MANSFIELD – North Central State College has been selected as one of a small group of access-oriented institutions nationwide to participate in the Digital Holistic Student Supports (DHSS) Initiative, a transformational two-year effort focused on strengthening how colleges use data and technology to support student success.
Running from 2026 to 2027, the initiative will bring together higher education institutions and leading partner organizations to co-design and test innovative approaches that improve data maturity and generate actionable insights to advance student completion.
North Central State College joins a select group of “lighthouse” institutions helping shape and model this work for the broader higher education community.
North Central State College is participating alongside:
Clovis Community College, Fresno, California.
Durham Technical College, Durham North Carolina.
Prince George’s Community College, Largo Maryland.
Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, North Carolina.
An additional university partner to be named later this year.
The needs of today’s students are changing
Today’s students often balance work, family, and academic responsibilities while navigating complex and fragmented support systems.
Although colleges are committed to student success, data, disconnected tools, and outdated technologies can make it difficult to provide coordinated and timely guidance and support.
Through the DHSS Initiative, North Central State College will work to align institutional processes, and deploy technology in ways that enable timely, personalized, and proactive support for students – in part by improving how existing data is organized and accessed.
The experience emphasizes pairing new technology with strong leadership, accurate and accessible data, and thoughtful implementation strategies to create sustainable impact.
Kelly Gray, Vice-President of Academic and Student Services is excited for the opportunity.
“The DHSS Initiative focuses on rethinking how student support is organized and delivered. Rather than layering on additional tools, the work centers on intentional design, ensuring that data, technology, and human effort are aligned to create a proactive, equitable, and student-centered system of support.”
While providing improved support to area students, NC State will also be providing guidance for other community colleges to follow across the country
The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with leading national organizations with deep expertise in data science, research, and institutional transformation.
By serving as a lighthouse institution, North Central State College will not only enhance its own systems of student support but also contribute to a national effort to create more connected, data-informed, and student-centered colleges.
Dr. Dorey Diab, President of NC State knows the college is ready for this challenge, “North Central State College is proud to be chosen as a contributing member for this national initiative, further evidence of our leadership and commitment to student success and community service by staying at the cutting edge of technology and artificial intelligence.
As part of the initiative, North Central State College will:
Develop a comprehensive digital transformation roadmap aligned with institutional
strategy and student success goals.
Strengthen data maturity through improved governance, literacy, and effective data use
across the institution.
Implement a unified data system that securely integrates core institutional data sources.
Leverage dashboards, predictive analytics, and other tools to enable more proactive and
holistic student support.
Build internal capacity to lead and sustain large-scale digital and organizational change.
Contribute lessons learned and promising practices to inform broader reform across
access-oriented higher education institutions and the ATD Network.
For more information about North Central State College and its commitment to student success, visit www.ncstatecollege.edu.
About North Central State College
North Central State is a community college that serves 2,900 students on its Mansfield campus, Kehoe Center in Shelby, and the Crawford Success Center in Bucyrus.
The College is preparing this area’s workforce by offering more than 60 bachelor’s degree, associate degree and certificate programs of study, which include comprehensive technical education in health sciences, general studies, public service, business, engineering technology, and corporate/community services.
In addition to technical studies, North Central State College offers numerous associate of arts and associate of science degrees, which allow students to transfer credits to colleges and universities in the pursuit of advanced degrees.
About Achieving the Dream
Achieving the Dream (ATD) is a partner and champion of more than 300 community colleges across the country.
Drawing on expert coaches, groundbreaking programs, and national peer network, the organization provides institutions with integrated, tailored support for every aspect of their work — from foundational capacities such as leadership, data, and equity to intentional strategies for supporting students holistically, building K–12 partnerships, and more.
ATD calls this Whole College Transformation. Its vision is for every college to be a catalyst for equitable and economically vibrant communities.
ATD knows that with the right partner and the right approach, colleges can drive access, completion rates, and employment outcomes — so that all students can access life-changing learning that propels them into community-changing careers.
Follow ATD on X (Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn. To learn more, visit the Achieving the Dream (ATD) website: www.achievingthedream.org.
Digital Holistic Student Supports initiative
The Digital Holistic Student Supports (DHSS) initiative, a priority area of the Gates Foundation’s Postsecondary Success strategy, seeks to transform how higher education institutions support students by aligning data, technology, and institutional practice to strengthen student outcomes.