Baylor Receives National Recognition for Achievement in Student Success
Carroll Crowson, director of student success and engagement in the Paul L. Foster Success Center, honored with Excellence in Technology Administration Award
Carroll Crowson (center in green) received national recognition for her dedication to improving technology systems and best practices and going above and beyond in her commitment to student success by EAB. (Photo courtesy of EAB)
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Education company EAB has honored Baylor University’s Carroll Crowson, director of student success and engagement in the Paul L. Foster Success Center, with the 2025 Student Success Collaborative-Excellence in Technology Administration Award. The award recognizes Crowson for exceptional dedication to improving technology systems and best practices and for going above and beyond in her commitment to student success through the help of EAB technology. Baylor uses the Navigate360 platform that proactively supports student success.
Crowson and other representatives from Baylor and the Foster Success Center were in Orlando, Florida, this week to accept the award at the Student Success Collaborative’s CONNECTED summit, a three-day gathering of thousands of student success leaders from four-year colleges and universities and community colleges.
“Receiving the EAB Excellence in Technology Administration award is deeply meaningful to me personally and also honors the amazing work of our entire team of administrators, faculty and staff at Baylor who use the Navigate platform to support students,” Crowson said. “I would like to extend my deep appreciation to Ron English, Lauren Lemon and Kendra Campbell for their dedicated service to the Baylor community. Their efforts in expanding our reach through configuration updates, addressing concerns and providing support with Navigate inquiries have been invaluable. I also want to express my thanks to Mary Stephenson and Dr. Wes Null for their outstanding leadership in championing Navigate initiatives across campus.”
The Navigate360 platform is used by students to support their academic success and streamline access to university resources. Faculty and staff used the platform to facilitate proactive academic support and coordinated care so students stay on the pathway to academic success. In fact, Baylor’s graduation rates have continually improved and now are at record highs, with the four-year graduation rate in 2025 jumping 6.2 points to 77.3%, while the six-year graduation rate increased by 2.1 points to 82.2%.
Increasing graduation rates is a University priority, aligning with the goals outlined in the Baylor in Deeds strategic plan to develop and improve robust systems that actively guide undergraduate students toward graduation in four years. With undergraduate retention remaining strong at 92.3%, more students are on pace to graduate within four years, thanks in part to the impact of several student success initiatives that complement the University’s attention to affordability and degree completion.
“This award affirms the heart behind our work,” Crowson said. “We use tools like Navigate not just to track progress, but to build a community of resilient students who graduate from Baylor equipped and empowered. This honor reflects the collective dedication of a team that believes technology should serve people, and that every data point is a student story worth supporting.”
This year marks the 11th consecutive year that EAB has recognized outstanding achievements in student success. In 2019, Baylor won the Technology Pioneer Award, which recognized the University as an institution consistently on the leading edge when it comes to technology by testing new solutions to advance student success.
“This national recognition for Carroll celebrates her tireless leadership, creativity and dedication to using this technology to advance student success,” said J. Wesley (Wes) Null, Ph.D., professor and vice provost for undergraduate education and academic affairs at Baylor. “Carroll has worked passionately and creatively for many years to develop innovative solutions that make a powerful difference in the lives of our students, faculty and staff. Her work embodies our commitment to excellence, collaboration and continuous improvement, and she exemplifies all that we do at Baylor to help students succeed. Congratulations to Carroll on this fantastic achievement for her and Baylor.”
ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.
ABOUT EAB
At EAB, our mission is to make education smarter and our communities stronger. We work with more than 2,800 institutions to drive transformative change through data-driven insights and best-in-class capabilities. From kindergarten to college to career, EAB partners with leaders and practitioners to accelerate progress and drive results across enrollment, student success, institutional strategy, data analytics, and advancement. We work with each partner differently, tailoring our portfolio of research, technology, and marketing and enrollment solutions to meet the unique needs of every leadership team, as well as the students and employees they serve. Learn more at eab.com.