Retention and graduation initiatives are significant objectives for New Mexico State University, and the Division of Student Success uses a communication tool to help students throughout the NMSU system achieve those goals. Three years ago, NMSU launched the Navigate platform, and the Student Success staff is working to increase the platform’s capabilities and users.
The Navigate Student website enables students to schedule appointments, view class schedules, meet study partners and learn about campus resources. The Navigate Faculty and Staff website helps with retention and degree attainment, student learning and achievement gaps. In addition to the website, a personalized app, Navigate Student can be downloaded on the Apple App Store and Android App on Google Play.
“We launched Navigate in March of 2020, and it really helped us communicate with students during the most critical time of the pandemic,” said Renay Scott, vice president for Student Success. “But what Navigate does better than any platform out there is to create a network of care around students that can help us respond to a student’s holistic needs. It is now time to extend this network of care to service providers across NMSU.”
The Navigate Student Care Network launched in January 2023 with the hiring of Rosa De La Torre-Burmeister as the assistant director of advising technology. Since then, she has focused her efforts on adding resources and departments.
“Navigate’s enhanced communication abilities facilitates sharing knowledge across the system and connecting students to resources, therefore supporting students’ academic, personal and professional successes,” De La Torre-Burmeister said.
The Navigate platform also is used for early alerts, formerly known as Quick Connect, which allows faculty and staff to notify appropriate units about students’ academic or personal concerns.
Marissa Fowler, Center for Academic Advising and Student Support associate director, is enthusiastic about having additional units that support students in Navigate.
“CAASS advisers were first in Navigate, but we were able to understand much more about our students’ lives when offices like Financial Aid and Aggie One Stop began using the platform,” Fowler said.
Support units currently using Navigate, in addition to CAASS, Financial Aid, and Aggie One Stop, include Aggie Pathway, Campus Tutoring Services, Global Campus and Military and Veterans Program. The Computer Science Department is the first academic department to use the platform. Housing and Residence Life, College Assistance Migrant Program and diversity programs are on the list of future offices to join Navigate.
“With Navigate, we can use polls to quickly assess student needs,” said Tony Marin, assistant vice president for Student Affairs. “We can measure student academic progress with success markers, which are benchmarks that correlate with degree completion. And we can evaluate the effectiveness of communication campaigns to achieve their objectives.”
Navigate supports two of the objectives of NMSU LEADS 2025: Goal 1: Enhance Student Success and Social Mobility and Goal 4: Build a Robust University System.
To learn more about Navigate, visit https://navigate.nmsu.edu or email navigate@nmsu.edu.