BRADENTON, FL (Oct. 23, 2025)—Raúl Fernández-Calienes, Ph.D., a supplemental instruction specialist for the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, authored an academic review about ways to increase college student success. His work will be published in the Journal of Student Success and Retention.

Fernández-Calienes examined Sustaining Change: Efforts to Expand Student Success – an Insights Report released in Spring 2025 by The Chronicle of Higher Education. The review assesses the report’s findings and application to college students, staff and faculty.

The review builds on Fernández-Calienes’ ongoing research and publications about academic success, teaching and learning literature and the expanding role of artificial intelligence in education. In 2024, he published the book, Strategies for Student Success in Higher Education: The First-Year Experience. The book covers advising, dual enrollment, service learning, student well-being, technology management and other support to help first-year students achieve their educational goals. The book was co-edited with Hagai Gringarten, Ph.D., professor of marketing at St. Thomas University. Thirty-nine higher education faculty and professionals from the United States and abroad contributed to the volume.

SCF was recently awarded a TRIO SSS program grant, totaling slightly over $1.36 million, to improve retention and graduation rates among first-generation, low-income and disabled students. Since 2020, SCF’s TRIO SSS program has supported more than 280 students with tutoring, financial aid assistance, scholarship guidance, career exploration, counseling, mentoring, workshops and university tours. Learn more at SCF.edu/TRIO.

Photo caption: Ren Lobeck, an SCF peer math tutor, helps Gabby Smith, an SCF student, in the TRIO Student Support Services program office at SCF Bradenton.