Proactive, not reactive: How K-State supports its students — before they need to ask

To create the next generation of qualified professionals, K-State is meeting today’s needs for student success.

By Rafael Garcia
K‑State News and Communications Services

Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025
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There is no shortage of obstacles that can keep a student from asking for help.

On their own for the first time in their lives, some students might be afraid to admit they need assistance. Others might be overwhelmed at what can seem like a firehose of student services and resources, while many don’t even realize they need help.

That’s why K-State is boosting its efforts to reach students proactively, at the moments when support can make the biggest difference between a student struggling and leaving college, or persisting and reaching the graduation stage.

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As part of the Next-Gen K-State strategic plan, the Division of Academic Success and Student Affairs is putting systems in place to reach students in their most critical moments of need. It’s also part of K-State’s commitment to prioritize the physical, mental and emotional health of our campus community as a Health-Promoting University.

This work builds on K-State’s legacy of creating an environment where all students can thrive while offering targeted and precise support that matches individual students’ biggest needs.

“That traditional model, of a professor or an advisor picking up on signs and reaching out to see if everything was okay, has always been key to keeping students at K-State,” said Bill Watts, associate vice president for academic and career engagement. “But that happened serendipitously, and we want to be more intentional in how we find those students and the actionable moments where we can offer support.”

“Once students are here, let’s keep them here,” said Shana Bender. “If we can help students persist here at K-State — like getting them connected to resources on campus — then retention naturally follows.”

Reaching students when support can make the biggest difference

Data has always been crucial to measuring student retention, or the number of students who start college and return the following fall semester.

But there’s a big flaw to the way universities have traditionally used the measure, said Shana Bender, director of retention and persistence.

“We often use data points that are at the end of a semester — which, from a retention lens, is not very effective,” Bender said. “How do you help an individual student if you only find out they were struggling at the end of the semester?”

By collecting early and frequent feedback, K-State can be one step ahead in helping students stay on track and access the resources they need to succeed.

Over the fall semester, K-State piloted the Wellcat One-Minute Survey — a short, voluntary set of 13 questions about academic, social, financial and emotional well-being sent to all new first-year students.

The survey included fundamental questions like “Have you made a friend?” or “Are you going to class?” Teams across the Division of Academic Success and Student Affairs could then respond to students with direct, targeted assistance.

“We wanted to see how each student was doing in finding their sense of purpose and belonging, as well as how easy they found it to make healthy life choices,” Watts said. “The more a student is doing all of those things, the more likely they are to be successful Wildcats who can reach their goals.”

Text check-ins from students’ favorite Wildcat

In January, all first-year K-State students received a text message from “Willie” checking in to see how the spring semester was going.

In partnership with EdSights, K-State has turned the lovable Wildcat mascot into an artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant that could reach and be available to students 24/7.

Throughout the semester, Willie texts each student about a dozen times to check in on four domains: financial, academic, social well-being and overall health and well-being. The AI assistant can then directly suggest online resources or tools or, if further individualized help is needed, connect students with professional staff.

The Academic Achievement Center — in collaboration with Powercat Financial, Office of Student Financial Assistance and student success partners at K-State Salina — has used responses to Willie to make proactive outreach efforts to nearly 300 students who have high-risk indicators in various domains.

Plans are underway to expand the outreach partnership to other campus partners and services.

“The best part is that Willie asks students directly how they are doing, so we are not trying to guess what might be happening — we’re hearing it from them,” Bender said. “This is important for when we don’t have any traditionally used data to suggest they might be in trouble.”

For example, a student could perform academically well in spite of financial struggles. By proactively asking, Willie can create an opportunity for students to connect with resources that can help.

“Willie is helping us bridge that gap,” Bender said.

Every Wildcat a successful student

Both the Wellcat One-Minute Survey and Willie virtual assistant initiatives are key components of the university’s overall work to retain students and keep them on track to graduate — two central priorities in the Next-Gen K-State strategic plan.

“Once students are here, let’s keep them here,” Bender said. “If we can help students persist here at K-State — like getting them connected to resources on campus — then retention naturally follows.”

Even when resources and supports are offered directly to students, a final hurdle is often helping students feel comfortable receiving wraparound support they’ve perhaps never experienced or needed before.

But Watts said the key is to help each student focus on the strengths, successes and resilience that led them to K-State in the first place. And once they’re here, students should feel like they belong, have a purpose and can reach their goals.

Every Wildcat deserves that opportunity to be successful, with the right mix of hard work, support and determination, he said.

“When students need help, we don’t have to focus on a negative,” he said. “Instead, we can work with students to help them realize they are strong, unique and powerful individuals, and the strengths that got them to this moment will be the same strengths that will help them overcome their next challenge.”

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