EdD, 2019 Ashley C. Burnside is the director of the center for student success at the University of Southern Mississippi. She leads projects on the success and retention-based initiatives, student outreach, staff operations, and retention-based scholarship awarding. Previously, she served as the associate director/data coordinator of the Winthrop University Academic Success Center (ASC) in Rock Hill, S.C. for seven years. As associate director, she managed a robust peer tutoring program that serves approximately 800 tutor-tutee pairs each semester through recurring, appointment-based sessions every week. To support the peer tutoring program, Burnside trained and managed more than 175 peer tutors annually. She also managed the ASC’s records and scheduling systems to ensure accurate reporting to the university and the center’s accrediting bodies. In addition to her management of the peer tutoring program, Burnside provides academic counseling, needs assessment, and one-on-one consultations. Due to the high-touch, personal nature of her job, Burnside regularly initiates interventions and referrals to other campus services to support students in need. She also leads ASC outreach at orientation and admissions events to ensure that students and parents alike understand the academic support services available to them. As an extension of her role in the Winthrop ASC, Burnside also serves as an instructor of record for courses that serve at-risk student populations, such as those who are provisionally admitted and on academic probation. She instructs leadership courses for peer tutors as well. Prior to her work in the ASC, Burnside worked in a variety of support roles for Winthrop’s Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Program, a U.S. Department of State grant that provides an opportunity for international educators to develop their teaching skills via a six-week academic exchange program. She received a B.A. in political science and M.A. in teaching from Winthrop University. She also holds an M.A. in international studies from the University of South Carolina – Columbia.
