Photo by Alisha Durosier | The Crow’s Nest
By Alisha Durosier
As a part of the University of South Florida’s ongoing consolidation efforts, the university’s Office of Student Success, a multi-department office that focuses on student life beyond academics, is being restructured across all three campuses.
“Student Success will now look very different,” Student Life and Engagement (SLE) Director Kyonna Henry said on March 4 in an email to SLE faculty and student employees announcing the department’s changes. “Different isn’t always negative, but different for sure is not the same.”
As of March 4, SLE, which housed Leadership and Student Organizations (LSO), the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), Harborside Activities Board (HAB), SLE marketing (including the Rocky Mascot Program), Student Government (SG) and The Crow’s Nest — will now include commuter and off campus housing services, but will no longer contain SG, which is now a “stand-alone entity.”
SG Student Programs Manager Janice Bao said in the same March 4 email that the change is largely administrative. Bao, who previously reported to Henry, now reports to Student Government Advising, Training, & Operations Office Director Chris Bullins.
She emphasized that the change “does not affect [SG’s] operations, structure, or our day-to-day work together. My role remains the same, and I am still fully committed to supporting you all in your leadership, advocacy, and initiatives.”
USF St. Petersburg’s Student Success reorganization came shortly after Patti Helton, the campus’s former regional vice chancellor of Student Success, retired in February.
Helton’s departure was officially announced on Feb. 28 in a Bulls by the Bay Briefing. USF St. Petersburg Regional Chancellor Christian Hardigree said in the weekly newsletter that as the campus moves forward following Helton’s retirement, campus leadership has had “some initial discussions with Dr. Cynthia DeLuca [vice president of Student Success], and team about organizational processes and structures within Student Success.”
USF is approaching its fifth year of consolidation, and in a statement to The Crow’s Nest the university said that the changes coincide with the university’s consolidation efforts to improve efficiency across all campuses
“Our goal is to ensure a seamless and supportive experience for our students, and we remain committed to fostering an environment that prioritizes student success and provides consistent, high-quality support,” the university said.
Discussions regarding Student Success’s reorganization are ongoing, and according to a USF spokesperson, the university will communicate updates as required.
