Where Students Thrive: A Florida State University Blueprint for Building Student Success

Abstract

Florida State University (FSU) has a long-standing commitment to promoting success for all students. FSU’s strategies for student success and equity have resulted in increased and more equitable graduation rates and record fall-to-fall retention rates. This article provides an inventory of student success and equity initiatives at FSU. The inventory covers FSU’s holistic practices designed to support students of all backgrounds, including targeted practices for students from historically underrepresented groups. The article also highlights and describes in detail salient student success programs and practices at FSU. This article aims to serve as a guide for those in higher education who seek to understand and learn from FSU’s systematic efforts to promote and sustain student success and narrow success gaps. It also offers a profile of how to effectively implement a comprehensive and interconnected network of student success initiatives that respond to the critical needs of students and deliver impactful results.