The UAB SUCCESS Initiative has named its second-quarter Student SUCCESS Champion: Kathleen Stallings, MPA, executive director of Undergraduate Admissions and Scholarships.
Launched in 2024, the SUCCESS Initiative stands for “Strategic and Unifying Campus Collaboration that Empowers Students to Succeed.” SUCCESS aims to address the challenging enrollment environment and transform student support. It seeks not only to increase enrollment, but also to increase the success of students throughout their time at UAB and beyond.
Each quarter, the executive steering committee of the SUCCESS Initiative selects a Student SUCCESS Champion — from among faculty and staff — who goes above and beyond in shaping student experience at UAB. (The first SUCCESS Champion was Eric Ford, Ph.D., professor in the School of Public Health and chair of the Faculty Senate.)
“Kathleen is a Student SUCCESS Champion because of her commitment to improving the student experience through undergraduate admissions and scholarships,” said Janet Woodruff-Borden, Ph.D., senior vice president for Academic Affairs and provost. “Kathleen has been instrumental in supporting the great work of our admissions counselors, scholarships staff, campus visit center and online recruitment staff. She has gone above and beyond to champion the idea that we are all part of student success across the campus of UAB.”
We sat down with Stallings to learn more about her support of the UAB student experience.
What made you interested in supporting undergraduate admissions and scholarships?
“Rather than my choosing a career in admissions and scholarships, the career chose me. I took an entry-level admissions job at my hometown college in my early 20s out of curiosity and the need for a paycheck. My curiosity quickly turned into interest and then passion when I saw how the pursuit of knowledge, specifically in the form of formal education, changed lives.
“I bolstered my passion for education with graduate studies focused on higher education policy. My passion has turned into a vocation of demystifying higher education broadly while specifically shaping policy at the institutional level to ensure access to education for all students.”
How do you think student recruitment and success are tied together?
“Although it’s a phrase typically heard in health care, ‘continuum of care’ comes to mind when I think about student success at UAB: from recruitment and orientation to graduation and beyond. Entering students have varying levels of knowledge and needs in the college-going process. It is the responsibility of the admissions office to start the conversation and then provide resources to students so that they can continue their enrollment journey. New Student Orientation, Student Affairs and Advising all play early roles in ‘caring’ for students and setting them up for success.
“It is incumbent upon the early actors in UAB’s continuum of care to encourage students to advocate for themselves. Student resources exist in every unit on campus, but a student must know about and be willing to engage with the resources that can contribute to their success. It is that willingness to engage and advocate that indicates to me a UAB student is setting themselves up for a successful and meaningful college experience.”
What do you think are some key factors in supporting student success?
“First, second and third in order: Coordinate, assess and celebrate. Coordination between departments and across divisions is critical because of students’ continuum of care. For students to have a positive and valuable UAB experience, whether that is paying their bill or changing their major, efforts must be coordinated. To implement and then codify coordination efforts, they must be assessed. And then, to gain campus community buy-in, they must be celebrated widely.”
What do you think students are seeking in their undergraduate experience?
“The key word is in the question: Students are seeking a valuable experience. However, value is measured by the individual, and it is up to each student to determine how they value their UAB experience. Is it valuable because they get a degree without having to take out student loans? Is it valuable because of the networking opportunities provided to them in their chosen field? Broadly, I believe that the value of the undergraduate experience is preparing students for a career or further education and equipping them with skills such as interpersonal communication and critical thinking so that they can become contributing members of society.”
How can every person on UAB’s campus be a part of shaping student success?
“Having a large, open campus makes it important that all community members take responsibility for the collective student experience. One small but meaningful way to do this is for all Blazers to greet campus visitors. Visitors are easy to spot on the Campus Green or touring buildings. They are all carrying lime-green tote bags. Whenever you see a lime green tote bag on campus, stop and say, ‘Welcome to UAB!’”
What are some initiatives in your area that you are most excited about?
“The UAB community, in both physical location and talented personnel, is what makes this institution great. Seeing existing coordination across departments and units and planning for increased coordination excite me about the future of recruitment and student success initiatives.
“I’m co-chairing the SUCCESS Initiative’s Pathways to Enrollment Growth working group. This group will focus on student populations outside of the traditional high school student seeking a four-year college experience. I’m excited to spend time speaking with stakeholders across campus and implementing a plan to widen the lens of recruitment and support for Blazers from all pathways.”
If you know a colleague who goes above and beyond in supporting students at UAB, be sure to submit a nomination for the September SUCCESS Champion.