Carrie Van Haren
Director, Academic Assessment and Quality Improvement.
Offices and Initiatives
Student success is strengthened through the combined work of several specialized offices and initiatives. University 101 Programs support students in their transition to college. The Student Success Center provides academic support and coaching. The Career Center helps students prepare for careers and lifelong success. The Carolina Experience focuses on transfer students and success beyond the first year. The Assessment and Quality Improvement team transforms data into meaningful action. The National Resource Center extends the university’s leadership in research and best practices that support student transitions nationwide.
Provides leadership in assessment, data analytics, and continuous improvement across the Student Success Department. The office develops dashboards, conducts research, manages surveys, and translates complex data into clear insights that support strategic planning, program effectiveness, and evidence-based decision making. Its work has become a model within the Division of Student Affairs for meaningful data visualization and quality improvement.
Email: carriew@mailbox.sc.edu
The Career Center serves as a trusted expert in the university’s career ecosystem. It provides programs and services that empower students to explore career interests, build readiness, and develop key competencies. The Center facilitates opportunities for students to gain meaningful career experiences and pursue lifelong success. It also partners strategically with faculty and staff to embed career readiness into the academic experience by aligning with classroom learning, sharing data insights, and advancing collaborative initiatives that support student success across the university.
sc.edu/careercenter
Phone: 803-777-7280
Justin Lawhead
Assistant Vice President for Career Readiness and Graduate Student Success
Provides comprehensive and cross-coordinating support to promote a premier student experience beyond the traditional first-year to facilitate student success and graduation. Supports students through targeted programs, peer leadership, consultations, and campus partnerships that strengthen belonging, engagement, and timely progress toward graduation. The office also helps lead student success strategies through tools such as EAB Navigate and collaborative campus initiatives.
Email: fallucca@mailbox.sc.edu
Amber Fallucca
Director, Carolina Experience
Serves as an internationally recognized leader in research, publications, conferences, and professional development focused on student learning, success, and transitions into and through higher education. The center extends the University of South Carolina’s influence nationally and globally.
sc.edu/fye
Phone: 803-777-2570
Email: kl86@mailbox.sc.edu
Kate Lehman
Executive Director, National Resource Center
Provides comprehensive academic support through peer tutoring, supplemental instruction, writing assistance, success coaching, financial wellness services, and targeted student support programs. The SSC facilitates student learning, retention, and degree completion by providing resources that advance course completion and personal transition to and within the university setting through academic goal setting, skill development, and effective decision making.
sc.edu/success
Phone: 803-777-1000
Email: sassc@mailbox.sc.edu
Dana Talbert
Director, Student Success Center
Provides nationally recognized first-year seminars and transition courses to support holistic student success. The office also provides professional development for U101 instructors and peer leaders to promote teaching excellence in support of students’ while transitions into, though, and beyond the university experience.
sc.edu/university101
Phone: 803-777-6029
Email: U101@mailbox.sc.edu
Dan Friedman
Assistant Vice President, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and University 101 Programs