{"id":5991,"date":"2025-11-25T11:45:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T16:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/?p=5991"},"modified":"2025-11-25T16:32:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T21:32:19","slug":"behind-the-scenes-of-student-success-the-office-of-undergraduate-programs-at-michigan-ross","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/2025\/11\/25\/behind-the-scenes-of-student-success-the-office-of-undergraduate-programs-at-michigan-ross\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Scenes of Student Success: The Office of Undergraduate Programs at Michigan Ross"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tucked away on the third floor of the Kresge building, the Office of Undergraduate Programs at Michigan Ross<\/a> plays a key role in the success of Ross undergraduate students. From a student\u2019s first interest in Ross to their graduation day and beyond, the OUP team helps them find opportunities for growth, support, connection, and leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe mission of our team is to create an inclusive system of student-support teams that empower every student to reach their fullest potential,\u201d said Kaci Kegler, managing director of the Office of Undergraduate Programs. \u201cEvery student who walks through our doors brings different aspirations and needs. Our role is to see them, support them, and offer honest guidance \u2014 whether it\u2019s empowering their advocacy or helping them grow through constructive feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collaborating for student success<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Led by Kegler, OUP comprises 28 staff members organized into specialized teams focused on admissions<\/a>, academic advising, student life, academic success, and curriculum engagement. Together, they regularly collaborate across the school and with campus partners to provide comprehensive support and resources that help students thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of their collaboration starts long before students set foot on campus. In partnership with the U-M Office of Undergraduate Admissions<\/a>, Office of Enrollment Management<\/a>, Ross IT<\/a>, and other units, OUP staff work closely to support students on their admissions journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Months before important onboarding events, such as Orientation, Welcome Week, and the BBA Games, OUP staff partner with the Ross Registrar\u2019s Office<\/a>, Career Development Office<\/a>, Sanger Leadership Center<\/a>, and other Ross units to plan activities and organize materials for the onboarding events. They also prepare for other resources and activities that take place throughout the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through continual academic advising, curriculum engagement, and more, the OUP teams work to support students in various ways \u2014 from one-on-one academic advising appointments to matching students with peer mentors and thoughtfully planning events and initiatives. Regular feedback from students, faculty, and partner units helps the team continually strengthen its offerings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OUP maintains ongoing partnerships with other units throughout the year. Regular collaboration also enables staff to more effectively promote student events and opportunities, increasing attendance and ensuring that offerings are complementary rather than redundant. If your unit has information it would like to share with students, Kegler encourages you to reach out about having it added to the BizBeat<\/em> newsletter, which is sent out to all undergraduates at Ross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introducing a new dual degree with Michigan Engineering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond Ross, the OUP team regularly collaborates with colleagues from other schools. Recently, OUP partnered with Michigan Engineering to launch an integrated dual-degree program and will welcome <\/a>its first cohort of students in fall 2026. Kegler explains how this continues to be an exciting and challenging undertaking for the staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe students in this program will belong to both communities \u2013 Ross and Michigan Engineering,\u201d said Kegler. \u201cThat means rethinking how we support students, academically and socially, across two schools that aren\u2019t even physically close on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure success, OUP has been collaborating closely with staff from Michigan Engineering to design the admissions process and student experience from the ground up \u2013 from joint welcome messaging to coordinated advising and a revised onboarding program that introduces students to both schools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, academic advisors in OUP have collaborated across schools and with faculty to align on aspects of the curriculum, share insights on student needs, and propose ideas for co-curricular resources and programming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor us, this isn\u2019t just about academics, it\u2019s about creating an environment where students can fully experience all that Ross and Engineering have to offer, and feel genuinely supported throughout their entire time here,\u201d said Kegler. \u201cWorking closely with our colleagues in Engineering has been a rewarding experience. While our schools have different policies and approaches, everyone is united by a strong commitment to our students and to making this collaboration a success.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A culture of camaraderie and collaboration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within OUP itself, staff embrace a culture of camaraderie and connection. They celebrate birthdays together, organize lunch outings, and have a party planning committee that devises fun ways to bring everyone together outside of work. Over the summer this year, the team even went on an after-work trip to Big Best in Games for some friendly arcade competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGetting to know each other as people, not just colleagues, keeps the team connected and positive, even when things get busy,\u201d said Kegler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, many OUP staff members are long-time members of the Ross community, bringing a wealth of experience and institutional knowledge to the team. They\u2019re eager to share insights and thoughtful advice, and collaborate with colleagues from other units across Ross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs partners, we have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact together, \u201d said Kegler. \u201cWe invite colleagues to reach out and explore new ways we can work together to benefit our students.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tucked away on the third floor of the Kresge building, the Office of Undergraduate Programs at Michigan Ross plays a key role in the success of Ross undergraduate students. From a student\u2019s first interest in Ross to their graduation day and beyond, the OUP team helps them find opportunities for growth, support, connection, and leadership….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4802,"featured_media":5994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,17],"tags":[],"ep_post_type":[24],"class_list":["post-5991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty","category-staff","ep_post_type-post"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Nicholle Cardinal","author_meta":{"display_name":"Nicholle Cardinal","author_link":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/author\/ndcard\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2025\/11\/img_1635-2-1-300x225.jpg","taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":16,"label":"Faculty News"},{"value":17,"label":"Staff News"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2025\/11\/img_1635-2-1-1024x768.jpg",1024,768,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Nicholle Cardinal","author_link":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/author\/ndcard\/"},"comment_info":"","category_info":[{"term_id":16,"name":"Faculty News","slug":"faculty","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":16,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":102,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":16,"category_count":102,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Faculty News","category_nicename":"faculty","category_parent":0},{"term_id":17,"name":"Staff News","slug":"staff","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":17,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":192,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":17,"category_count":192,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Staff News","category_nicename":"staff","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Faculty News<\/a>","Staff News<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Faculty News<\/span>","Staff News<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 4 months ago","modified":"Updated 4 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on November 25, 2025","modified":"Updated on November 25, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on November 25, 2025 11:45 am","modified":"Updated on November 25, 2025 4:32 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4802"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5991"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5991\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6000,"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5991\/revisions\/6000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5991"},{"taxonomy":"ep_post_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rossweb.bus.umich.edu\/faculty-staff-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ep_post_type?post=5991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}