Key Areas
mentoring and advising • student success • student success hub • undergraduate student resources • academic intervention • academic technology • advising professional development • belongingness interventions
Associate Vice Provost Role
As the Associate Vice Provost of Student Success and Advising, Dr. Belback leads the University of Pittsburgh’s collaborative vision for holistic advising, mentoring and student success by connecting campus innovators, advisors, faculty, and students. She spearheads the implementation of the Undergraduate Academic Advising Coordination, as Pitt moves from a decentralized to a shared advising model in an effort to streamline the student experience and boost student success measures.
Dr. Belback also developed Pitt’s first framework for student success and leads a team dedicated to the mission of “positively impacting the student experience by providing holistic academic resources and collaborative professional development to ensure that every student has the chance to succeed and feel they belong at Pitt, regardless of their background or situation.” With a focus on the University’s strategic Plan for Pitt 2028, the team’s work aligns with the first pillar where “we will cultivate student success” with institutional objectives, team goals, and key performance assessment measures.
A transformational leader, Dr. Belback created and reorganized the Office of the Provost Student Success Team toward institutional effectiveness with five interconnected workstreams that align with key initiatives and priorities of the Office of the Provost:
- The Academic Intervention and Outreach team identifies systematic methods for addressing student behaviors contributing to attrition through strategic and data-driven support by employing intervention and outreach strategies such as academic coaching, re-enrollment services, and academic referrals.
- The Program and Project Management workstream and includes the management of programs through academic technical solutions or software on campus as well as formal project management. The PPM team also leads the Pitt PRSSIM Project in support of our regional and rural campus partners and students.
- The Advising and Professional Development workstream is focused on advocating for holistic advising interactions and building relationships with advisors and mentors across the university by creating and supporting professional development and communications.
- In 2022, Belback launched the opening of the inaugural Student Success Hub at the University of Pittsburgh, which exists as a space for students to collaborate with each other and with university resources. The Hub is home to several programs that support students who are at-promise and also serves as a the point of connection and coordination for the Student Success Newsletter, SASS (Student Academic Success Series), and Undergraduate Research for all students at Pitt.
- Through our Research Practitioner partnerships, Dr. Belback leads efforts in institutional collaborations and interventions that bring insights and best practices in order to build a campus where every student can feel they belong.
Belback and team offer consultation services internally to the Pitt community and externally to institutions who are interested in learning about our work or collaborating with us.
Professional Biography
A proud first-generation college student herself, Dr. Belback has a long history of educating and working with at-promise student populations. Prior to joining Pitt, she served as the Director of Advising and Division of Undergraduate Studies Coordinator at The Pennsylvania State University, Greater Allegheny Campus, where the first-generation and limited-income student population is over 50%. Belback also served the campus as the Program Director for TRIO Student Support Services. Earlier in her career, Belback’s focus was on rural education, where she taught high school English, was a cooperative lead for pre-service teachers, and a temporary faculty member for secondary education at California University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Belback leads the steering committee for the AACoP (Advising Administration Community of Practice) for the Association of Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU). She is also on NACADA’s leadership as the chair of the Advising Administrator Advising Community.
- D.Ed. in Administration and Leadership Studies, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
- M.S.Ed. in Secondary English Education, Duquesne University
- B.A. in English, Duquesne University
- Pitt ACT (University of Pittsburgh Advising Certification and Training) Program
- LUMA Institute Human-Centered Design Practitioner Certification
- NACADA Leadership Fundamentals Credential
Education & Training
- Belback, A. (2023). Five Things Institutions Can do to Shift Towards a Shared Advising Model. Academic Advising Today. 46(3).
- Belback, A. E. (2022, December). Reflections from a new D.Ed. Academic Advising Today, 45(4).
- Belback, A. E. (2021). The relationship between academic advising and student outcomes: A retrospective analysis of research universities.
- Belback, A. E. (2021, February). “Advising students foreclosed to academic major decisions.” E-Source for College Transitions. 18(2).
- Belback, A. E. & Spears. J. (2021). University of Pittsburgh “Forge Your Own Path Strategy.” In Fountain, C. (Ed.). (2021). Academic advising as a tool for student success and educational equity. University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
- Advising models
- Retention and student success
- Leadership and administration in higher education
- Belongingness interventions