In this episode, we examine how clearer curricular pathways can improve transfer student success and reduce one of higher education’s most persistent barriers, credit loss. Featuring insights from experts at the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Higher Education, the conversation explores how faculty and staff can work together to analyze curriculum design, identify unnecessary complexity, and create more transparent routes to degree completion. Through examples from the Curricular Analytics Community, this episode highlights how examining prerequisite structures and transfer pathways can strengthen retention, reduce excess credits, and create more equitable outcomes for transfer students and the broader student population.

In this episode, we explore the art and science of helping students use the support services available to them. Drawing on the work of Joe Cuseo, the conversation focuses on how faculty and staff can make referrals more effective by listening carefully, explaining resources clearly, personalizing connections, and reducing the barriers that often keep students from seeking help. Rather than simply directing students to an office, this episode highlights practical strategies for building trust, increasing follow-through, and reinforcing help-seeking as a strength, showing how thoughtful and human-centered referrals can play a critical role in student success.

In this episode, we explore the New Vol Experience at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, an innovative approach to supporting first-year student transition and success. This program guides new students through a multi-phase onboarding journey, from online orientation and academic advising to the six-week Big Orange Welcome experience and a first-year success course. The conversation highlights how extending welcome programming beyond a traditional orientation week helps students build connections, discover campus resources, and develop a strong sense of belonging. With more than 600 events coordinated across campus and impressive student outcomes, the New Vol Experience demonstrates how intentional, sustained engagement can transform the first-year transition and set students up for long-term success.