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Welcome to the Boost Academy, VCCS’s professional learning academy for anyone who works with students, guides students, or wants to see more students succeed.

Let’s get started

Empowering Staff.  Elevating Students.

Two students talking and laughing together in a sunlit campus lounge

Go From Transactions
to Transformation

 

A first-of-its-kind program, BOOST Academy — Building Opportunities for Outcomes in Student Training— is built on a simple belief: When educators grow, students thrive. You’ll gain tools and strategies to:

  • Increase support for Pell Grant-eligible students
  • Improve retention and success
  • Guide students through their academic journey toward a meaningful career
  • Foster a welcoming environment within VCCS

By investing in the people who serve students every day, BOOST Academy helps transform individual interactions into more meaningful experiences for everyone.

Three students studying together on a bench in front of a campus statue

New motivation for both
you and students.

 

Delivered through a flexible, asynchronous Canvas course, BOOST Academy combines evidence-based learning with practical application.

Through four expert-led learning modules, you’ll build the skills and confidence to create student experiences that foster belonging and resilience.

Each module combines expert instruction with reflection and hands-on activities, giving you tools you can immediately apply in your work with students and colleagues.

Meet Your Experts

Why This Matters.

Culture of Care

Advances the goal of compassionate, student-centered service.

Retention & Enrollment

Directly supports priorities around persistence, graduation, and funding stability.

Systemwide Impact

Creates consistency in student support across all 23 colleges.

Scalable Innovation

Establishes VCCS as a leader in professional development nationwide.

Excited? Ready
to be inspired?

Access the BOOST Academy Canvas course and start building new skills and knowledge today.

Let's Go

If you are not a current VCCS employee, please contact StudentSuccess@vccs.edu about your interest and for additional information.

One of the things that has stuck with me is understanding the why behind our actions. Then stripping out bias, stripping out your own opinion. Instead, having a holistic view and seeing students as humans.

Hedda Babilonia
Pell Boost Liaison, Germana College

Acknowledgments


BOOST Academy was created through a collaborative effort led by the Virginia Community College Student Success Center. Colleagues across the VCCS System Office built the Academy, and hundreds of VCCS employees throughout the Commonwealth helped shape it by participating in its design and testing.

The development and implementation of BOOST Academy were made possible through funding from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) through the Pell Initiative for Virginia.

This initiative also supports Pell Boost, a statewide VCCS program that connects Pell-eligible students with personalized financial aid guidance and ongoing support from application through graduation.

We gratefully acknowledge SCHEV’s investment and every VCCS colleague whose time, insight, and expertise helped bring BOOST Academy to life.

Learn more about the Pell Initiative for Virginia.