Transforming Crucial Academic Support Services During a Pandemic

This chapter explores the transformation of teaching and leadership practices at the Student Academic Success Services office (SASS) at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMN) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sobering reality of the disruption to on-campus instruction due to the escalating pandemic required a multi-pronged approach for a workplace geared towards advancing the academic progress of its students. Through a collaborative autoethnography, the authors, who work with students to improve academic performance through courses and individualized coaching sessions, chronicle how they were able to pivot rapidly and transition effectively into virtual modes of teaching and supporting students. SASS students are some of the most vulnerable to abrupt changes to their learning routines and styles; this includes students on probation, those with learning disabilities, and students struggling to stay motivated and balance their social, personal, and academic demands.