For Dr. Brad Baranowski, Associate Dean of Student Success at Peninsula College, having a complete picture of each student isn't just about improving retention—it's about being ready to respond when students need support most.
"A big success moment has been where we can make a connection between what's happening on the CARE Team and this student also happened to have an early alert," says Dr. Baranowski, who also chairs the college's CARE team. "We can be more holistic in terms of how we support this student."
Peninsula College faced a critical challenge: student support information existed in silos. Early alerts about academic struggles lived separately from CARE team incident reports. For a community college where students often pause attendance and return, having a complete picture of each student wasn't just helpful—it was essential for student support.
Peninsula College implemented Symplicity Advocate to centralize CARE case management, early alert reporting, Title IX complaints, and incident reporting. Working with Client Manager Mayr Makenna, they integrated early alerts through the Advocate CARE Module, creating a unified system where critical information flows together.
The power of connected data became clear during a recent emergency situation. A student Peninsula College had been supporting for years was in crisis in the area surrounding campus.
"Because we have that historic tracking, we kind of had a general awareness of the student in the background of our minds so that when something came up, we could make that connection very quickly," Dr. Baranowski recalls.
Campus safety personnel responding to the emergency were able to access the student's history immediately and respond effectively. "The outcome was positive—preventing what could have been a tragic situation," Dr. Baranowski reflects.
Peninsula College's success isn't just about the technology—it's about the partnership with Symplicity’s Mayr Makenna, who provides rapid support and endless system knowledge. When Dr. Baranowski needed to add tracking categories to early alerts, Mayr implemented it in “literally a minute." When faculty needed confirmation copies of submitted reports, Mayr identified the issue and resolved it the same day.
"Mayr is very quick and easy to work with, very responsive," says Dr. Baranowski. "It helps me be responsive to our campus needs."
Peninsula College continues exploring ways to maximize Advocate's impact, including refining case retention strategies, expanding use cases for campus compliance needs, and creating deeper connections across data types to identify patterns and intervene proactively.
For Peninsula College, success isn't measured only in retention rates. The work they do has a real impact on students' lives and having the right tools and systems in place matters.
"The gravity of the work we do, even in just using a tool like this—the tool was the thing that tied all of that work together.”
Dr. Brad Baranowski
Associate Dean of Student Success, Peninsula College
With dedicated staff, a comprehensive CARE Team approach, and Symplicity Advocate connecting the pieces, Peninsula College ensures no student falls through the cracks. When it matters most—when having the right information means the difference between effective intervention and crisis—they're ready to respond.
Symplicity Advocate is a comprehensive student CARE and case management platform that helps institutions centralize early alerts, incident reporting, CARE Team coordination, and student support services. Learn more.