ABOUT SPARTAN PATHFINDERS
Our Approach
Spartan Pathfinders is a Pell Initiative for Virginia (PIV) grant that supports activities to increase NSU Pell-eligible students’ recruitment, enrollment, retention and attainment. Spartan Pathfinders considers the academic life cycle of students and strategically highlights three prongs that supports recruitment strategies, enhance student outcomes, and bridge academic experience to career readiness for Pell-eligible students. Through connection, academic preparedness, career development and readiness, wellness, and financial literacy, Spartan Pathfinders ensures learners feel supported, confident, and prepared to thrive from their first semester onward to graduation and beyond. The program focuses on leveraging existing signature programs while minimizing duplication of efforts and celebrating current successful initiatives, which are reflected in the Spartan Pathfinder Four-Year Roadmap.
The Spartan Pathfinder Four-Year Roadmap
The Spartan Pathfinder Four-Year Roadmap is a key tool that helps participants map out their four-year college journey and personalize experiences tailored to their interests and needs. Theroadmap serves as a guiding framework that allows students to see a glimpse of their four-year journey at NSU, with specific milestones and opportunities highlighted along the way. By leveraging the roadmap, students can engage in activities that are not only aligned with their academic and career goals but are also designed to enhance their learning through practical, realworld applications. The roadmap leverages signature programs on campus, featuring these experiential opportunities prominently along the map. This includes initiatives such as undergraduate research, internships, leadership development programs, and other high-impact practices that are integral to the student experience at NSU. Embedding these signature programs into the roadmap allows the Spartan Pathfinders program to ensure student awareness of key opportunities while promoting intentional participation aligned with each student’s personalized college pathway.
Spartan Pathfinders Support
Through the NSU Pathfinders program, participants gain access to:
- A detailed roadmap that guides students on their educational journey.
- Resources and events that provide vital academic and career information.
- Support for navigating college expectations and campus life.
- Goal-setting guidance tied to academic and career interests.
- Stipends for students who meet the certain requirements.
- Emergency funding for tuition-related fees.