Administrators at 4-year, public institutions of higher education commonly negotiate a balance between the oft-competing goals of access and excellence. This is heightened within minority-majority campuses, such as Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), serving substantial numbers of first-generation degree seekers and low-income students. Administrators are obliged to support the needs of a "non-traditional" student body, while they are simultaneously and increasingly called to innovate and support efforts to leverage institutional prestige and ranking. This article describes the case of an associate dean who attempts to advise a 7th-year undergraduate. Drawing from the insights of the student's tumultuous baccalaureate pathway, the contributions of a colleague advising students with similar challenges, as well as the demonstrated best practices of other HSIs, the administrator prepares recommendations for the institution's strategic planning committee.