St. Mary's College of Maryland has been selected to participate in a national cohort of more than 35 colleges and universities engaged in Advancing Student Success: Strategic Prioritization for Student Success, an initiative led by the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Higher Education in partnership with the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) and supported by the Gates Foundation.
Participation in the initiative provides St. Mary's College with access to a structured, evidence-based process designed to help institutions identify priorities, strengthen academic pathways, and enhance student success.
"Student success is at the heart of our mission as the National Public Honors College," said Rhonda Phillips, president of St. Mary's College of Maryland. "As we continue to strengthen advising, student support, and academic planning across the institution, this partnership will help us make informed decisions grounded in data and focused on helping every student thrive."
The initiative comes at a pivotal time for the College as it launches Compass, a new organizational strategy designed to strengthen coordination among advising, student success services, inclusion and belonging, registration and records, mentoring for advanced opportunities, and library resources. The College is also preparing to implement a new degree audit and pathway planning system during the 2026-27 academic year.
"The Gardner Institute's sensemaking process will help us thoughtfully examine our data, identify opportunities to improve student success, and align our advising and support systems in ways that best serve students," said Katy Arnett, associate provost. "This work will help us build a more integrated and sustainable student support ecosystem across the College."
As part of the initiative, St. Mary's College will receive customized institutional reports, facilitated sensemaking sessions, a strategic prioritization plan, and an implementation roadmap aligned with the Gardner Institute's Six Transformation Principles.
The initiative is delivered by the Gardner Institute in partnership with COPLAC, a national consortium dedicated to advancing excellence in public liberal arts education.
