Championing Student Success

Kate Elias takes student success—and the student experience—very seriously. 

So much so that she’s dedicated the past 16 years to helping Seattle University students navigate some of the most defining moments of their college lives—from academic struggles and career pivots to personal growth, commencement celebrations and post-college life. Along the way, she has become one of the university’s most steadfast advocates for student success.

After starting her SU career as an academic advisor in the College of Arts & Sciences, Elias now serves as Vice Provost for Student Success, which tasks her with a variety of roles including overseeing a broad ecosystem of support services designed to help students thrive both inside and outside the classroom. Her current work goes beyond advising to include Disability Services, Career Engagement, Education Abroad, Orientation programs and other student-centered initiatives focused on academic success and retention. 

Elias did not originally set out to work in higher education administration.

While pursuing her doctorate in American History at Rutgers University, she was also teaching when she was asked to work more closely with a small group of students facing significant academic difficulty. Soon afterward, she inherited a caseload of students who had a 0.0 GPA during their first semester and were facing suspension or dismissal from the university.

More than just working with the students to turn things around, she found that the personalized care she was able to provide—and a shared goal of getting to the root of the challenges and finding solutions—was fulfilling. 

“I fell in love with that work,” she says. “The parts that happened outside of classes, where life impacts academic success.”

That experience shifted her professional trajectory. Rather than pursuing a tenure-track teaching career, Elias gravitated toward advising and student support, first at Rutgers and later at Oregon State University and Linfield University, where she directed academic advising and learning support services before arriving at Seattle University in November 2009. 

Returning to her hometown also meant a return to a university that had long been part of her life. Her father attended Seattle University and multiple members of her extended family are alumni. Even before becoming an employee, Elias had attended multiple SU commencement ceremonies.

“Seattle University has always been in my ecosphere,” she says.

And an important part of this ecosphere includes its location, in the heart of one of the most vibrant and innovative cities in the world. 

“One of the things I love about Seattle University is that it’s an urban area. The city is an extension of our campus,” she says. “We don’t compete with Seattle but rather it is part of our landscape.”

Initially when Elias joined the university she did so as an academic advisor, working alongside then-College of Arts and Sciences Dean David Powers. At the time, the advising office consisted of herself and three part-time graduate students.

Over the following years Elias would “grow up at Seattle University,” moving into assistant dean and associate dean roles while helping expand advising and student support systems within the college.

“What has kept me at SU for as long as I have is the students,” she says. “I really love our students.”

Having previously worked at larger public institutions, she values the accessibility and sense of community and belonging fostered on campus.

“The mission gets you through the moments,” she says, pointing to the university’s Jesuit ethos and emphasis on personal and professional formation. “Students here are special. We teach them to set the world on fire—and they apply that to us as well.”

Over the years, Elias has witnessed significant changes in higher education and in the makeup of students arriving on campus. Rising tuition costs have shifted conversations around the value of a college degree, she says, while the student population has become increasingly diverse— geographically and demographically. 

Today, much of her work centers on creating wraparound systems of support that help students feel connected and capable of succeeding. Ensuring these services reach and are accessible to all students is a central driving force behind the creation of the Student Success division a few years ago. 

Elias oversees initiatives designed to make student support feel more seamless across campus. Through tools like the university’s Slate CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform and Early Feedback Initiative, faculty, advisors and support staff can coordinate interventions and referrals more effectively. 

Cohesiveness and continuity are especially important during periods of institutional transition, including Seattle University’s move from quarters to semesters (happening in Fall 2027) and the integration of Cornish College of the Arts into Seattle University. 

“Our job is to keep as many students as possible through those transitions,” she says.

And what does Elias view as the most rewarding part of her work? The connections, her colleagues and, perhaps above all, continuing the important work with students.

“I love seeing students reach their goals, even if the destination looks different from where they first set out.”