Staff

Allison Calhoun-Brown is Sr. Vice President for Student Success and chief enrollment officer at Georgia State University. She directs the university’s efforts to increase enrollment, retention, progression and graduation by developing strategic initiatives and refining operational processes to support student success. Using data and analytics to establish proactive approaches to reduce educational risks, GSU has become a national model for undergraduate education. Over the past decade, the university has had one of the fastest-growing graduation rates in the country, has increased the number of undergraduate degrees that it confers by more than 80% since 2010, and has eliminated achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity and income. Dr. Calhoun-Brown has implemented new and innovative programming to address issues of effective academic advising, unmet student financial need, curricular progression barriers, the connection between college and career, and support for at-risk students.  Focused on the student life cycle from pre-enrollment to the start of a career, the Division of  Student Success utilizes a comprehensive metrics-based approach that incorporates all aspects of enrollment management including admissions, student financial management, academic advising and support programs, registration, and co-curricular engagement to advance student achievement at Georgia State University. Dr. Calhoun-Brown graduated with honors from Oberlin College and earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Emory University.

Timothy Renick is the founding Executive Director of the National Institute for Student Success and Professor of Religious Studies at Georgia State University. Between 2008-2020, he directed the student success efforts of the university, overseeing a 62% improvement in graduation rates and the elimination of all equity gaps based on students’ race, ethnicity or income level. For six consecutive years, Georgia State has graduated more African American students with bachelor’s degrees than any other not-for-profit college or university in the nation. Dr. Renick has testified on strategies for helping university students succeed before the U.S. Senate and has twice been invited to speak at the White House. His work has been covered by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Time, and CNN and cited by former President Barack Obama. He was named one of the Most Innovative People in Higher Education by Washington Monthly, was the recipient of the Award for National Leadership in Student Success Innovation and was awarded the 2018 McGraw Prize in Higher Education. He has been the principal investigator for more than $30 million in research grants focused on promoting better and more equitable outcomes for college students. At Georgia State, he has served as Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, Director of the Honors Program and Senior Vice President. A summa cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College, Dr. Renick holds his M.A. and Ph.D. in Religion from Princeton University.