Center for Student Success

Student Success Champions

Thank you for all who participated! Nominations for the 2023-24 academic year have closed.
One of Marshall’s greatest strengths is that each of us – regardless of our official role on campus – contributes to the success of our students.

EVERY DAY the Center for Student Success hears about a member of the Marshall Community who has made a significant difference in the life of an individual student, who has made it possible for them to succeed in college.

Inspired by hundreds of great stories about Marshall faculty and staff, beginning in the spring of 2024, Marshall University’s Center for Student Success, is formalizing its process to recognize campus personnel who contribute to student success.

Invitations for nominations will be sent to all students through their Marshall email and posted electronically on university webpages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Any student enrolled at Marshall for any part of AY 2023-2024 can nominate someone.
Anyone who works at Marshall in any capacity can be nominated.

Full-time employees who work in the Center for Student Success are not eligible, however, students who work in CSS’s programs are eligible.
Nominations can be submitted February 23, 2024-March 15, 2024.
Unfortunately, no. It is great that each student benefits from the work of many student success champions, but, as we formalize this process, we are asking each student who participates to nominate only one student success champion each year.
The Center for Student Success will select nominees to be recognized based on the number of nominations and the reasons for the nominations. A total of 16 campus personnel will be selected in the following categories:

  • 4 Faculty
  • 4 Staff/Administrators
  • 4 Student Employees/Housing/Food Service
  • 4 Additional from any category
In Spring 2021 and Spring 2023, there was not a minimum number of nominations that an individual had to receive to be recognized (although most names were submitted by multiple students).
This is not a monetary award. Student Success Champions will receive a plaque, be recognized by Provost Avi Mukherjee and honored at a modest ceremony on Friday, April 19, 2024.
Yes! We will let you know if the person you nominated will be recognized and invite you to the event.
Please contact Kateryna Schray, Director, Center for student success at rudnytzk@marshall.edu or 304-696-2404.

Recognizing Marshall’s Student Success Champions

In the Spring of 2021 and the Spring of 2023, students identified campus personnel who have made their time at Marshall better in some way and shared these names with the Center for Student Success (CSS).

  • In the Spring of 2021, the names came from freshmen, sophomores and transfer students in emails and texts to their FAM Peer Mentors.
  • In the Spring of 2023, the names came from all categories of students in response to CSS’s call for nominations posted throughout campus and distributed through email.

The results were amazing, truly a testament to Marshall’s commitment to student success and investment in student wellbeing.

This recognition was intentionally intended not to be competitive, and that is a good thing: the springs of 2021 and 2023 were difficult semesters for students and, ideally, everyone on campus should be championing students. Unlike Teaching Awards that start with dozens of nominees, select a handful of finalists and recognize one award recipient, the Student Success Champions recognition aimed to honor as many nominees as students submitted.

Spring 2021

The spring 2021 recognition was initially a one-time event, intended to recognize faculty in a semester of unprecedented challenges with continued COVID, inclement weather, power outages, increased anxiety and widespread homesickness. That spring, students recognized 111 faculty members for making a difference in their lives, for helping them get through a semester of crises. Each of these faculty members received a framed certificate with a photo of the Memorial Fountain overlayed with a text acknowledging their contribution to student success and retention.
Champ Certificate

Spring 2023

By the spring of 2023, CSS had once again heard great things about many campus personnel who continued the often-unseen work of retention through daily acts of kindness and behind-the-scenes heroism. Grateful for this work, the Provost’s Office committed to recognizing these individuals, this time expanding the recognition to include staff and all campus personnel.

Students identified 136 campus personnel as their Student Success Champions:

  • 63 Faculty
  • 9 Advisors
  • 2 Librarians
  • 2 Counseling Center Employees
  • 2 Student Support Services Staff
  • 2 Financial Aid Counselors
  • 2 Housing & Residence Life Staff and 6 R.A.s
  • 9 Student Peer Employees
  • 9 Food Service Employees
  • 4 Members of the Housekeeping Staff
  • 2 Rec Center Employees
  • 2 Front Desk staff
  • I Grounds & Maintenance Employee
  • 2 Bookstore Employees
  • 3 G.A.s
  • 16 Other (includes administrators)
Each of these Student Success Champions received a framed certificate with a photo of the John Marshall statue overlayed with a text acknowledging their contribution to student success and retention.

The Student Success Champions represented 7 colleges and 27 departments plus many non-academic units. Of the teaching faculty, Chemistry had the strongest representation with 13 professors or staff named; English had 12 and Music had 7.

Nineteen faculty members appeared on both the 2021 and 2023 list.
Champ Certificate2

Provost Avi Mukherjee and Director of Student Success Kateryna Schray made an effort to deliver as many of the certificates in person as possible. Many of those moments are captured in video.

Contact Us

East Hall, Suite 229
304-696-5109