The HERD Student Success Model
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Overview
As a part of President Vinson’s engagement tour, academic advising was identified as an area of focus that will aid in helping Howard University achieve maximum strength. Enhancing academic advising and other student success initiatives will be instrumental in the realization of goals that emerge from the ongoing strategic planning process.
An Advising Working Group was formed in the Spring of 2024, consisting of members from the seven school and colleges that grant undergraduate degrees to inform this initiative. Student feedback from the Howard University Student Association was also solicited during this process.
As of a result of this work, the Office of Undergraduate Studies is proposing The HERD Student Success Model (The HERD) to the Howard University community. The HERD utilizes academic and career clusters to construct learning communities that support the student development journey of undergraduates from admission up to three years after graduation. Akin to General Education, The HERD will offer thematic programming that codifies a foundational level of support for all undergraduate students.
The HERD model is inspired by the talent development philosophy espoused by our renowned and late colleague, Dr. A. Wade Boykin. Dr. Boykin’s talent development philosophy states that "All learners can reach high standards of performance when there is a supportive environment, when all stakeholders manifest high expectations, and when clear accountability measures are widely evident."
Specifically, The HERD champions three core values for supporting student success: (1) provide multiple pathways to success, (2) embed strengths-based support, and (3) leverage four dimensions of engagement (cognitive, affective, behavioral, and vocational) (See Boykin et. al, 2023; Boykin and Noguera, 2011 for additional information about the talent development philosophy and related concepts).
Comment Period
We are sharing a draft of the The HERD for public comments through March 18, 2025. Please review the steps below and provide feedback via the appropriate link. We are especially interested in feedback on The HERD Campaigns and The HERD Academic and Career Clusters.
