University of South Carolina’s National Resource Center selected as successor to the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina’s National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (NRC) has been selected as the new home for the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS), which has been based at the University of North Georgia since 2012. The transition brings together two respected organizations known for advancing student success research and professional practice across higher education.
An international resource for scholarship and innovation in student transition research, the NRC has served for nearly forty years supporting educators and institutions with first-year programming, academic advising and strategies that promote student learning and persistence. The addition of NISTS builds on this foundation, expanding the NRC’s capacity to address the needs of transfer students and the educators who serve them.
“For more than two decades, NISTS has shaped how higher education understands and supports transfer students,” says Kate Lehman, Executive Director of the National Resource Center. “At the National Resource Center, we see this transition as both a privilege and a responsibility to preserve NISTS’s invaluable resources and relationships while integrating them into our broader mission to champion all students in transition. We warmly welcome the NISTS community into ours and look forward to advancing this work together with renewed energy and purpose.”
“For 23 years, NISTS and the National Resource Center have engaged in a celebrated partnership that’s spanned publishing, presenting, and advocacy. This shared experience positions the NRC to preserve the treasured elements of the NISTS community while advancing the field of transfer and learning mobility, says Janet Marling, Executive Director of the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students. “We have the utmost confidence in Kate and her team and are grateful to the University of South Carolina and the Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support for their championing of this important endeavor.”
Founded in 2002 at the University of North Texas, NISTS has established itself as a national voice on transfer student success, offering research, resources and professional learning opportunities that influence how colleges and universities serve students who move between institutions. Its integration into the NRC creates a more comprehensive national hub for transition-related research and professional development.
“I’m honored that the National Resource Center will continue the important work on transfer students that NISTS has championed for so many years,” says Dan Friedman, Assistant Vice President for University 101 Programs and the NRC. “Their vision and dedication to advancing student success have made a lasting impact, and we’re excited to build on that strong foundation and elevate the work even further. The University of South Carolina has long been a leader in studying and supporting students in transition, and we are poised to expand this legacy advancing research, resources and partnerships that strengthen the transfer student experience. This transition reflects our deep commitment to supporting student success well beyond the first-year experience.”
“Transfer students and the faculty and staff who champion them play a vital role in expanding educational access and opportunity,” says Silvia Patricia Rios Husain, Associate Vice President for Student Success. “The partnership between NISTS and the National Resource Center ensures that this essential work not only continues but grows stronger, in alignment with the work we do. By bringing together two national leaders in student transition research and practice, we’re creating new opportunities to share knowledge, support practitioners and strengthen student success across institutions. This transition underscores our shared commitment to ensuring that every student’s pathway to a degree is supported, valued and celebrated.”
The NRC, housed within USC’s Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support, is home to several national initiatives that promote effective teaching, research and policy around student transitions. It serves thousands of educators each year through conferences, grants and publications that inform evidence-based practice. The addition of NISTS aligns naturally with this mission and expands the Center’s impact across the higher education community.
“The National Resource Center is one of the University of South Carolina’s proudest contributions to higher education,” says J. Rex Tolliver, Vice President for Student Affairs and Academic Support. “Welcoming the NISTS portfolio into the NRC expands both the reach and reputation of USC as a leader in student success. This moment reflects our enduring commitment to excellence in research, practice and partnership and signals to the national higher education community that USC continues to shape how institutions support students through critical transitions from their first year to transfer and beyond.”
Higher education leaders across the country have expressed strong support for the transition. Bernie Savarese, NRC Board Member and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Research and Student Success for the University of Tennessee System, called the merger a meaningful advancement for the field.
“This merger represents a powerful step forward for higher education. By uniting NISTS’s deep expertise in transfer student success with the NRC’s long-standing leadership in student transitions, we’re strengthening the national infrastructure that supports all learners and improves outcomes across institutions.”
The NRC plans to formally highlight the merger at the 45th Annual National Conference on The First-Year Experience in February 2026.
National Resource Center and University 101 Programs featured in MediaPlanet's College Preparedness and Affordability Campaign
The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and University 101 Programs are featured resources in MediaPlanet's College Preparedness and Affordability campaign, published in the May 30 edition of The LA Times.
This campaign is designed to empower students and families with the insights and tools that they need to succeed - from the admissions process and financial literacy to mental wellness, academic preparation, and life on campus. We're proud to be part of a campaign that helps to prepare students for their transition to college and make the most of their first year.
Our featured piece, Meet the Key People Shaping Your College Experience, was written by Dr. Kate Lehman, Director - National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and Katie Hopkins, Associate Director for Faculty Development and Resources - University 101 Programs at the University of South Carolina.
National Resource Center and University 101 Programs featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education's The First-Year Experience Report
The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and University 101 Programs are featured resources in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s latest report, The First-Year Experience: How to support student success. As one of only five resources selected for the report nationwide, both teams were highlighted as key experts on the first-year experience and described as “a clearinghouse for scholarship, policy, and best practices.”
The report, available for purchase through The Chronicle, discusses the importance of having a first-year program on campus and the importance of first-year programs for students’ academic and social experiences. The report highlights key datapoints drawn from the National Resource Center’s forthcoming 2023 National Survey on The First-Year Experience, including information about key elements of first-year experience programs offered nationwide. Further, data drawn from U101 assessment demonstrates the role of first-year seminar courses in promoting student retention from their first- to second year in college.
The University’s first-year seminar course, University 101, was prominently highlighted in the report. The University 101 course was introduced in 1972 as an educational experiment in response to 1970 student riots against the Vietnam War, other perceived social injustices, and local campus issues. The protests — which grew to include a building takeover and clashes with the National Guard — led to some soul-searching on the part of South Carolina’s administration. Among the university’s responses: University 101, a small seminar course meant to connect students to the institution, and to one another, says Dan Friedman, assistant vice president for University 101 Programs & the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. Friedman co-edited a book on the course’s history, impact, and success. The University of South Carolina has received national recognition for many years as U.S. News and World Report’s #1 public university in the nation for our first-year experience/University 101 course.
One major section of the report focuses on building a first-year experience on your campus. The National Resource Center and University 101 Programs have been advising colleges for decades on how to approach this. NRC director Dr. Kate Lehman, offers a few key tips:
- Colleges can coordinate efforts under an office of first-year experience or spread responsibilities across several departments. They may also appoint someone to a new role as director of the first-year experience.
- Regardless of where the program is housed, buy-in and support are needed from across student affairs and academic affairs.
- Among the offices that need to be aligned on the goals of the program are advising, orientation, recreation, residence life, student activities, student success, and wellness.
- Getting buy-in across so many units and departments requires a clear campuswide vision of what the first-year experience should encompass.
- Each of those offices will have their own priorities, which will need to be balanced among all of the competing demands on staff members’ time.
Questions about The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition can be sent to fye@mailbox.sc.edu. Questions about University 101 Programs can be sent to U101@mailbox.sc.edu.
About the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition: Building upon its history of excellence as the founder and leader of the first-year experience movement, the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition serves education professionals by supporting and advancing efforts to improve student learning and transitions into and through higher education. We achieve this mission by providing opportunities for the exchange of practical and scholarly information as well as the discussion of trends and issues in our field through the convening of conferences and other professional development events such as workshops, and online learning opportunities; publication of scholarly practice books, research reports, a peer-reviewed journal, electronic newsletters, and guides; generating, supporting, and disseminating research and scholarship; hosting visiting scholars; and maintaining several online channels for resource sharing and communication, including a dynamic website, listservs, and social media outlets.
About University 101 Programs: University 101 Programs fosters holistic student success and teaching excellence by providing evidence-driven academic courses, leadership opportunities, resources, and instructor development in support of students’ transition into, through, and out of the university. University 101 Programs is a model of innovative, collaborative, equitable, and data-driven practices and is recognized as the international leader in first-year and transition seminars, peer education, and instructor development.
About The Chronicle: The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Since its founding in 1966, The Chronicle has grown to serve millions of educators, administrators, researchers, and policymakers who rely on insights from The Chronicle to lead, teach, learn, and innovate. The Chronicle’s independent newsroom – the nation’s largest dedicated to covering colleges and universities – is home to award-winning journalists, experts, and data analysts with a passion for serving audiences with indispensable news and actionable insights on issues that matter.