Jeffrey Nasse

In the age of information overload, students are bombarded by inflammatory discourse across media channels. This constant exposure to negativity can make it difficult for them to have constructive conversations. Higher Education (HE) institutions can offer safe spaces for learning, supporting students to engage in respectful dialogue and develop a willingness to see value in diverse perspectives.

Chris Mansfield, our Client Services Lead, sat down with Jeffrey Nasse, College Provost and Senior Vice President at Broward College, to discuss the pivotal role onboarding and faculty play in supporting student success.

Jeffrey's Journey

Chris: Let's start with a brief introduction to yourself and your institution.

I’m Jeff Nasse, College Provost and Senior Vice President at Broward College in Greater Fort Lauderdale. I’ve been at Broward College for 20 years, having started as English faculty. We serve around 46,000 undergraduate students and offer 67 degree programs. As a community college, many of our undergraduates transfer to local universities in Florida to continue their studies.

Chris: What drew you to work in Student Affairs?

After graduating with my degree in English, my first job was as a part-time teacher at a small community college. It was very different to my college experience; I enjoyed working with students from diverse backgrounds. As an educator, I learned what HE can mean to students. Since then, I’ve always been driven by the mission of HE; it has the power to change students’ lives and the lives of their families.

Chris: What have you found most effective in equipping students for constructive and respectful dialogue?

Unfortunately, we’re inundated with combative rhetoric; it’s across all media. We want our students to learn to uncover the underlying issues and move beyond surface-level disagreements and media noise. We invest in faculty professional development; they do a great job of reminding students that they’re in an academic space and we’re here to learn. Constructive dialogue is a two-way street; we want to create an environment where students feel comfortable expressing themselves while developing their capacity to listen respectfully and learn from one another.

Chris: What have you found most effective in communicating these fundamental values at scale? 

As a community college, most of our students are working; some have multiple jobs. Students typically come to Broward College to advance their careers. We’re conscious that we need to meet our students where they are, and that they may be unable or unwilling to join broad topical discussions. That said, our faculty and advisors do a great job of ensuring students have the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations on a multitude of issues should they want to.

Chris: What areas are you focusing on during the onboarding phase to enable student success?

We’re continually refining the student onboarding process. We want our onboarding experience to be thorough but not create barriers or resistance, particularly for our first-generation students. Our orientation program has a strong focus on career exploration; we want to support students to better understand the pathways that will take them where they want to go. We’ve recently developed an intake survey tailored to give us insights into the nuances of our students’ lives – we want to get to the heart of what our students need to succeed throughout their college journey. This initiative is especially important for students who may need support with basic needs like food and transport so we can ensure they receive the right resources and support.

Chris: What have you found most successful in connecting students with the services that can best support them?

There’s no shortage of resources; the challenge lies in raising student awareness. We use traditional approaches like text and email communications and campus signage, but some of our most effective work in this area happens in the classroom. Students see faculty staff more consistently than anyone else on campus; faculty are uniquely positioned to understand and support them. We intentionally engage faculty with our student service offerings so they can organically share relevant information and refer students when necessary.

Chris: What is the best piece of advice you’ve received across the course of your career?

I love Mandela’s quote, ‘I never lose; I either win or learn’. As an administrator, I acknowledge that some initiatives will fall short of their initial targets – these are valuable learning experiences that can inform future projects. Failing is part of achieving success. We want to instill this thinking in our students at Broward College, too; we are in the business of learning, after all.