AI Use Case: How will AI support Student Success?

Imagine this: A new student arrives for orientation. Waiting for them:

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• A personalized orientation plan mapped to their actual class schedule.
  
• Video explainers that show what to expect in their courses (because accounting ≠ nursing ≠ theatre).
  
• Step-by-step checklists to be ready before day one.
  
• A co-pilot/AI assistant anticipating their needs, answering questions in real time.
  
  

No back-and-forth emails. No refreshing portals. No missed updates.

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As classes begin:

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• Progress is monitored daily.
  
• Subtle behavior shifts trigger nudges (“Your first Accounting quiz is next week—there’s an open tutoring slot tomorrow morning.”).
  
• Weekly summaries help them course-correct early.
  
  

What about parents? Parents get their own companion experience—only what their student approves, but enough to pay bills, see key dates, and feel included.

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And the kicker? Not a single Coach touched it.

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Because a network of agents handled it—replicating the best human coaches, at scale.

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That orchestration belongs to the Student Success Engineer.

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• If Coaches are the face of support, Engineers are the operators.‍
• Coaches carry caseloads. Engineers carry systems.
• Coaches help students one-by-one. Engineers design mechanisms so every student gets help—even when their coach or advisor is home with their family.
  
  

This isn’t a worse experience. It’s a better one. We’ve all been burned by bad automation:

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• Generic “time to register” emails lost in inboxes.
  
• Chatbots that can’t answer real questions.
  
• “Dynamic” updates that feel anything but personal.
  
  

But agentic systems, designed with REAL context, are different. They feel more human because the repetitive noise is stripped away, allowing staff to show up where they matter most. 

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Students get proactive, personalized help before they even ask.

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What the SS Engineer does:

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• Design & deploy AI agents to guide onboarding and persistence.
  
• Partner with IT to unify data flows for a true 360° student view.
  
• Build “Student Radar” systems for alerts and recognition (YES - even alerts when students thrive!).
  
• Continuously refine prompts, decision trees, and workflows.
  
• Define the surgical split of human vs. agent tasks. (The word, “surgical” is intentionally chosen because it helps visualize the level of precision needed and expected to deliver this experience successfully.)
  
  

Core skills: tool integration, workflow design, data management, context and prompt engineering, systems thinking.

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Core mindset: Coaches think in moments; Engineers think in mechanisms.

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Two futures are unfolding.

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On one side: Engineers—behind the scenes, orchestrating.
On the other: Coaches and Advisors—present with students, solving real problems in real time.

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What disappears? The reactive, task-chasing role that burns this dedicated, committed staff out.

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The Student Success Engineer doesn’t automate mediocrity. They scale excellence.

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Here is a full position description:

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Job Description: Student Success Engineer

Position Title: Student Success Engineer
Reports To: AVP for Enrollment Management or Dean/Director of Student Success

Position Summary

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The Student Success Engineer (SSE) is a new, hybrid role that combines systems thinking, data integration, and workflow design to scale personalized student support across the institution.

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Unlike traditional Student Success Coaches, who work directly with individual students, the SSE designs and manages the systems that ensure every student receives timely, personalized outreach and guidance. This role leverages AI agents, automation, and data to anticipate student needs, free up human advisors for high-value interactions, and drive measurable improvements in persistence and completion.

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Key Responsibilities

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System Design & Automation

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• Design, deploy, and maintain AI-driven agents that guide students through onboarding, orientation, and key academic milestones.
  
• Build workflows that automate routine nudges, reminders, and resource connections.
  
  

Data Integration & Student Radar

• Partner with IT and Institutional Research to unify data flows, creating a dynamic 360° student view.
  
• Architect “Student Radar” systems that surface alerts and recognitions based on student behavior and milestones.
  
  

Continuous Improvement

• Refine prompt libraries, decision trees, and workflows based on outcomes and user feedback.
  
• Monitor system performance, ensuring interventions remain context-rich and relevant.
  
  

Human + Agent Collaboration

• Partner with Coaches and Advisors to clearly divide tasks between humans and agents with surgical precision.
  
• Ensure agents handle repetitive, scalable interactions so humans can focus on complex, relationship-driven support.
  
  

Outcomes Management

• Define, track, and report on KPIs such as retention, progression, engagement, and student satisfaction.
  
• Translate insights into actionable improvements in both systems and student services.
  
  

Required Skills & Competencies

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• Strong background in workflow design, process automation, or CRM/Student Information System configuration.
  
• Proficiency in data management, API integration, and dashboard/reporting tools.
  
• Familiarity with AI tools, prompt engineering, or agent-based workflows.
• Systems thinking: ability to design processes that scale across large student populations.
• Excellent collaboration skills; able to partner with IT, Student Success, and Academic Affairs teams.
• Analytical mindset with ability to translate data into interventions.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

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• Experience in higher education technology, enrollment management, or student success initiatives.
  
• Exposure to CRM platforms (e.g., Slate, Salesforce, Dynamics), LMS integrations, or early-alert systems.
  
• Prior experience with customer success engineering, marketing automation, or related fields.
  
  

Mental Model

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• Success Coaches think in moments.
  
• Student Success Engineers think in mechanisms.

The SSE ensures that every student gets proactive, timely, and personalized support—even when staff are offline—by engineering systems that scale excellence, not mediocrity.

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