10 Questions With…Brandi Fuhrman, associate vice provost for student affairs, and Steve Wuhs, associate vice provost for academic affairs, who are co-chairing the Every Student Graduates Success Summit on April 22. They’ve paired up to participate in OSU Today’s first-ever dual Q&A. Don’t forget to register for the summit, deadline is April 15.
How long have you been at Oregon State University and what drew you here?
BRANDI: 12 years. I worked in industry previous to coming to OSU. I love being able to do work that supports people (students) in a positive way. Supporting people is so much more meaningful for me than focusing on stock prices.
STEVE: I’ve been at OSU for two-and-a-half years after about 20 years at a small liberal arts university in California. I came here because I saw in OSU a big public, land grant university that was trying to do what small colleges like mine were doing: pairing students with high impact educational experiences, developing ambitious general education programs and trying to build and sustain a sense of belonging for all students. I was excited to join this community and see what sort of impact we could all have, at scale.
Why is it important to have voices from many different parts of campus involved in the discussion on student success?
BRANDI: Student success is a multifaceted goal that requires input from diverse voices across the university. Each perspective brings unique insights and approaches to supporting students, making it crucial to involve as many viewpoints as possible in our discussions. By collaborating, we can better understand and address the complex challenges students face and work together to achieve our goals.
STEVE: We don’t always think of ourselves as “student success champions” – when I was a full-time faculty member, I was deeply committed to my students’ learning, but my commitment felt like it ended at the end of term when students moved on to other courses. I now see how we’re all contributing in different ways to each student’s “whole experience” of OSU. If we’re all contributing that way, then we all need to understand how we can best facilitate an amazing OSU experience for our undergrads.
What makes you passionate about higher education?
BRANDI: I am passionate about higher education because I believe that what we do each day makes a difference in students’ lives. I get excited about creating changes and solutions that enhance how we support students, making a meaningful impact on their academic journey and overall success.
STEVE: I was fortunate to have an amazing college experience that helped me craft a world full of opportunity for myself and my family. Whether as a faculty member or in my current role, I want to be part of creating those opportunities for others, especially those who like me don’t feel like they come from a world that offers them those opportunities.
What do students say are the biggest challenges they face when trying to reach graduation?
BRANDI: From a career development perspective, we work with numerous students who are navigating their path after graduation, often seeking employment. The journey to secure a job can be lengthy and unclear, filled with various challenges and uncertainties. It requires students to be proactive, resilient and resourceful as they explore different career options, prepare their resumes, network with professionals, attend interview and ultimately find a position that aligns with their skills and aspirations. Our role is to provide guidance, support and resources to help them succeed in this critical transition period.
STEVE: Education is costly, in terms of paying tuition bills, covering housing costs or even the opportunity cost of education (like taking time away from work to go to class). That’s one of our biggest challenges across institutions. But there’s another challenge that’s more subtle – often, despite a lot of data to the contrary, students doubt whether their degrees and the experiences they have in college are “worth it.” We know that people with degrees earn more and endure economic challenges better – but it can be tough to convince students of that when they’re facing the kinds of pressures our students do.
What advice would you give the younger version of yourself who was just starting college?
BRANDI: You don’t need to have everything figured out from the beginning. Embrace the journey and take advantage of the various resources and opportunities available to you, such as support services, extracurricular activities and networking events. These experiences will help you grow, learn and navigate your way through college, ultimately enriching your academic and personal development.
STEVE: That all of the work is worth it, and that the community you build will sustain you during your college experience and for decades afterward.
What tools do advisors and educators need to make sure they’re maximizing student success?
BRANDI: Advisors and educators need access to data analytics that can help us proactively reach out to students, as well as the ability to participate in professional development opportunities to continually learn how to better support students. Effective communication tools are also essential for maximizing student success.
STEVE: We all need to reflect on how to communicate most effectively with our students and with our OSU colleagues. Oregon State is full of amazing opportunities, and I find that sometimes we’re not getting information about those opportunities into the right hands. Our academic advisors are these tremendously committed individuals – we need to make their jobs easier by enabling them to connect even more students with transformative learning opportunities.
What was your favorite course in college?
BRANDI: I was a history major in my undergrad, and I took a course that had me create my family tree. It was a lot of fun to talk to family members and hear their stories, but also really exciting when I was able to find documentation about my ancestors from over a hundred years ago in archives.
STEVE: I was a Spanish and sociology double-major and loved the classes that crossed the two fields. Two that come to mind are Latin American Theater of Underdevelopment, and Sociology of Poverty, Welfare and Development.
Are there other schools that have successfully increased their graduation rates that we can learn from?
BRANDI and STEVE: We’re a founding member of the University Innovation Alliance, a group of big public universities committed to elevating grad rates. For years we’ve been learning from colleagues at those institutions about different interventions and piloting some UIA initiatives at OSU, like what is now the Career Champions program in the Career Development Center.
What are the biggest challenges currently facing higher education that we must address to practically achieve our graduation goals?
BRANDI: One of the biggest challenges facing higher education today is breaking down structural barriers and changing how we do things to make a significant impact for students. This is particularly difficult in a decentralized environment where faculty and staff, despite their shared commitment to supporting students, often work in isolation. Collaboration is key but achieving it requires overcoming entrenched practices and mindsets. Change is hard, but by working together, we can create a more cohesive and supportive environment that better meets the needs of our students.
STEVE: Again, the cost of higher education should always be at the top of this list.
What is your favorite non-academic pursuit or passion?
BRANDI: I love to run, swim and travel. I love spending time with my family and friends.
STEVE: I’m a runner, and I love to be on the trail when I can. I love going to soccer games at OSU or in Portland. And as the parent of two college-aged kids, I have to be game for whatever those kids want!
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