Student success has been widely researched; however, community college student success as an outcome of institutional practice has not (Bailey, 2006a; Jenkins, 2006). Moreover, college student success is influenced by a wide range of factors. The factors for this study were derived from three significant studies: (1) the meta-analysis by Robbins et al. (2004) in which nine broad constructs of college or student success were identified; (2) the in-depth literature analysis by Kuh et al. (2006) identifying 14 indicators of student success; and, the study conducted by Smith (2005) in suggesting 51 student success competencies for online faculty.

The three studies noted (Kuh et al., 2006; Robbins et al., 2004; Smith, 2005) were used to design The Strategic-Impact-Triad (SIT) Model which compiled the list of variables into three categorical factors: (1) academic preparation, (2) work ethics, and (3) institutional support. The Strategic-Impact-Triad Model was assessed within the framework of institutional or management practice. To measure the impact the SIT Model factors had on student success, survey data was collected from community college faculty and students. The data were used to assess how students and faculty perceived academic preparation, work ethics, and institutional support as inseparable factors specifically influencing student success within the framework of institutional practice.

The findings of the study suggested that there is a statistically significant difference in the perceptions of work ethics and institutional support as these variables impact student success in the community college within the domain of institutional practice; conversely, academic preparation was not statistically significant between students and faculty. The research also suggested that in order to improve the Teaching-Learning-Assessment Domain to maximize student success, the relationships of these SIT factors must be better understood as a Strategic-Impact-Triad, not solely as individual, stand-alone components within the practices of an educational institution.