Center for Academic Success and Transition

The Fall 2025 GEP 101 Instructor application is now available on our GEP 101 Instructor Recruitment page. Deadline for first consideration is past, but applications will still be accepted.

Our mission is student success at Missouri State University.

Our goal is to ensure that students are retained, thrive and graduate from the University. This is done through the coordination of activities and delivery of student services focusing on academic support beginning with student transition into the university and persistence through graduation.

In short, we deliver programs that support student retention and completion while serving as a resource for the campus community.

An important part of our mission is to coordinate with college staff, department heads, and faculty to support their retention and graduation efforts. If you are interested in learning more or in using available data to improve retention and graduation rates, email CAST@MissouriState.edu.

- Programs to support student 1st to 2nd year retention: First-Year Programs provides all students a common course experience where they learn the public affairs mission, develop academic skills to be successful in college, and take advantage of campus resources.
- Activities designed to improve first-generation student success and engagement on campus: First-generation support/student programs, including financial aid workshops and social activities, a proactive advising program and faculty and staff mentoring.
- Transition programs, like our success coaches, that help students onboard to MSU, learn skills to be successful if on probation or return after suspension, and refer them to campus resources.
We also:
- Provide a series of early alert systems for advisors and faculty to identify and assist students to persist.
- Collaborate and coordinate with campus units to facilitate delivery of student services and success.
- Promote Maroon Milestones, a sequence of high-impact practices to engage students in meaningful activities that lead to graduation. See the poster below or view the PDF (9.4M; you need Adobe Reader to view and print this document).
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DOWNLOAD THE MAROON MILESTONES FLYER (PDF, 9.4M)
(You need Adobe Reader to view and print this document.)

Refer a student for Success Coaching

A posed shot of a group of people wearing matching maroon jackets

First-Year Programs

First-Year Programs is committed to assisting new students in achieving a successful transition to Missouri State University’s community of scholars.

Student Academic Assistance

Request to meet with a Success Coach or Peer Mentor

First-Gen Student Support

At Missouri State, we embrace the experience, skills and values that our first-generation college students bring to campus.

Multiple people meeting around a large table

College Proactive Advising

Focusing on proactive contact with advisees to build relationships, address issues and recommend appropriate interventions for students.

Meet the Success Coaches (Spring 2025, Week 9)

Welcome back, Missouri State Bears! We have some more success coaches in our office staff that we’d love to introduce. Success coaches are graduate students who have been in your shoes as undergraduates and are here to provide academic and professional guidance to MSU students. As part of the Center for Academic Success and Transition, […]

The post Meet the Success Coaches (Spring 2025, Week 9) appeared first on A Bear's Life: Student Stories.
Taking Care of Yourself During the Winter Months

Please enjoy this guest post from Success Coach, Yomna! When I moved to the U.S. in 2019 from Saudi Arabia, I was beyond excited for winter. Coming from a place where summer dominates most of the year and winter barely lasts a month, I thought I was escaping the relentless heat for a season I would […]

The post Taking Care of Yourself During the Winter Months appeared first on A Bear's Life: Student Stories.

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Center for Academic Success and Transition

A Bear's Life: Student Stories