Brooking to head Student Success Center at The W

David Brooking

David Brooking

COLUMBUS, Miss. (Press Release) — Dr. David Brooking has been named to lead Mississippi University for Women’s Student Success Center, which will focus on retaining and graduating students.

The center, which will be fully staffed and centrally located on campus, also will focus on learning skills courses and seminars, career planning, developmental instruction, peer tutoring and other support services.

Formerly known as the Center for Academic Excellence, the name was changed to the Student Success Center to better reflect work at the center housed on the first floor of Reneau Hall.

Another change, based on recommendations from a consulting firm and work of the retention committee, was to redefine and expand job descriptions to provide appropriate services to students.

One of those positions is the director, who will report to the provost and will be responsible for developing and monitoring progress on the university retention plan; coordinating retention efforts between the center , colleges and other relevant university offices; coordinating the First Year Experience program; providing faculty development around best practices in retention and advising; and more.

Brooking comes to MUW from Enterprise State Community College in Alabama where he served as Title III director for almost five years. He has about 13 years of experience in higher education at both the university and community college level.

While at ESCC, Brooking led all aspects of the college’s retention-focused Title III Project, worked with personnel in enrollment services and academic affairs to promote retention-focused projects, worked on the redesign and implementation of new student orientation and led the development of a faculty-based advising system.

He earned a doctor of education in higher education administration from The University of Alabama and master of education in college student personnel from The University of Southern Mississippi. His undergraduate degree was in political science from Auburn University Montgomery.

The McComb native said he is excited about joining The W.

“I look forward to working to increase student retention at The W. There is a lot of potential for growth in that area, and there is a lot I can do to help make an impact in that area,” Brooking said. “I will spend my time making contacts on campus. I want to hear from people on campus who know what areas are doing well and areas that need improving. They already know the lay of the land.”

The Student Success Center will have a career specialist, formerly housed in Student Affairs. The career specialist will focus on advising undeclared students and guide them toward a career path.

Other positions at the center will include a retention specialist, a student success specialist and an additional staff member, who will be responsible for testing services and special projects.

Another addition will be navigators for each college. They will report to the deans but will have dual responsibilities with the college and the Student Success Center.

Dr. Kate Brown, director of Outreach and Innovation at The W, said, “The navigators will be a great addition to the colleges. They will provide support to students as they navigate from admission to their programs through completion of their degree. Connecting with students will be a central role, and the navigators will guide students to the many resources that are available to them.”

Ultimately, Brown said the goal is to make a university education more accessible to those who want it.

“We are really focused on student readiness — keeping them here and helping them graduate,” Brooking said.

Categories: Local News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *