Sara Boyer ’02, ’13MLD, associate vice president of student success, wears several hats at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC), but it’s all with one goal in mind: student success.
Some days, she teaches a Woods Core 100 class. Every day, she engages with members of the Student Success Team to troubleshoot and advise, develops new programming and strengthens existing programming and serves as a non-voting member on several faculty committees.
But the best part, she says, is meeting with students.
“Some of them I mentor. Some come to me as a resource and advocate, while others I have difficult conversations with,” Boyer said. “I also work closely with the provost on grant writing and tracking, keeping her up to date on events and situations with students, engagements with departments and faculty members and student-athletes.”
Currently, Boyer serves as chair of the Student Engagement/Success area of the newest strategic plan. She also has the difficult job of putting students on probation and suspension.
“I’m always encouraging them to get back on track and be successful, though,” she said.
She oversees professional advisors who meet with students in the undergraduate campus program. Alongside faculty mentors, professional advisors ensure students have the support and encouragement they need at every turn.
“It is common to see professional advisors at the athletic events or other campus events to support and encourage their advisees because getting to know the students also makes it much easier to detect when a student is having difficulty,” Boyer said. “It’s a lot of fun to walk through the Student Success Center on the second floor of the Rooney Center and watch students drop in on their advisors to chat and keep them up to date on what’s going on in their lives. You can tell each member of the student success team knows and understands that the students are always the focus and foundation of everything we do.”
Sometimes it means running attendance reports and grade reports throughout the semester to catch students who are falling behind and need support. It helps, too, that the Student Success Team and instructors get to know their students.
“This sense of belonging for the student should help them feel not only supported but seen and heard, which makes reaching out to students easier,” Boyer said.
An early alert system is also in place for faculty, staff, coaches and resident assistants, who can submit concerns electronically if they’re worried about a student’s academic status or health and well-being.
When an early alert is filed, the student success team and others across campus reach out and offer encouragement and resources to support the student and help them get back on track.
“Whatever their needs are, they just have to reach out,” she said. “Sometimes they may simply need someone to listen, and we are great at that. Sometimes students need to know who to see and where to go to solve a problem, and we can direct them to the right place. Sometimes students need an advocate. They need to know we are a safe resource for them. If we don’t know the answer, we will find the answer.”
Boyer, who is entering her 17th year at The Woods, began her career in the former Women’s External Degree (WED) program, working with students when they came to campus to meet their advisors and instructors. As the WED program changed into the Woods Online (WOL) program and eventually became the entire undergraduate program, she had the opportunity to work with students of all ages in all undergraduate programs.
“(Teaching Woods Core 100) gives me joy. It is common for students I have been in my WC100 classes to continue reaching out to me during their time at SMWC,” Boyer said. “I’ve written letters of recommendation for students I have known to assist them in getting into graduate school or getting their first professional job. I’ve had students reach back out to share great news in their lives or ask me for assistance in navigating challenges. I love that!”
It was SMWC’s passion for each student that made Boyer want to join The Woods family. “What keeps me coming back is seeing the person they were on day one and then seeing the professional leader they become while they are at SMWC,” she said. “Every student who comes through the gates or whom we meet online has amazing potential, and we get to honor and carry on Saint Mother Theodore Guerin’s legacy and help them discover those gifts and recognize some they didn’t even know they had.”
Students often come to Boyer with concerns or challenges, and what they discover is how happy she is to help.
“We all know life can be challenging and sometimes students need someone to help them understand and navigate academic situations and personal events,” she said. “When conflict comes up, I’m able to facilitate a conversation and come to a solution. I believe that everything is ‘figure-out-able’.”
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