Compass Super User Champion Challenge Sparks Innovation and Student Support

Throughout the 2025–26 academic year, Seton Hall University faculty and staff participated in the Compass Super User Champion Challenge, a collaborative initiative led by Academic Affairs and the Division of Student Services to recognize innovative and impactful use of the University’s Compass student success platform.

Led by Ania Calka, Ph.D., from Academic Affairs and Nicole Battaglia, Ph.D., from Student Services, the challenge highlighted individuals and colleges across campus who demonstrated outstanding engagement with Compass through proactive outreach, meaningful advising practices, innovative use of technology and a deep commitment to student success. Compass, Seton Hall University's student success platform powered by EAB Navigate360, serves as a centralized tool that helps faculty, advisors and staff coordinate outreach, track student progress and connect students with resources and support services. Inspired by our Pirate identity, the platform was named Compass to reflect its purpose as a guide for students helping them navigate their academic journey, stay connected to support resources, and chart a course toward success.

Each month, schools and colleges participated through engagement with Compass tools such as alerts, appointment campaigns, notes, automations, AI-supported features and student success outreach efforts. The initiative celebrated the many ways faculty advisors, administrators and staff are leveraging technology to better support students and strengthen advising practices across the University.

“This initiative showcased the incredible advising and student support already happening across our campus,” said Calka, director of Advising and Technology Integration. “From proactive outreach to innovative use of Compass tools, our faculty and staff demonstrated an unwavering commitment to helping students feel connected, supported and successful. The challenge also created a sense of excitement and shared purpose across campus around student support and advising excellence.”

"What stood out most was the meaningful engagement across campus and the impact that timely outreach can have on student success," said Nicole LaCapria, Ph.D., assistant director of Assessment and Special Projects. "The challenge highlighted the important role each member of our community plays in supporting students and demonstrated how intentional use of Compass can help drive positive outcomes."

Throughout the year, the University recognized numerous Compass Super Users for their leadership and engagement, including:

• Iliana Wolf, College of Arts and Sciences
• Martin Edwards, School of Diplomacy and International Relations
• Benjamin Lowe, Stillman School of Business
• Victor Velarde-Mayol, School of Theology
• Randall Clemens, College of Human Development, Culture, and Media (CHDCM)
• Dean Courtney Smith, School of Diplomacy and International Relations
• Sandra Lee, College of Human Development, Culture, and Media (CHDCM)
• Advisors from the College of Nursing
• College of Arts and Sciences for leading campus engagement in Academic Progress Reports

The competition remained spirited throughout the academic year, with schools and colleges continuously exploring new ways to leverage Compass to improve communication, advising coordination, and student outreach.

The University was pleased to announce the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media (CHDCM) as the overall Compass Super User Champion for the 2025–26 academic year. CHDCM demonstrated exceptional leadership and engagement throughout the challenge, including having the highest number of faculty members complete the Compass Advising Training in Canvas. The winner reveal took place during the Academic Affairs meeting on May 19, 2026 where the award was presented to Dean Bryan Crable by Provost Erik Lillquist, Omayra Arocho, Ph.D., and Calka.

The initiative also aligned closely with Seton Hall’s strategic priorities focused on student success, innovation and transformational student experiences. In partnership with Academic Affairs and Student Services, the Compass Super User Champion Challenge helped foster a stronger culture of collaboration, data-informed advising and coordinated student support across campus.

As a result of our continued focus on increasing engagement with Compass, we have seen positive trends in the utilization of key platform features, helping ensure advisors have the information and tools they need to effectively support student success. Notable increases include:

• 74% increase in users accessing AI features since December 2025
• 9% increase in faculty users academic year 2025-26 compared to academic year 2024-25
• Of the 882 students who received an alert and subsequently engaged in an advising appointment, tutoring appointment or check-in, 88.3% persisted from fall 2025 to spring 2026. In comparison, among the 928 students who received an alert but did not participate in an advising or tutoring appointment/check-in, 79.5% persisted during the same period.

These results suggest that students who are engaged with support services following an alert were more likely to persist to the following semester. Continued engagement with Compass strengthens the partnership among faculty, advisors and administrators in supporting student retention. This collective commitment helps create a more connected student experience and reinforces our shared responsibility for student achievement. As engagement grows, so does our ability to make a meaningful impact on student outcomes and advance our institutional goals.

As the challenge pauses for the summer, faculty advisors and staff are encouraged to continue engaging with the Compass Advising Training and prepare for another exciting year of innovation and collaboration in support of Seton Hall students.

We extend our sincere gratitude to all faculty advisors, administrators and staff who participated in this year’s challenge and continue to strengthen the University’s culture of care and student success.

Categories: Education, Science and Technology