What does student success look like beyond earning a degree?
In this episode of The Bold Path, Idaho State University President Dr. Robert Wagner speaks with Dr. Cynthia Hill, Senior Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and ISU’s accreditation liaison officer, about the people, programs, and partnerships helping Bengals succeed at every stage of their educational journey.
Dr. Hill explains that student success is personal: it means helping students achieve their individual goals while developing the knowledge, confidence, resilience, relationships, and sense of purpose to thrive after graduation. For ISU, that work begins with meeting students where they are, whether they are recent high school graduates, working adults returning to college, first-generation students, transfer students, or learners pursuing a technical certificate, undergraduate degree, or graduate education.
The conversation highlights the Bengal Success Center, a coordinated network that brings together student and instructional support programs, including TRIO, Bengal Bridge, University Tutoring, University Honors, the Intensive English Institute, the High School Equivalency Program, and the Center for Learning and Instructional Excellence. Rather than requiring students to navigate a complex university system on their own, the center is designed to connect them with the right support when they need it.
Dr. Hill also discusses ISU’s use of the Navigate early intervention platform. Faculty submit progress reports during the third and sixth weeks of the semester, allowing advisors to identify concerns early and reach out with personalized guidance, tutoring referrals, and other appropriate resources before a temporary challenge becomes a larger barrier to persistence or graduation.
The episode also explores programs creating meaningful access and momentum for students. Bengal Bridge provides recent high school graduates with a seven week summer transition experience, allowing participants to earn up to nine credits at a reduced cost while building academic confidence, relationships, and a sense of belonging. Dr. Hill shares how the program can help students move from uncertainty about college to recognizing that they belong and can succeed.
Looking ahead, President Wagner and Dr. Hill discuss Catalyst, an academic component of New Student Orientation that connects incoming students with faculty, ideas, and the academic community before classes begin. They also discuss One Good Decision, a regional transfer initiative involving ISU, the College of Southern Idaho, and the College of Eastern Idaho. Supported by a $500,000 Lumina Foundation grant, the initiative aims to simplify transfer pathways, align programs and advising, and help more Idaho students move confidently from college entry to a bachelor’s degree.
Listen for a conversation about how Idaho State is turning its Contract for Idaho into action: creating a more connected, responsive, and student-centered university experience, one that helps every Bengal discover what is possible.
