PNW begins implementing the Student Success Hub and Network
Catrina Terrell has guided many students during their academic journeys at Purdue University Northwest (PNW). As assistant director of Student Coaching and Mentoring, she emphasizes that transitioning from high school to college is not a gradual experience. It is more like a “leap.”
“Studying is a lifestyle,” said Terrell. “It goes beyond attending class and doing homework. It involves learning how to manage your time to accommodate school and all the other life commitments that happen in between.”
Stepping onto campus in turn involves stepping into newfound independence.
College students, each of whom have unique life circumstances, sometimes need some help navigating their new responsibilities.
At PNW, students are surrounded by dedicated faculty and staff members who will support them from success in the classroom to achieving their first professional role. As a student-centric institution, PNW is transforming its holistic support of students by launching the Student Success Hub and Network, connecting key campus-wide resources that serve all undergraduate students in achieving their highest outcomes.
What is the Student Success Hub and Network?
Launched in fall 2025, the PNW Student Success Hub provides success coaching and peer mentors to support student achievement and well-being.
“This initiative helps us tap into some of the basics,” said Terrell, who is leading the hub’s launch. “In order to help students be prepared for success in this world, we are actively promoting those person-to-person touchpoints. Technology offers us great tools, but it cannot tell you who you are as an individual. That is part of what you figure out as a PNW student, and we will help you mold a plan that unlocks your greatest potential.”
From fall 2025 through spring 2027, the hub will expand into a network that includes Academic Advising, the Career Center, counseling services, and financial aid, developing in phases as staff members within the various offices integrate services. Eventually, the hub will be located in the Classroom Office Building’s (CLO) first floor near the Mane Zone, functioning as a “one-stop-shop” for multiple student needs.
In order to help students be prepared for success in this world, we are actively promoting those person-to-person touchpoints... we will help you mold a plan that unlocks your greatest potential.
Catrina Terrell, assistant director of Student Coaching and Mentoring
Expanding a successful approach
The PNW Student Success Hub and Network concept grew in part from the success of PNW’s First-Year Academic Advising model, and was one of the initiatives proposed in the university’s 2030 strategic plan, Excellence Evolving. Upon entry to the university, PNW undergraduate students are paired with a first-year academic advisor who will guide them through their academic journey and other challenges. After their first year, students transition to advisors in the academic colleges that reflect their declared majors.
By pairing new undergraduate students with dedicated first-year advisors, students receive focused assistance for the many challenges that can impact their first time in college. Across higher education, data indicates that a student’s first two years are a crucial time to provide support as they navigate new expectations.
PNW institutional data shows that the first- to second-year student retention rate for the fall 2024 incoming cohort was nearly 72%, an impressive approximate 4.5 percentage-point increase compared to the fall 2023 incoming cohort.
“Even though there is terminology around what a ‘traditional’ college student looks like, practically speaking there is no such thing as a ‘traditional’ college student anymore, in my view,” said Terrell. “Even at just 18 years old, a student may already have a job, they may be a caregiver, they may be a parent or they may have some other important signifier with their identity. Also, just because a student had a good GPA in high school does not mean that they will be entirely adept at adjusting to a college courseload.
“Simply having someone in your corner to advocate for you goes a long way toward student success. Intelligence is great, but determination is what gets students to the finish line.”