Southeast Missouri State University has earned national recognition for its leadership in student success, receiving the prestigious EAB Student Success Collaborative Citizen Award. This award honors institutions that selflessly share their strategies and best practices to improve student success across the country.
The award reflects SEMO’s long-standing commitment to collaboration, innovation and student-centered support. SEMO was selected from more than 950 universities worldwide, making this recognition especially significant.
“I’m truly honored to have SEMO recognized with EAB’s Collaborative Citizen Award,” said Verona Lambert, SEMO’s student success manager. “This recognition reflects the shared commitment of our campus community to student success and collaboration across other colleges and universities. Working together to create meaningful change is what makes our work so rewarding.”
This year marks the eleventh consecutive year that EAB has recognized outstanding achievements in student success. Awardees are selected from among the colleges, universities and individuals who use one or more of three technologies: the Navigate360 enrollment, retention, and advancement CRM, the Starfish student success management system, and the Edify data management platform.
SEMO’s recognition stems from its use of Starfish, known as SupportNET on campus, a student success platform that provides faculty and staff a holistic view of students’ academic progress, attendance and support networks. For students, SupportNET is a central platform that links students with faculty, advisors and campus services in a single connected network, making it easier to communicate, schedule appointments and stay on track.
Since implementing in fall 2018, SEMO has leveraged SupportNET to enhance student support programs, offering personalized mentorship and resources that help students navigate college and achieve their goals. These initiatives strengthen retention and foster a collaborative environment where faculty, staff, and students work together to ensure success.
“SEMO’s commitment to student success, and in turn, economic and workforce development, is what got us here,” said Lambert. “The reason we won this award is because we collaborate with other universities. We do this work for the benefit of students everywhere.”
“The Student Success Collaborative Award recognizes universities and personnel committed to sharing ideas among professionals who are working to support students,” said Dr. Bruce Skinner, interim vice president of enrollment management and student success at SEMO. “Verona has exemplified this commitment to assisting our peers and her work has been a source of pride for the SEMO campus. Her selection for the award demonstrates that her work is among the very best across the United States, and we are proud to have her working to support our students.”
The awards were presented at CONNECTED25, a three-day gathering of thousands of student success leaders from community colleges as well as four-year colleges and universities.
This recognition underscores SEMO’s commitment to putting students first, embracing innovative tools, and openly sharing best practices with the higher education community.