Carolina launches comprehensive Division of Student Success

Carolina is launching a new Division of Student Success designed to support students across their entire Carolina journey, from admissions through post-graduation outcomes. The new division brings together strategic enrollment management, student experience and academic excellence in a unified structure intended to better reflect how students learn, grow and prepare for life beyond the University.

The model represents a nationally distinctive approach to student success, positioning Carolina as the first Top 5 public institution, according to U.S. News & World Report, to organize its student support and learning infrastructure around the full student lifecycle from enrollment through graduation.

“Student success is not a single office or a single moment. It is a continuous experience that begins with access and extends through graduation and beyond,” said James Orr, senior vice provost for student success. “By bringing strategic enrollment management, student experience and academic excellence together in one unified division, Carolina is reimagining how a top public university supports students as whole people and prepares them for tomorrow.”

Rather than treating enrollment, academic learning and co-curricular experiences as separate efforts, the new division is designed to create clearer connections between access, learning, well-being and outcomes. The goal is to make it easier for students to navigate opportunities and for faculty and staff to align their work in support of student success.

A more connected experience for students

Under the new model, support for students will begin earlier and extend more intentionally throughout their time at Carolina. Every incoming student will engage in strengths-based development before orientation, an approach intended to help students better understand how they learn, lead and contribute as they begin their academic careers.

As students progress, leadership development, career preparation, service learning and experiential education initiatives will be more closely aligned, emphasizing meaningful experiences that build skills, deepen academic learning and connect coursework to real-world impact.

“We hope to strategically engage with students earlier than ever before in their journey at Carolina,” said Mindy Storrie, associate provost for student leadership. “By sharing a vision and language for how we engage with student success at every point of their Tar Heel experience, we hope to enhance what we know to be the Carolina advantage — excellence in enrollment, academics and student life.”

Practical learning and skills development will also be more intentionally linked to classroom instruction, complementing faculty-led academic work and helping students connect their studies to post-graduation goals.

Strengthening academic excellence and well-being

The new structure is also intended to strengthen how Carolina supports student health, well-being and belonging. By taking a more coordinated and programmatic approach, Student Experience efforts will be better integrated with academic and experiential learning, reflecting the idea that students succeed best when they are supported as whole people.

For faculty and instructors, the division creates a clearer framework for connecting teaching and scholarship with experiential learning and student development beyond the classroom.

“When students can clearly see how their coursework, skills and experiences translate into future opportunities, their education becomes a powerful catalyst for confidence and direction,” said Meg Zomorodi, senior associate provost for academic excellence. “The division’s integrated approach — including academic excellence among broader student success programming — ensures that development is intentional throughout their Carolina journey. The result is a student-centered approach focusing on support, connection and collaboration.”

Academic excellence remains central to the student experience, with the new division designed to reinforce classroom priorities.

Looking ahead

Organizing student success around the full lifecycle allows the University to be more intentional and coordinated in how it serves students. It also creates opportunities for a more strategic approach to fundraising in support of hands-on, minds-on learning experiences that define a Carolina education.

“At its core, the new Division of Student Success reflects a shared goal: ensuring that every Tar Heel has access to opportunity, meaningful learning experiences and the preparation needed to succeed at Carolina and beyond,” Orr said.