Orange SUccess Wins 2018 Hobsons Education Advances Award

Recognized for its exceptional use of advising technology and positive adoption metrics, the Orange SUccess initiative was named the winner of the 2018 Hobsons Education Advances Award for Student Success and Advising at this year’s Hobsons Summer Institute. Orange SUccess, which launched campuswide in 2016, is a web-based advising tool that connects students, faculty and advisors to enhance student success.

Kal Srinivas, second from right, and Hopeton Smalling, far right, receive the 2018 Hobsons Education Advances Award for Student Success and Advising.

Presented by Hobsons, a global leader in education technology, the Hobsons Education Advances Award recognizes the innovation that is possible when an institution combines people, process and technology to make a difference in the lives of students. Orange SUccess, which leverages the Starfish Retention Solutions technology, provides students with integrated academic and student life resources, facilitates communication between students, advisors and faculty, and allows students to more easily connect to the network of support and resources on campus.

The effort to launch the system embodied a One University approach to student academic advising and was the result of collaboration by students, faculty and staff, with leadership by the Office of the Provost and Information Technology Services (ITS).

“With the Academic Strategic Plan setting a goal to enhance the whole student experience—academic, social and emotional—the University community embraced the opportunity to identify new options for supporting student academic advising. Through this collaborative effort, the Orange SUccess initiative was established to bring to life an integrated system that further connects our students, faculty and staff in support of student success,” says Vice Chancellor and Provost Michele Wheatly. “I join Hobsons in commending and recognizing the work of the team who led the implementation under the leadership of Chief Information Officer Sam Scozzafava and former Associate Provost Jeffrey Stanton, and all the students, staff and faculty who have made this initiative such a success.”

An independent panel of judges selects the finalists and winners. The Student Success and Advising judges were Jon Turk, associate director for American Council on Education’s Center for Policy Research and Strategy, and Matthew Pittinsky, CEO of Parchment and former chairperson of the board and co-founder of Blackboard.

The Student Success and Advising Award specifically assesses organizations on goals and metrics, use and role of technology, the impact of the program on the campus community, evaluation methods and use of the $2,500 award funds.

Syracuse University reported significant usage metrics. Ninety-three percent of faculty and 100 percent of advising staff have adopted Orange Success through fall 2017. Students created more than 12,000 appointments in the spring 2018 semester alone using Orange SUccess.

“We are honored to be recognized by Hobsons and educational leaders for our collective work to enhance student advising and retention services through Orange SUccess,” says Kal Srinivas, director of retention in the Office of Academic Affairs. “This award marks an exciting milestone for this initiative and we look forward to continuing to engage students, faculty and staff in the use of Orange SUccess as we all work toward the ‘One University, One Mission, One Team—Student Success’ goal.”

For more information about Orange SUccess, visit the Orange SUccess website, check out this informational video, or contact 315.443.0221.