The Taylor Family Center for Student Success in Student Affairs creates an infrastructure of support to assist Washington University students with their transition to and through college. The office uses a principled approach to enhance the on-campus experience of all students in the following four areas:
- Creating experiential equity
- Harnessing cultural wealth
- Utilizing high-impact educational practices
- Building a framework for student success
We take an expansive view of student success, realizing that success on both the academic and non-academic fronts impact and inform each other. We use this understanding to guide our approach to the various programs and initiatives within our diverse portfolio.
Mission and Vision
In every program and project we take on, the following foundational pillars guide us:
Center Equity
We work to ensure that the full WashU experience is available to all students, regardless of background.
It is fundamental to both our office’s mission, as well as that of the University, to realize our commitment that students have access to an equitable college experience, which happens through proactive programming efforts, as well as oversight and analysis of the current cultural landscape.
Harness Cultural Wealth
We see the diversity of our community with an asset-based view. It is the diversity of perspectives, experiences, and thoughts that make a University a rich intellectual environment.
All Washington University students need to be perceived with unconditional positive regard by everyone who graces the grounds of our campus. All Washington University students must be recognized for the valuable experiences, perspectives, and skills that they bring to campus from the previous experiences that have shaped their current position.
Utilize High Impact Practices
We are constantly refining our mission and strategy to embrace new research and findings, in order to maximize the experience of the greatest number of students on the Washington University campus. This goal transcends our programming alone and also impacts that methods and best practices that we use in advising students who engage with our office. We hope to equip students with a variety of experiences that will make them strong community members and leaders once they graduate from the WashU community.
Create a Framework for Success
We believe that the habits students form through deep engagement with the campus community in both academic and non-academic settings can play a critical role in post-graduate preparedness and confidence.
Though every student at Washington University has earned the right to realize their own success and maximize their own potential, they must develop habits of mind that will guide their success through their undergraduate education and into their post-graduate lives.