What We Do
We advance this mission by recognizing the strengths, potential, and individual needs of every Niagara University student. Through meaningful collaboration with campus partners, intentional outreach, and the strategic use of technology and data, we work to create an environment where students feel supported, connected, and empowered to achieve their goals.
Our work is grounded in advancing student growth from academic onboarding to graduation; connecting academic departments and campus support services to foster continuous personal and intellectual development:
- Advocating for student success by identifying and addressing policies, processes, and barriers that may stand in the way of a student’s progress.
- Building meaningful campus partnerships that connect students with the people, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive at Niagara.
- Leveraging technology and intentional outreach to proactively connect with students, provide timely support, and strengthen student engagement and retention.
- Fostering a culture of connection and care where students know that Niagara University is invested in their success—from their first day on campus through graduation and beyond.
How We Help Students
We put students at the heart of everything we do, serving them in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul. Through continuous research, thoughtful analysis, and data-driven innovation, we refine our offerings to keep them uniquely NU. Above all, we meet students where they are partnering with them through a pivotal time of intellectual and personal growth.
- Onboarding: Welcome portal, programming to transition new students, and freshmen scheduling
- Retention and Persistence: providing connection and support to stop-out students, students that have failed to register, and students behind on credit progression
- Retention, Progression and Graduation: monitoring student progress via GPA and credit progression, offering discounted summer recovery courses to increase credit hours, monitoring, engaging, and developing individualized completion plans for students that missed their graduation cohort goals.
- It takes an Ecosystem to Ensure Student Success: True student retention is not built in isolation, it takes a unified campus community to support the whole student.
Explore Our Departments
Academic & Career Exploration Program
- First-Year: Provide specialized advising and transition support to help students start strong and stay on track.
- Campus-Wide Collaboration: Partner with Colleges across the University to deliver consistent, student-centered advising.
- Consultation & Outreach: Play a key role in attracting, engaging, and retaining students throughout their University experience.
- Experiential Opportunities: Explore on-campus opportunities and get support finding hands-on experiences to help you discover your major.
- Major Exploration: Help students confidently explore majors, clarify goals, and find the right academic path.
- Prospective Student Engagement: Connect with prospective students through Admissions, open house recruitment events, athletics, and academic programs.
- Re-Engagement: Support former students returning to the University with personalized academic consultations.
Career Services
- Career Appointments: Support students with career counseling, LinkedIn, practice interviews, job searches, resumes, cover letters, and graduate school planning.
- Annual Job Fairs: Host, organize, and market job fairs each year, connecting students with employers.
- Classroom Presentations: Deliver career-focused presentations on networking, interviewing, resumes, business correspondence, and job searching.
- Clothes Closet: Provide professional attire to help students prepare for career success.
- Federal Work-Study Students: Manage placement, renewals, and required training.
- Part-Time Student Employees: Connect students with meaningful on-campus employment and skill-building opportunities.
- Student Employee of the Year: Host an annual event recognizing outstanding student employees.
Accessibility Services
- Students Served: Support students with learning, attention, mental health, and medical disabilities.
- Alternate Textbooks: Provided accessible-format textbooks to support equitable access to course materials.
- Attendance Accommodations: Coordinated flexible attendance accommodations.
- Emotional Support Animals
- Grant Funding: Secured NYS funding to enhance disability support and postsecondary success.
- Housing & Dietary Accommodations
- Individual Coaching: Provided one-on-one coaching focused on academic strategies and self-advocacy.
- Note-Taking Support: Fulfill and expanded assistive technology options through data-informed decision-making.
- Proctored Testing: Administered exams with accessible testing accommodations.
Academic Success Center
- Academic Coaching: Provided individualized and group coaching focused on academic skills, self-efficacy, and proactive student success.
- Academic Progress Standards: End-of-semester academic reviews, including academic warnings, probation, and dismissal appeals.
- Early Advantage Program: Early-alert programs high-priority students and facilitating early intervention.
- Peer Tutoring: Supported students across 100- and 200-level courses.
- Placement Protocol: Freshmen onboarding for math and writing.
- University Content Tutoring: Train student tutors through and certified through CRLA (College Reading and Learning Association).
- Writing Center: Provide consultations in person and online to undergraduate and graduate students.
Alena Zhushma
Assistant Director, Academic and Career Exploration Program