Christina Fabrey named director of Student Success Center
Christina Fabrey, associate dean for advising and academic achievement at Prescott College, has been named director of the Student Success Center (SSC) at Virginia Tech.
In her new position, Fabrey is responsible for overseeing retention and persistence efforts related to student support, including orientation and ongoing community programming with diverse student populations, tutoring, academic skills development, academic recovery, peer coaching programs, curriculum development for academic support courses, and scholar support. Reporting to the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success Initiatives Kimberly Smith, Fabrey will assist in identifying and addressing short- and long-term goals of the university and students, and lead efforts in the design, implementation, assessment, and evaluation of academic support and enrichment programs and services.
“Christina brings a depth of knowledge and experience in coaching and mentoring to the leadership of the Student Success Center,” said Smith. “She is passionate about promoting college student success and organizational excellence. Christina will be an integral part of our team as we work together to ensure a successful college experience for our students.”
“I am most excited about the strong reputation that the Student Success Center has established through their suite of engagement and learning programs designed to support student success and persistence to graduation,” said Fabrey. “In addition, the Student Success Center's Peer Education Program (tutoring and peer academic coaching) is certified through the College Reading and Learning Association. This huge accomplishment sets the standard for consistent and rigorous peer education training aligned with internationally recognized best practices. We are an important part of promoting the Hokie culture of academic success and supporting the development of lifelong learning skills.
“I feel lucky to work with the team of dedicated Student Success Center professionals and over 75 student leaders.”
Fabrey earned a master’s in education from the University of Vermont, Professional Credentialed Coach (PCC) certification from the International Coach Federation, Board Coach Certification (BCC) through the Center for Credentialing Education Global, and Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Certification through Champlain College.
As a coach trainer and mentor, Fabrey has trained hundreds of higher educational professionals in coaching skills for over the last decade. Having developed coaching programs at several institutions, she is grounded in coaching all students, including students with disabilities and students working toward academic recovery. Fabrey is active in the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) by co-chairing its Coaching Knowledge and Practice Community and its Coaching Evaluation Community of Practice. In 2011, she received the Emerging Professional Award from Vermont Women in Higher Education for her innovative work with coaching in the college setting.
Fabrey is a contributing author of "Becoming Self-Determined: Creating Thoughtful Learners in a Standards-Driven, Admissions-Frenzied Culture" and "Becoming Self-Determined: Practical Strategies for a Changing World," Field & Parker (editors). Her recent works focus on embedding holistic student care into faculty development and include “Careers, Advising, Teaching: A Holistic Approach to Student and Faculty Development” in "Re-imagining Teaching to Maximize Student Learning: Case Studies of Faculty Development Centers" (Neisler, Looker, and Newman eds.) and “Resilient and Flexible Teaching (RAFT): Integrating a Whole Person Experience into Online Teaching” in "Resilient Pedagogy" (Thurston, Lundstrom, and Gonzalez, eds.). Her upcoming edited anthology, "Coaching in Disability Resources: From Transactional to Transformational," will be published in the fall of 2022.
Written by Chenaye Blankenship
