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Guided Services

As part of the Student Experience Project (SEP), the Guided Services effort focused on helping students connect with the right people and resources at the right time so they can stay on track and get the support they need.

Building on recommendations from the National Institute for Student Success (NISS), the Guided Services effort resulted in the development and launch of Answer U, the university’s student support and navigation service.

In the past, students had to navigate a mix of different offices, advisors and support services on their own. The new model simplifies that process by making it easier to find help, no matter where a student starts.

Led by the J. Willard Marriott Library, the Guided Services project team created Answer U as a clear, student-centered starting point for support. Today, Answer U:

  • Helps students get what they need, when they need it: By organizing campus support into a more connected system, Answer U helps students find accurate answers quickly and connect with the right people without delays or confusion.
  • Make support more accessible to every student: Not all students come to the U with the same knowledge of how to navigate a university. Answer U removes that barrier by making help easier to find and use.
  • Provides a clear starting point: Students don’t need to know the names of specific offices or understand how the university is organized. They simply need to know that help is available and someone is ready to guide them.

Through in-person services, online chat, phone, email and virtual appointments, Answer U helps students navigate questions and connect with the resources they need. Beyond answering immediate questions, Answer U staff stay connected with students throughout their time at the U, including checking in, following up and helping them connect with specialized support as their needs evolve.

Timeline

2024–25 Academic Year: Building on the findings of the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) report, a steering committee was formed to take a deeper look at the student experience. Data was collected through focus groups and interviews with students, faculty, staff and campus leaders, and analyzed alongside institutional student data to identify key challenges.

Summer 2025: A cross-functional leadership team was charged with translating findings into priority areas for action, with the ultimate decision to develop an integrated support model.

Fall 2025: The project team began drafting the initial operational design and staffing model for the new student-centered navigation office.

Spring 2026: The project team finalized the design framework and began developing a comprehensive marketing and communications plan.

Summer 2026: The project team formalized connections with key campus partners, and a soft launch phase began, during which the team is testing systems, refining workflows and continuing evaluation efforts to support continuous improvement.

August 2026: The university formally launches Answer U, accompanied by a campus promotion effort.

Team Members

Our work to advance student access to support services is guided by a leadership team and advisory group that bring together perspectives from Academic Affairs, the Division of Student Affairs, the Marriott Library and other key areas. This cross-functional approach ensures the integrated support model is student-centered and complements existing campus resources.

Project Team

  • Mitzi Montoya – Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost (Executive Sponsor)
  • Sarah Shreeves – Alice Sheets Marriott Dean of Libraries (Project Lead)
  • Allison Allred – Access and Operations Manager
  • Scott Bigler – Associate Director Information & Operations
  • Amanda Crittenden – Assistant Head, User Experience and Web Development
  • Ian Godfrey – Assistant Dean, Access, Information, & Building Services
  • Melanie Hawks – Assistant Dean for Organizational Development
  • Angela Wilkins – Student Computing Services and Knowledge Commons Manager
  • Audrey Iffert-Saleem – Special Advisor, Strategic Initiatives

Advisory Group

The Guided Services Advisory Group provides ongoing input on how Answer U is designed and delivered. The group helps ensure support is student-centered, equitable and well-coordinated with other campus services by advising on service models, referral protocols, training needs and continuous improvement efforts. Members include:

  • Brittany Baker-Brousseau – Senior Associate Director of Admissions
  • Rick Batchelor – Director of Learning Abroad
  • Maggie Blanton – Product Manager for Navigate U and EAB
  • Cyri Dixon – Senior Director of Academic Advising and Career Coaching – Region A
  • Hilary Flanagan – Senior Director of Academic Advising and Career Coaching – Region B
  • Anastasia Fynn – Director of International Student and Scholar Services
  • Ashley Glenn – Associate Director, Education, Campus Advising Solutions
  • Lisa Humphrey – Program Manager, English Language Institute
  • Anthony Jones – Executive Director, Financial Aid and Scholarships
  • Liz Leckie – Senior Director of Academic Advising and Career Coaching – Region C
  • Melanie Lee – Associate Dean of Students, Student Affairs
  • Char Leary – Associate Director of Advocacy, Center for Campus Wellness, Student Affairs
  • Mark Powell – Assistant Registrar
  • Rachelle Rowan – Associate Director, Financial Aid and Scholarships
  • Genifer Snipes – Head, Teaching, Research, and Outreach, Marriott Library

FAQs

Purpose and Goals

  • The current system includes many student-centered services, but they’re often disconnected. Students are expected to figure out which office to go to or which person to ask. This leads to frustration or confusion, uneven support and missed opportunities to intervene early when students face challenges. The integrated support model is designed to simplify this experience so students can access help easily, regardless of their background or familiarity with university systems.

  • The changes address three key challenges:

    1. Fragmentation: Too many disconnected services can overwhelm students.
    2. Equity gaps: Some students struggle more to navigate systems that assume prior knowledge.
    3. Missed connections: Without a coordinated system, students may fall through the cracks or miss out on helpful resources or opportunities.

    Answer U aims to create a more seamless, proactive and equitable student support system.

  • Students will spend less time figuring out where to go for help and more time getting the support they need. Answer U is designed to make finding resources intuitive, accessible and responsive to all students regardless of where they are in their academic journey. By reducing confusion and making support easier to access, this new service helps students stay on track toward their academic and career goals, advancing broader university priorities around retention, graduation and successful transition into the workforce.

  • Yes. This change builds directly on findings from the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) report, as well as interviews and focus groups with students, faculty, staff and campus leaders. Many students shared that they felt lost or overwhelmed when trying to find support. This redesign responds to what we heard and is meant to better meet students where they are.

Staffing and Organizational Changes

  • The library is one of the most visited, trusted and accessible places on campus, both in person and online. It already plays a key role in campus wayfinding, helping students navigate complex systems and information. Locating Answer U within the library team builds on that strength, expanding its role as a hub for guidance and connection. This new service will extend the library’s ethos of access and support, offering students a clear starting point for getting help, whether they’re feeling overwhelmed and need to talk to someone, having trouble logging into campus systems, trying to adjust their course schedule or just feeling unsure where to start. Staff will guide them to the right resources and follow up to ensure their needs are met.

  • No. While the new service will be provided by staff affiliated with the Marriott Library organizationally, Answer U services will be available at multiple locations across campus. We’re still working through which sites make the most sense, but the goal is to meet students where they are, whether that’s in high-traffic campus buildings, online or through on-demand virtual support. The Answer U team will also collaborate closely with advisors, faculty and other staff to ensure students can access help in the ways that work best for them.

  • As part of the Student Experience Project, the university has decided to discontinue the Student Success Coaching program and reallocate those resources to other student support areas. The program will end on June 30, 2026.

    In evaluating how students seek help across advising, career services and other support areas, it became clear that changes were needed. Key elements of the coaching model are now being integrated into those systems, and new staffing is being added to improve the university’s overall ability to guide students to the help they need.

    Answer U is designed to provide that kind of navigational support, helping any student get connected to the right resource, at the right time, without needing to figure out which office to start with on their own. Staff members will be available in person and online, including hours that extend beyond the standard business day. In partnership with academic and support services units, this team will stay connected with students until they receive the help they need to resolve the issue or challenge they’re facing.

  • Until the Student Success Coaching program ends on June 30, 2026, the Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS) will accept referrals and ensure students are connected to appropriate support. Colleges and departments can refer students by contacting Sandra Ward in Campus Support and Intervention in the ODOS.

    After the coaching program concludes, ODOS will remain available to support students facing complex personal or academic issues, including those involving safety, wellbeing or other urgent concerns. As the new Guided Services team is established, it will become the primary point of contact for general student questions and support, helping students connect quickly to the right offices, services or staff across campus. In some cases, Guided Services may refer students to ODOS when more specialized or sensitive support is required.

  • Specialized offices such as Financial Aid, Academic Advising and Counseling Services will continue to operate independently and remain essential to the student experience. The goal of Answer U is not to replace these offices, but to improve how students connect with them. This new service will serve as a central navigation hub that helps students understand what support is available, where to go and how to get connected quickly.

  • As part of this project, we conducted a landscape assessment through interviews with leadership teams across academic units. These conversations helped us understand the support structures already in place and identify opportunities to partner more effectively without duplicating existing efforts. This new service is not meant to replace support staff or services in colleges and departments. Instead, Answer U staff will work in partnership with those teams to clarify referral pathways and ensure students get where they need to go more seamlessly.

    Academic unit input continues to shape the design, and Answer U staff will collaborate with colleges and schools to provide consistent training, aligned approaches to resource navigation and stronger connections between central and local services. This work will remain ongoing as the new service develops.

  • Answer U services are provided by the Marriott Library staff. The Marriott Library reports to the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Questions or Feedback Form

For questions, contact EVPAA@utah.edu or complete the feedback form below.
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