For all of us who yearn to understand student success but find ourselves or our institutions lost and unsuccessful, the work of Dr. Salas provides the advice we’ve been waiting for. Dr. Salas shows us that the one-size fits all approach does not hit the mark regarding student success. Her book provides insights into how we should provide a “stronger advising pathway which leads to enrollment, retention and completion,” for an entire ecosystem focused on student success.
— Reggie Smith III, PhD, CEO, USDLA
The top priority for colleges and universities is student success. Changing student demographics, performance-based funding models, and increased workforce demands make it paramount that educational leaders do all that it takes to demonstrate positive student outcomes. The holistic approach to student success that Dr. Salas outlines makes this a must-read for all those who play a role in higher education.
— John J. Rainone, EdD, president, Dabney S. Lancaster Community College (VA)
This book provides a synthesis of lessons learned and challenges faced in higher education. There are questions to ponder, technologies to consider and a great deal of resources. The author also brings to life the voices of successful thought leaders in higher education.
— Yesenia Madas, EdD, Associate Vice President, Student Affairs, Brookdale Community College
Dr. Salas builds a compelling case for higher education to move away from a one size fits all approach to student success. She does a magnificent job of showcasing how many higher education institutions are using the power of disruptive retention and support strategies to move the student success needle in the right direction. I highly recommend this book to all higher education scholars and practitioners who want to make a positive impact on the future of their students.
— Anthony Cruz, EdD, President, Hialeah Campus Miami Dade College
Numbers and Sense includes the insights and perspectives of numerous educators as to why ensuring student success requires a comprehensive and holistic approach. Dr. Salas provides reflective and actionable recommendations for what needs to be done to lead change.
— Tia Brown McNair, EdD, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Student Success, AACU
Dr. Salas' book is required reading for community college leaders, faculty and staff. No college can claim it is 'student-centered' without implementing the recommendations in this book. Dr. Salas not only offers crucially important insights about who today's community college students really are, she sets forth a practical guide for achieving student success based on her current front-line experience. Read Numbers and Sense, then take it to your next meeting or retreat.
— Mark W. Rocha, PhD, executive vice president, Cardenio Consulting, Higher Education Practice and former California community college president
In Numbers and Sense: Ensuring Student Success One Cohort at a Time, Dr. Alexandra Salas provides an important new resource for those concerned about student success. Understanding the need for higher education institutions to change, develop, and evolve to remain relevant, Dr. Salas outlines relevant pathways for those interested in updating their mindset on advising, teaching, and enrollment strategies. In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous global marketplace now marked by a pandemic creating seismic forces higher education will need to deal with for years to come, Dr. Salas offers a reliable blueprint to consider for those willing to update their institutional missions and create the change necessary to prepare students for their future.
— Michael Edmondson, PhD, dean, College of Professional Studies, New Jersey City University and author of Agility: Management Principles for A Volatile World
Dr. Alexandra Salas’s Numbers and Sense: Ensuring Student Success One Cohort at a Time is one of the first books to uniquely raise awareness, questions and suggestions based on today’s rapidly changing learning demands to ensure student success. This book elucidates Dr. Salas’s assertion, “These are exciting times as a new normal provisions to engage, and support students toward success like never before…one cohort at a time!
— Steven J. Bassett, PhD, Director of Academic Affairs, USAF Expeditionary Operations School
In this book, Alexandra Salas shares many of the challenges facing community colleges today and communicates a sense of urgency for action to increase student success. Throughout this book, she brings the reader numerous stories of how current community college leaders are engaging in bold and much-needed actions to move the needle on student success. Her commitment to and passion for student success is clearly evident!
— Christine Harrington, PhD, Associate Professor and Co-Coordinator; EdD in Community College Leadership New Jersey City University
Dr. Salas offers us a very clear and transparent 21 st century hands on approach to advising and student success coaching that takes the fullest advantage of both high tech and high touch methods at a time and a day when both have become essential. Few have the skills and patience to command both aspects of teaching, advising, and student coaching, but Dr. Salas offers a qualitative balance between Them... This book offers a first-hand insight into what the best practices of student success coaching involve in the second decade of the twenty-first century.
— Joseph Cronin, PhD, chair, Individualized Master of Arts Program, Antioch University