When Julia Winden Fey moved from California to Arkansas, she thought it would only be for one year.
Her husband, Jim Deitrick, had accepted a position at the University of Central Arkansas. That was more than 20 years ago.
“It went to two years, and then I was a resident master in one of the residential colleges,” Winden Fey said. “And then Sally Roden (retired UCA administrator) hired me to work with undergraduate studies, and it’s just kept going.”
From University College, now the Department of Student Transitions, to enrollment management, Winden Fey has served in a number of roles across campus, but she said her focus has never wavered. She is now the director of the Office of Student Success.
“It doesn’t matter my title. I think I’ve been doing student success the whole 20 years, in and out of the classroom, and when I think about it that way, I think I’ve had quite the opportunity that I’d never expected,” Winden Fey said.
The office works with hundreds of UCA students each semester through programs and initiatives including Fail Forward Week, Unlocking College Academics Now (UCAN), the Tutoring Services Center and supplemental instruction, as well as others.
“Access was the big issue in higher education. We’ve opened up access quite a bit,” she said. “Now, finding ways to serve and empower students or enable students is the new challenge.”
Student success is a key element of the university’s strategic plan and leadership priorities. The Office of Student Success employs approximately 70 student workers who act as tutors, peer coaches and facilitators who are trained to work with other students. The office provides training in tactics such as motivational interviewing to identify strategies to help students become more successful in their education.
“We have found that one of our most effective ways of reaching students is through other students,” Winden Fey said. “They understand what it’s like to be a student, so they can relate to the student and take the trainings we’re giving them and convey it.”