About
About NSSC
Mission
The Neighborhood Student Success Center (NSSC) serves as Michigan State University’s centering unit committed to collegial collaboration and undergraduate student empowerment for student success with a focus on academic achievement, institutional navigation and a sense of belonging. The NSSC exists to support undergraduate students in their pursuit of knowledge and the ongoing development of their social, cultural, and intellectual abilities. We provide support for students in their ability to navigate institution policy, procedure, and practices; and work collaboratively with partners across campus to identify barriers to student success. We strive to close opportunity gaps for underserved (first-generation, low-income, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students), by increasing persistence and retention, and developing access and support networks for various identified populations for increased graduation rates.
Who We Are
The NSSC is an innovative and collaborative organization of experts driving Michigan State University to continually improve the services, practices, and activities for holistic student success. As trailblazers in student success, we know the importance of adaptability and being proactive. We excel because we value our differences as strengths. Our diversity, experience and transparency allows us to be a reliable source of knowledge for students and campus partners.
What We Are
We promote academic proficiency, institutional navigation and socio-emotional engagement, which support student success. We do this through: Academic advising and academic success coaching, Engagement Center resources, our student success programs (TRIO, DOW STEM Scholars Program, and Detroit M.A.D.E. Scholars Program) and Collaborative Learning Center (where we train peer educators across the university, provide success skill workshops, and are experts on non-cognitive indicators of academic success).
NSSC also houses the Academic Affairs office for Exploratory Preference and serve as the exploration experts on campus. Within the NSSC, Neighborhoods Advisors coordinate administrative actions (withdrawals, late drops, readmissions, etc.) and provide academic advising and coaching.
Our Values
We enable Innovators.
Our culture empowers staff at all levels to create and utilize cutting edge practices to enhance the overall success of our students.
We depend on adaptability.
We recognize our work intersects with a diversity of needs and perspectives that exist in a dynamic, ever-changing environment.
We value mistakes as a learning opportunity.
We invest in the power of proactive thinking. We encourage the development of individuals, communities and institutions to solve the most challenging problems.
We partner.
We create an open and connected environment that promote student success through strategic partnerships.
We are a reliable source of knowledge that emphasizes holistic student success.
We foster openness, flexibility and transparency.
We value and receive input from all stakeholders.
We value our differences as strengths. We create a welcoming environment to provide resources for all students.
We are a catalyst for fostering positive learning for all students.
We provide the necessary tools for effective learning experiences for all students.
We design methods to meet institutional student academic success goals.
We will close opportunity gaps for our students by addressing persistence, retention and increasing graduation rates.
We are Trailblazers.
We challenge the status quo to advance and support student success initiatives by empowering staff to take data informed action.
We cultivate Empowerment.
We empower our students to succeed by removing barriers and creating opportunities so that they can reach their full potential.