A New Era of Student Success: Building a Culture of Care Through Institutional Critical Consciousness

Presenters will provide a brief historical background of critical consciousness (Freire, 1970), its application to the institution of higher education, and a new proposed model for the Student Guidance decision-making tool aimed at reducing the element of unconscious bias leading to the implementation of a Student-Centered Culture of Care. They will share insights about the characteristics of the UAGC student population and use a guided approach to understanding the ways in which we can and cannot impact the student experience and student success. Through critical awareness (Freire, 1974; Houser & Overton, 2001), critical reflection (Diemer, 2014; Case, 2013), and critical action (Diemer et al., 2014), professionals will be able to make better informed decisions while impacting student success.