The Student Success Institute is based on the premise that a key role of educators in higher education is that of a "mentor" -- fostering the growth and development of cognitive, social, and affective skills. Success is referred to not simply in terms of academic success but rather in terms of a broad set of those skills required for success beyond college.

An educational philosophy called Process Education fully encompasses the concept of mentoring and aims to develop individuals into self-growers—those with such strong self-assessment skills that they are able to continually improve performance and mentor their own growth.

Process Education includes elements of all of the following: active learning, student-centered learning, mentoring, assessment, use of technology and the learning paradigm. During the institute, participants will be introduced to a variety of tools which support the philosophy of Process Education and lead to a quality first-year course. Some of these tools are as follows.