Higher Voltage Breaking Down Silos: What It Really Takes to Build a Connected College
Feb 26, 2026
Elliot Felix, student success author and higher education strategist, discusses breaking down silos to create a truly connected campus. He outlines five critical student connections and shares strategy-focused approaches like design thinking and prioritization habits. Practical first steps and real institutional examples illustrate how to align teams, systems, and partnerships for better student experiences.
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Writing Lab And Writing Center Merger Story
- Elliot Felix described a kickoff where a university combined a writing lab and writing center into one hub to reduce redundancy and confusion for students.
- The groups reported to different people and were in different buildings until collocating them into a single student success hub solved the overlap.
Five Connections That Define A Connected College
- Felix defines five essential connections for a connected college: belonging, support, course-career linkage, internal collaboration, and external partnerships.
- He argues alignment on mission is common, but alignment on how to operationalize that mission is what creates impact.
Build A Strategy That Forces Tradeoffs
- Build a usable strategy, not a feel-good plan: define where to play and how to win so people can say no and focus resources.
- Translate big aims into specific choices (e.g., what kind of experiential learning, with whom, and to what end).
