From work study student at Piedmont Community College (PCC), to Dean of Enrollment Services at PCC, Tasha Williams has the gift of knowing the unique challenges students face because she’s walked the same path.
After graduating with an Associate Degree in Accounting and Business Administration, Williams became the Financial Aid/Veterans Affairs Technician at PCC in 1998. From there, she continued to pursue additional education, eventually graduating with a Master of Accountancy degree from Gardner-Webb University in 2018 and working her way to become the Dean of Enrollment Services in 2021.
For Williams, her role at PCC combines her love of math and student success since much of her role involves analyzing data. One of the ways Williams thrives in combining data with student success has been through the implementation of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, Enterprise. Enterprise is a product of Watermark, which has been beneficial for outreach and retention of prospective students.
Williams was recently certified as a Student Success & Engagement (SS&E) Administrator from training provided by Watermark. SS&E is another Watermark product that supports retention of students. She credits SS&E and the implementation of the CRM for positively impacting student success by allowing academic advisors to more easily communicate with students, which allows for higher completion rates. It has also helped to get more prospective students through the enrollment funnel.
With nearly 30 years of experience in higher education, Williams learned early on that the hallmark of student success is to meet them where they are and to genuinely care about them.
“In Enrollment Services, we are the entry point into the college as well as the exit,” Williams said. “We never know when we begin speaking with a prospective student what their goals and aspirations are. But after having a meaningful conversation, you can begin to determine what they aspire to be – whether it’s short-term workforce development to earn a credential, change career, get a higher paying job, earn their high school equivalency, or work on a curriculum program. Throughout the conversation, we try to determine which path would be the best for them.”
Williams has many moments she’s proud of throughout her career at PCC, but one that stands out is her staff always striving to eliminate barriers that hinder student success. Even when students are faced with unavoidable situations in life, her team is always looking for ways to provide students with the necessary resources for their success.
“The experiences you go through are opportunities to learn and grow and keep moving forward towards the goal you’re trying to reach,” Williams said. “We can’t allow our students to give up, and we need to do our part to support them.”
Recent Comments