Student Success Coach
Available to students in every program, the student success coach is a professional staff member within the School of Nursing that serves as an integral part of your support network.
Think of the student success coach as a compass to help guide you towards holistic and empirically-based resources that will empower your academic experience. Through one-on-one conversations, students are encouraged to connect with any academic, professional, or personal challenges that they are facing.
Overall, the student success coach can provide support with the following elements:
- focusing on the overarching academic journey;
- developing a growth mentality;
- setting realistic and measurable goals;
- guiding towards essential institutional support and initiatives;
- and providing encouragement through positive affirmations.
Furthermore, the student success coach can help guide you towards an extensive network of individuals and colleagues that can assist with academic advising, specific course tutoring, and mental health counseling.
Working with UR Nursing's Student Success Coach
Meetings with the student success coach can be either structured and scheduled, or impromptu and informal. Understanding that each individual is unique, the student success coach will employ a tailored approach in their role. The student success coach will be an advocate for your experience, empower you to feel in control of and accountable for your effort, and offer encouragement, support, feedback, and reflection.
At the conclusion of each meeting, the student success coach will work alongside you to identify individual goals, create or contribute towards an existing action plan, and develop purposeful strategies that reinforce any new or existing efforts.
Below, learn more about how to schedule an appointment and meet with the School's of Nursing's student success coach.
Dave F. Hoffman, PhD
Student Success Coach
Pronouns: He/Him
As the School of Nursing's student success coach, Dave Hoffman connects with individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to help empower their experience and progress towards their academic, professional, and personal goals. Prior to his current role, Hoffman served in a variety of higher education professional roles where he worked with undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in fields ranging from engineering to veterinary medicine. In 2020, Hoffman completed a doctoral degree with a focus on the persistence efforts of first-generation undergraduate students.
Opportunities for Discussion include: Student Advocacy, Growth Mentality, Goal Setting, Institutional Support, Positive Affirmation
Core Values: Optimism, Kindness, Integrity
Frequently Asked Questions
Schedule an Appointment
Open Office Hours: 8-9 a.m. or 12-1 p.m. Monday to Friday
(Available in-person, or via Zoom/Phone)
Helen Wood Hall 1W220 (1st Floor)
(585) 273-1617
Dave_Hoffman@URMC.Rochester.edu