Change Leadership Toolkit
Dallas College
Authors: USC Pullias Center for Higher Education
Publication Date: 2023
Format: Case Study/PDF
Lay the GroundworkStart the ProcessAct with Purpose
Advising Reform
Catalytic LeadershipStrategic Data UseStudent-Centered Mission
Senior Leaders
This case study highlights how the Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success led a transformation of advising at Dallas College during a major institutional merger. As seven independent campuses were consolidated into a single multi-campus institution, the Vice Chancellor seized the opportunity to redesign fragmented advising systems that had contributed to high student-to-advisor ratios, some as high as 1,200:1, and inconsistent student experiences. The new Success Coaching model replaced the traditional advising structure with a holistic, relationship-based approach. Success Coaches now support students throughout their entire academic journey at Dallas College, regardless of campus, program, or major. This shift not only reduced caseloads by nearly half but also redefined how the college supports its diverse student population, centering care, consistency, and long-term student success.
Connections to the Transformation Journey
and How Institutions Transform
Stages of Transformation
Lay the GroundworkStart the ProcessAct with Purpose
- Lay the Groundwork: This case study illustrates how the Vice Chancellor used the momentum of a district-wide merger to reimagine advising through a bold, student-centered vision. Grounded in research and national best practices, her Success Coaching model introduced a significant departure from traditional advising, bringing consistency across campuses, centering student needs, and streamlining complex systems that had hindered student progress.
- Start the Process: To move the vision into action, the Vice Chancellor assembled teams of deans and associate deans to operationalize the new approach. While they led day-to-day implementation, she worked in parallel with senior leadership across the college to build buy-in, align strategy, and sustain momentum for the transformation.
- Act with Purpose: The Vice Chancellor led a large-scale effort to recruit, interview, and hire 240 Success Coaches, nearly doubling the previous advisor count. All candidates, including existing advisors, went through a new hiring process to ensure alignment with the program’s values. Competitive salaries and flexible work arrangements helped attract strong applicants. A dedicated professional development office supported onboarding and training, ensuring that coaches were prepared to deliver consistent, high-quality support across all campuses.
Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.
Evidence-Based Practices
Advising Reform
- Advising Reform: This case study highlights a comprehensive redesign of the advising system at Dallas College. The new Success Coaching model moved away from fragmented, high caseload advising toward a wraparound approach grounded in national best practices. The strategy involved hiring and training 240 Success Coaches, nearly doubling the original advising staff, reducing caseloads, and expanding service hours to better support the college’s diverse student population. Coaches were selected based on alignment with the new vision, and professional development structures were established to support their onboarding and growth.
Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.
Core Institutional Capacities
Catalytic LeadershipStrategic Data UseStudent-Centered Mission
- Catalytic Leadership: This case study demonstrates how the Vice Chancellor used the opportunity presented by the district-wide merger to lead a bold transformation of student support services. Charged with designing a new advising model for the newly unified Dallas College, she developed and championed a vision that aligned with the broader goals of the merger, ensuring consistency, equity, and improved outcomes for more than 100,000 students.
- Student-Centered Mission: The Vice Chancellor grounded the Success Coaching model in the institution’s Learner Care framework, which positions student needs at the center of every decision. This commitment to a culture of care reshaped the advising experience, ensuring that support services were proactive, relational, and designed to meet students where they are—across campuses, majors, and life circumstances.
- Strategic Use of Data: The Vice Chancellor leveraged data throughout the design and implementation process to build urgency, secure support, and demonstrate early impact. Benchmarking data on caseloads and compensation from other institutions helped make the case to senior leaders. After launch, disaggregated data on student visits and outcomes were used to assess effectiveness and reinforce the connection between Success Coaching and increased persistence and retention.
Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.
Continuous Improvement
This resource is most relevant to the following cross-functional roles:
- Senior Leaders: This case study demonstrates how senior leaders can use large-scale institutional shifts, such as a district merger, as a catalyst for transformation. The Vice Chancellor not only articulated a bold, student-centered vision for advising, but also remained closely involved in the day-to-day work required to bring that vision to life. By leveraging her long-standing relationships across the district, drawing on national research, and actively engaging in hiring, training, and communication efforts, she secured broad-based buy-in and helped embed the new model into the fabric of Dallas College.
This resource connects to the following phase(s) of the PRPAM framework:
- Prepare: The Vice Chancellor used the momentum of a district-wide merger to launch a student-centered redesign of advising. She aligned her vision with institutional goals, assessed existing systems and caseloads, and secured the resources and staffing necessary to initiate large-scale change.
- Act: The college implemented a comprehensive advising reform effort, including hiring 240 Success Coaches, revamping onboarding and training, and embedding the new model across all campuses. These changes were operationalized through cross-functional collaboration and strong leadership engagement.
- Monitor: Early indicators of impact—such as increased student use of advising and improved retention rates—were tracked and shared with campus stakeholders. The Vice Chancellor used both qualitative and quantitative data to assess progress, refine implementation, and reinforce the long-term value of the new approach.
Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.
Stages of Transformation
Lay the GroundworkStart the ProcessAct with Purpose
- Lay the Groundwork: This case study illustrates how the Vice Chancellor used the momentum of a district-wide merger to reimagine advising through a bold, student-centered vision. Grounded in research and national best practices, her Success Coaching model introduced a significant departure from traditional advising, bringing consistency across campuses, centering student needs, and streamlining complex systems that had hindered student progress.
- Start the Process: To move the vision into action, the Vice Chancellor assembled teams of deans and associate deans to operationalize the new approach. While they led day-to-day implementation, she worked in parallel with senior leadership across the college to build buy-in, align strategy, and sustain momentum for the transformation.
- Act with Purpose: The Vice Chancellor led a large-scale effort to recruit, interview, and hire 240 Success Coaches, nearly doubling the previous advisor count. All candidates, including existing advisors, went through a new hiring process to ensure alignment with the program’s values. Competitive salaries and flexible work arrangements helped attract strong applicants. A dedicated professional development office supported onboarding and training, ensuring that coaches were prepared to deliver consistent, high-quality support across all campuses.
Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.
Evidence-Based Practices
Advising Reform
- Advising Reform: This case study highlights a comprehensive redesign of the advising system at Dallas College. The new Success Coaching model moved away from fragmented, high caseload advising toward a wraparound approach grounded in national best practices. The strategy involved hiring and training 240 Success Coaches, nearly doubling the original advising staff, reducing caseloads, and expanding service hours to better support the college’s diverse student population. Coaches were selected based on alignment with the new vision, and professional development structures were established to support their onboarding and growth.
Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.
Core Institutional Capacities
Catalytic LeadershipStrategic Data UseStudent-Centered Mission
- Catalytic Leadership: This case study demonstrates how the Vice Chancellor used the opportunity presented by the district-wide merger to lead a bold transformation of student support services. Charged with designing a new advising model for the newly unified Dallas College, she developed and championed a vision that aligned with the broader goals of the merger, ensuring consistency, equity, and improved outcomes for more than 100,000 students.
- Student-Centered Mission: The Vice Chancellor grounded the Success Coaching model in the institution’s Learner Care framework, which positions student needs at the center of every decision. This commitment to a culture of care reshaped the advising experience, ensuring that support services were proactive, relational, and designed to meet students where they are—across campuses, majors, and life circumstances.
- Strategic Use of Data: The Vice Chancellor leveraged data throughout the design and implementation process to build urgency, secure support, and demonstrate early impact. Benchmarking data on caseloads and compensation from other institutions helped make the case to senior leaders. After launch, disaggregated data on student visits and outcomes were used to assess effectiveness and reinforce the connection between Success Coaching and increased persistence and retention.
Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.
Continuous Improvement
This resource is most relevant to the following cross-functional roles:
- Senior Leaders: This case study demonstrates how senior leaders can use large-scale institutional shifts, such as a district merger, as a catalyst for transformation. The Vice Chancellor not only articulated a bold, student-centered vision for advising, but also remained closely involved in the day-to-day work required to bring that vision to life. By leveraging her long-standing relationships across the district, drawing on national research, and actively engaging in hiring, training, and communication efforts, she secured broad-based buy-in and helped embed the new model into the fabric of Dallas College.
This resource connects to the following phase(s) of the PRPAM framework:
- Prepare: The Vice Chancellor used the momentum of a district-wide merger to launch a student-centered redesign of advising. She aligned her vision with institutional goals, assessed existing systems and caseloads, and secured the resources and staffing necessary to initiate large-scale change.
- Act: The college implemented a comprehensive advising reform effort, including hiring 240 Success Coaches, revamping onboarding and training, and embedding the new model across all campuses. These changes were operationalized through cross-functional collaboration and strong leadership engagement.
- Monitor: Early indicators of impact—such as increased student use of advising and improved retention rates—were tracked and shared with campus stakeholders. The Vice Chancellor used both qualitative and quantitative data to assess progress, refine implementation, and reinforce the long-term value of the new approach.
Learn more about the Transformation Journey and How Institutions Transform.
Recommended Citation: Holcombe, E., de Jesus Gonzalez, Á., & Kezar, A. (2023). Change Leadership Toolkit: Dallas College. Pullias Center for Higher Education.