Author: sawadalla6

We are pleased to announce that Madeline Oliff has joined the Office of Experiential and Engaged Learning as Program and Operations Manager. In this role, Madeline will support community-based learning programs to expand opportunities across the Institute. She will develop new partnerships and manage existing ones that foster collaborative problem-solving with neighboring communities.

Madeline most recently oversaw Program and Business Development for the Student Industry Fellows Program, a signature fellowship of the Office of Experiential Learning at the University of Georgia. Prior to her transition to higher education, she worked in economic and workforce development organizations. 

Madeline recently graduated with her Masters in Public Administration from the University of Georgia. She received her B.A. in Sociology and American Studies from Tufts University, where she served as a board member and student teacher for the experiential learning division, the Experimental College.

Outside of work, you can find Madeline exploring Atlanta’s biking trails, getting creative through her stained glass, or in the kitchen attempting to reach her goal of trying one new recipe a week in 2025!

Please join us in welcoming Madeline to E2L and OUESS!

We’re pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Josh McConnell Parsons as the Interim Director of Undergraduate Analytics and Planning. In his capacity as Interim Director, Dr. Parsons will join the OUESS Leadership Team, where he will support the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success (VPUESS) in advancing the mission of the Office of Undergraduate Education and Student Success (OUESS) and the Institute Strategic Plan (ISP).

Furthermore, he will undertake additional strategic responsibilities within the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Student Success (OVPUESS). These responsibilities may include contributing to the development and monitoring of strategic alignment work plans and addressing the analytics and assessment needs of the division. 

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Parsons on his interim appointment. He has demonstrated exceptional performance as Assistant Director of Assessment, and we look forward to his continued leadership and contributions in his expanded role as Interim Director of Undergraduate Analytics and Planning. 

The 2025 Academic Advising Network Best Practices Conference was a vibrant gathering of over 200 academic advising professionals from 19 institutions across Georgia. Held at the historic Academy of Medicine on the campus of Georgia Tech, the event provided a dynamic space for collaboration, innovation, and professional development in the field of academic advising.

We are pleased to announce that Chad Slieper will assume the role of Faculty Director of Georgia Tech’s Leaders in Progress and Service Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). 

Chad joined the Office of Undergraduate Education and Student Success (OUESS) in 2024 as Faculty Co-Director of the Leaders in Progress and Service QEP during its development and planning phase.  In this role, he co-led the development efforts for the QEP and the successful presentation of the plan at Georgia Tech’s site visit from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in April 2024 as part of the Institute’s reaffirmation of accreditation.   

In his new role, Chad will assume lead responsibility for the new Leaders in Progress and Service Program as it is implemented across campus. His role will include managing strategic partnerships for the Program both internally and externally, collaborating with faculty leadership to develop the Program’s curricular efforts, supervising Program faculty and staff, and leading the overall direction of the Program.

Chad holds a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law and earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy with highest honor from Georgia Tech. He joined the Georgia Tech faculty in 2019 as Director of the Law, Science, and Technology Program in the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy. Chad’s experience prior to Georgia Tech has included roles as a tenure-track faculty member at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, where he served as Chief, ad interim, of Clinical Ethics, and as the inaugural director of the Global Health Law and Policy Project at Emory University School of Law.  

Chad is an award-winning teacher in the fields of law, medical ethics, and professional ethics and identity. He received a 2022 CIOS Award, recognizing Georgia Tech’s top fifty instructors as measured by the course instructor opinion survey, and a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. He also received the 2013 Outstanding Alumni Award of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy. 

Please join us in congratulating Chad on his appointment as Faculty Director of the Leaders in Progress and Service Quality Enhancement Plan.

This spring, Georgia Tech marked an exciting milestone for its global learning initiatives: the graduation of the first cohort of students who began their college journey through the First-Year Semester Abroad (FYSA) program. 

Launched in 2021, FYSA offers incoming first-year students the opportunity to spend their fall semester abroad at the start of their college career. Students begin with a short summer session in Atlanta before heading to one of two destinations: FYSA @ GTE, at Georgia Tech-Europe in Metz, France, or FYSA @ Oxford, based at a college of the University of Oxford in England with additional travel across Europe. They return to the Atlanta campus for spring semester, continuing their studies with a strong foundation in independence and global awareness. 

On June 4, Undergraduate Transition Seminars (UTS) welcomed over 100 GT 1000 and GT 2000 instructors, plus supporting campus partners, to the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center for its annual professional development conference. This full day event focused on community-building, resource awareness, and pedagogical preparation for the upcoming academic year. 

We are pleased to announce that Monique Morris has been promoted to Program and Operations Manager for the Specialized Advising team in Academic Success and Advising. In this role, Monique will support her colleagues in Specialized Advising by coordinating events and liaising with the OUESS administrative team to ensure best practices within OUESS operational systems, and she will take on additional leadership for Georgia Tech’s Letters of Evaluation service. 

Monique has held a variety of roles since her arrival at Georgia Tech as a Tech Temp in 2004. In 2006, she became a permanent staff member as a receptionist in Career Services, where she later became an Employer Relations Coordinator and then an Educational Outreach Coordinator. Among her accomplishments in career services were a proposal that led to the creation of the Hayes Conference Room in the basement of the Bill Moore Student Success Center and the management of a business etiquette dinner that doubled student participation and garnered $2000 in company sponsorships.

Since 2017, Monique has coordinated the activities of the Pre-Graduate, Pre-Health, and Prestigious Fellowships advisors, and, since 2024, she has also supported Exploratory Advising. In addition to providing support for events and financial transactions, Monique oversees the Letter of Evaluation service for students applying to health professional programs. In this capacity, she reviews more than 1000 letters each year for approximately 200 applicants to medical and other health professional schools.

A woman of many skills, Monique has worked in the past as a master cosmetologist. She earned her B.S. of Psychology at Georgia State University and has participated in Georgia Tech’s Emerging Leaders and ASPIRE Leadership programs.

Please join us in congratulating Monique!

We are pleased to announced that Dr. Christopher Dobbs is the new Director of Learning and Academic Success Initiatives. In this role, he will develop and manage academic support programs housed in Academic Success and Advising. Chris joins us from the University of Missouri, where he served as Director of the Learning Center and, prior to that, managed the institution’s early alert program.

His educational background is a blend of qualitative and quantitative fields, as he began his education in classical studies (BA, Miami University; MA, Columbia University; PhD, University of Missouri) and later developed a passion for data analytics (Certificate, Cornell University; MBA and Graduate Certificate, University of Missouri). In his teaching, he enjoys helping students consider familiar concepts in new ways, such as his University of Missouri course “Roman Love Poetry and Modern Pop Music.”

Chris wishes he could share what he does in his free time, but with two daughters under the age of three, free time mostly stays in the rear-view mirror—and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Please join us in welcoming Chris to ASA and OUESS!

On June 1, 2025, Georgia Tech launched Navigate360, a new digital platform designed to support academic advising, streamline student success efforts, and strengthen collaboration across campus. Built by EAB, Navigate360 will serve as the Institute’s primary student success management system, bringing together advisors, faculty, and support staff in service of a more connected and proactive student experience. 

The launch represents a major milestone in Georgia Tech’s ongoing efforts to improve the undergraduate experience by enhancing the tools, processes, and partnerships that support students from orientation through graduation. 

“Navigate360 helps us support advising at Georgia Tech in a way that honors what makes each unit unique, while uniting us in our shared goal of supporting students,” said Lorett Swank, executive director of Academic Success and Advising (ASA) in the Office of Undergraduate Education and Student Success (OUESS). “We’re equipping people, improving processes, and using technology to create a more accessible and coordinated experience across campus.” 

Why Navigate360? 

Georgia Tech selected Navigate360 after a multi-year review of student success platforms and began implementation with a successful pilot in the Scheller College of Business during Spring 2025.  

The platform streamlines appointment scheduling, improves communication through reminders and messaging, and helps students easily connect with advisors and resources. Advisors and staff describe it as user-friendly and efficient, allowing more time to focus on student support. 

What’s Changing on June 1? 

Beginning June 1, all Georgia Tech students will have access to Navigate360 and are encouraged to download the Navigate360 mobile app for the best experience. This date also marks the retirement of Salesforce Advisor Link—undergraduate students will no longer use Advisor Link to view advisor availability or schedule appointments. Instead, Navigate360 will serve as the central hub for those interactions. 

Incoming first-year and transfer students will be introduced to the platform through a new Canvas course launching this summer, designed to support advising, registration, and onboarding activities during FASET. Returning students will find Navigate360 information and FAQs on the ASA website, with a full communication campaign rolling out ahead of the fall semester. 

Supporting Advisors and the Georgia Tech Community 

Georgia Tech’s advising ecosystem is broad and varied, reflecting the Institute’s decentralized structure. One of the key goals of Navigate360 is to improve—not standardize—this range of advising practices, making it easier for colleges, schools, and units to collaborate while still honoring their unique approaches. 

“Navigate360 gives us the tools to create a more holistic, student-centered environment,” said Ellen Riley, ASA’s director of advising operations and engagement. “It supports proactive outreach, integrated care, and real-time insights so advisors can spend less time navigating systems and more time engaging with students.” 

The platform also benefits the broader Georgia Tech community. Departments such as the Registrar’s Office, Office of Information Technology, Procurement and Business Services, and Digital Learning have played essential roles in its implementation, reflecting the Institute’s commitment to cross-campus collaboration in support of student success. 

What’s Next? 

The Navigate360 rollout will continue through the 2025–26 academic year. In July 2025, Georgia Tech will begin onboarding tutoring partners into the platform, followed by expanded communications to continuing students in the fall and a pilot program in the College of Engineering that integrates Canvas with Navigate360 features. 

By Spring 2026, additional tools will go live—including “journeys” to guide students through key milestones, “hand raise” functionality for requesting support, and faculty alerts to help surface concerns early. 

Together, these features represent a powerful shift toward proactive, integrated student support that keeps students at the center of the advising experience. 

Learn More 

Advisors, students, and families can learn more about Navigate360 and upcoming training and support resources at success.gatech.edu. All enrolled students are encouraged to download the app to get started.