Aviva Daniel ’27 (SUNY Geneseo/Mat Johnson)
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) has included SUNY Geneseo among 12 institutions participating in its Student-Centered Course Scheduling Accelerator—a fast-moving program designed to help campuses improve course scheduling effectively and efficiently. The Accelerator is funded by Lumina Foundation, with additional support from the Gates Foundation.
Participating institutions will receive technical assistance from Ad Astra, along with tools, data, and peer learning support. These resources are aimed at helping SUNY Geneseo and others reduce class conflicts, create schedules that fit students’ lives, address challenging course combinations, and ensure courses align with student demand. These improvements are designed to make it easier for students to register for the classes they need, progress more quickly toward graduation, and avoid unnecessary obstacles in their academic journey.
“Geneseo is excited to collaborate with AASCU and the Lumina Foundation on this work,” said Mary Toale, SUNY Geneseo Provost and VP for academic affairs. “It gives us new capacity to advance the progress already underway through our Academic Momentum Campaign, moving students toward graduation with greater clarity and fewer barriers.”
The Accelerator builds on the results AASCU has already demonstrated. An earlier 11-institution pilot (2023–2025) produced a 12% increase in students completing first-year English and math courses and a 1.4-credit increase in average productive credits earned per student annually—an 8.1% improvement that measurably speeds progress toward on-time graduation.
“Designing course schedules to reduce friction in the student journey is a success imperative,” said Wayne Taliaferro, strategy director at Lumina. “When colleges build schedules around students’ lives and learning needs, more of them graduate with fewer derailments, enabling them to earn the credentials they need and that today’s economy demands.”
“Registration can be one of the most stressful weeks of the semester because the schedule doesn’t always cooperate with us,” says Lucas Pastwik ’27, president of the Student Association at the College. ”If required classes meet at the same time, or the only section available interferes with your job, it can put graduation at risk. I’m glad Geneseo is taking initiative on a problem that affects so many students every semester.”
“We’ve seen what happens when institutions treat the course schedule as a student success strategy rather than an administrative routine: more students finish, spending less time and money along the way,” said Terry Brown, vice president for academic innovation and transformation at AASCU. “This program lets more campuses begin that work alongside peers who are already seeing results.”
Adapted from AASCU’s announcement. Read the full press release.
Author
Monique Patenaude, PhD