
Dear Colleague,
Thank you for your interest in the Patriot Connect program! We are excited to share recent updates with you.

What Staff are Saying About Patriot Connect
Last month’s update highlighted what students were saying about Patriot Connect. This month, we’re sharing feedback from the staff perspective. Riley Redd, senior success coach in Student Success Coaching, shared her experience with Patriot Connect:
“I love how Patriot Connect allows us to assist students in connecting with the resources they need. The referral system in Patriot Connect makes connection with other resources streamlined and easy on both the coach and student. I also love how all resources are now integrated into one platform to create a spiderweb of support for our students.”
Stephanie Bluth, director of graduate student success and professional development, said the following when describing her experience with Patriot Connect:
“Patriot Connect has streamlined my day-to-day work. Access to everything in one place is a game-changer that lets me focus more on supporting students.”
From simplifying workflows to fostering stronger cross-campus collaboration with referrals, Patriot Connect is making it easier for staff and faculty to connect and provide students with the right support at the right time.

Building Patriot Connect Release 2: Recruitment and Admissions
During the build phase for Patriot Connect Release 2: Recruitment and Admissions, the team is working in focused, two-week periods called “sprints” to develop and refine system features. Each sprint outlines specific functionality to be built, and regular sessions are held with product owners and both functional and technical representatives from across George Mason to review and approve demos. This collaborative approach ensures the platform aligns with the needs of the units, colleges, and schools they represent while delivering a seamless user experience. With Sprint 4 now complete, recent development has centered on enhancing the application experience—introducing features like “Save for Later,” refining application stages and filters, and building reusable application cards for areas such as Honors College, academic plans, military affiliation, and in-state tuition. As the build phase progresses, we look forward to sharing more updates on the evolving features to expect from Patriot Connect: Recruitment and Admissions.

Building the Organizational Change Management Plan for Release 2
Change management is more than a process—it’s a purposeful approach to helping stakeholders adjust to new processes, systems, and roles. As the Patriot Connect program is currently in the early stages of the build phase for Release 2: Recruitment and Admissions, the organizational change management (OCM) team is also building the change management plan for Release 2. During this time, the focus for the OCM team is to attend the build meeting sessions and to identify and analyze areas of change that will impact faculty and staff in Release 2. Gathering these inputs, combined with lessons learned from Release 1: Student Success will enable the OCM team to develop a comprehensive change management plan that will include stakeholder engagement activities, a strategic communications plan, and a training plan designed to prepare, engage, and support stakeholders through upcoming changes. Once finalized, the change management, communications, and training plans will be reviewed by the program management team and informed by feedback from Patriot Connect product owners—ensuring the approach is both collaborative and aligned with the needs of the impacted user community.

Patriot Connect Featured Training Materials
Have you joined the Microsoft Teams Patriot Connect Training Community? It is a channel dedicated to supporting your transition to Patriot Connect and keeping you up to date with the latest information about new and updated trainings. Watch the community for announcements of upcoming micro–trainings. Additionally, you can:
- Find links to the videos, eLearnings, guides, and FAQs housed in MasonLEAPS (Log into MasonLEAPS first)
- Be informed when new resources are added or updated
- Access a clear onboarding path for new advisors, student success coaches, and other Patriot Connect users
- Suggest additional materials you would find helpful or request updates that are needed in existing resources using this survey

On the Horizon: Release 1 Change Champions Transitioning to Release 1 Change Liaisons
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all Release 1 Patriot Connect change champions for your dedication, energy, and support in helping your colleagues transition to Patriot Connect: Student Success. Your contributions have made a meaningful impact across the university. As we move into the stabilization phase of Release 1, many change champions are stepping into a new role as change liaisons within their respective units, schools, or colleges. Change liaisons will continue to serve as a key point of contact, helping to surface local feedback, identify common themes, and share enhancement ideas with the Patriot Connect product team as it relates to Student Success functionality. While not expected to provide technical support or training, change liaisons will play a vital role in keeping their communities informed and connected as the system evolves. Once all Release 1 change liaisons are confirmed, a full roster will be posted on the Patriot Connect program website. Looking ahead to the new user groups who will be impacted by Release 2: Recruitment and Admissions, the organizational change management team will soon begin recruiting a new network of Patriot Connect change champions to help support along the journey, ensuring that each phase of the program is guided by informed, engaged voices from across the George Mason community.

Patriot Connect Team Spotlight Series
Meet the Patriot Connect Team members supporting you and the George Mason community as we adapt to Patriot Connect Release 1: Student Success and continue into Release 2: Recruitment and Admissions. Discover their roles, what motivates and inspires them, and a fun fact or two. Get to know our July spotlight, Kate Imholt!

In Case You Missed It
- Patriot Connect Micro-Training Calendar
- Check out how students interact with Patriot Connect: Patriot Connect Overview – Video Resources for Students
- June PCCC Spotlights: Chanel Figueroa and Krystal Dains
- Did you know you can find last month’s update on the Patriot Connect program website?
As always, we welcome your feedback. Please feel free to share the sign up form with your colleagues who are interested in staying up to date with Patriot Connect.
Sincerely,
The Patriot Connect Program Management Team