By James Nowak
Director of University Success, Arbol
Former Financial Aid Leader at D’Youville University and Canisius University

Every year, millions of college students across the country struggle to stay enrolled—not because they can’t succeed in the classroom, but because they’re overwhelmed by the financial aspects of higher education.

In my time working in admissions and financial aid at D’Youville University and Canisius University, I saw this play out again and again. Students wanted to be there. They were committed. But somewhere along the way—between unclear financial aid packages, unanticipated costs, and confusing processes—they got stuck.

Sometimes they paused enrollment. Sometimes they dropped out completely. And almost always, the reason students left was preventable.

That’s why I decided to join Arbol—to help make sure that no student is blocked from pursuing their higher education simply because the financial path isn’t clear.

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From D’Youville: Automating Process Helped—But It Wasn’t Enough

At D’Youville, I helped lead the launch of a one-stop student support center, centralizing financial aid, student accounts, and the office of the Registrar into one cohesive experience for students. We also adopted tools from CampusLogic, which allowed us to automate many of our most time-consuming financial aid processes.

That investment in automation made a real difference. Our team gained time back. Our communications both internally and with students improved. Students got the answers they were looking for, faster.

But even with those gains, I realized there was a  critical missing link: process automation alone wasn’t enough.

Students were still confused. They still had questions about how to plan financially—not just for this semester, but for th entire length of their degree program and beyond graduation. And too often, they didn’t ask for help until it was too late.

Witnessing students continue to struggle financially was my wake-up call. The systems were faster, but students weren’t more confident. What was missing was scalable guidance—not just task completion.

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At Canisius: Partnering with Arbol and Finding the Missing Link

When I took a new role at Canisius University, I was hired with a bold goal in mind: connect personally with every admitted student and walk them through their financial plan, reduce attrition, and improve persistence.

And when I had the time to sit down with students and families, the results were undeniable. The  students with whom I developed a personal relationship chose to enroll. And they stayed.

But as the recruitment cycle ramped up, reality set in. I couldn’t reach everyone. Like so many financial aid teams, we were stretched thin—juggling compliance, appeals, phone calls, and daily fires. The most impactful work was the first to get cut when capacity dropped.

That’s when we partnered with Arbol—and everything changed.

Arbol helped us deliver personalized financial guidance at scale. Students received automated nudges, reminders, and insights helping them to stay on track. Our staff got real-time alerts about students at risk of dropping out. Suddenly, we could focus our limited time on the students who needed it most.

For the first time, technology wasn’t just saving us time—it was multiplying our impact.

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Why I Joined Arbol

After seeing what Arbol could do at Canisius, I realized I didn’t just want to use the platform—I wanted to help build it.

I joined Arbol because I believe in a future where no student is forced to drop out—or delay their dreams—because of financial confusion. I wanted to be part of a team that took an interest in  every student, no matter their background. I wanted to ensure each student gets the guidance they need to stay on their path to graduation.

The hard truth is: most college staff already know how to help students. The challenge is that there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Arbol bridges that gap. It automates the right kinds of financial coaching and intervention—giving students clear, step-by-step support and freeing up staff to focus on the highest-impact personalized moments with students.

We’re not just improving processes. We’re making it possible for institutions to deliver the kind of guidance that used to be reserved for a lucky few—now accessible to every student.

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Let’s Talk

If you’re seeing talented students walk away because of financial uncertainty—or your team is stretched too thin to intervene in time—you’re not alone.

I’ve lived it. And I’d love to hear what you’re seeing—and share how we’re helping institutions like Canisius deliver proactive support that actually moves the needle.

Grab 15 minutes with me here: https://meetings.hubspot.com/james-nowak

Let’s talk about what’s working, what’s not, and how we can help more students cross the finish line.

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