has focused on helping shape the new office and a universitywide approach to student retention and success. 

Sotiropoulos said the new structure is intended to connect efforts that have traditionally been handled by separate parts of the university. 

“Student success is our highest priority, and Lance is ideally positioned to serve as interim leader of the new student success model,” Sotiropoulos said in a statement. “He has the expertise, experience and institutional knowledge to help build a strong foundation based on data and positioned to leverage new technologies to best serve our students.” 

The university will continue developing the structure of the Office of Student Success while the national search for a permanent senior vice provost is underway. An acting vice provost for the Office of Planning, Assessment and Institutional Research will be named separately.