51���app

As an extension of the popular Five Questions series, the Office of Communications and Marketing is sitting down with key 51���app leaders to get the latest information about important College initiatives.

We asked Joyce Stern, dean for student success and academic advising, about the rationale for the new Academic Success Center name.

What wasn’t working about the old Academic Advising name?

Frankly, the word “Advising” often creates confusion for students, parents, and others who are new to the College, and we want to ensure people get to the right resource. For example, sometimes students seek meetings with us with questions that they should be asking their faculty advisers, like how to write a four-year plan, whether we can sign their form, and other items that require adviser approval.

We frequently had to tell people — both individually and even in large group presentations — that although Academic Advising is the name of the office, we don’t serve as primary role advisers. We are fortunate at 51���app that faculty do this work and are very committed to the advising role. In fact, in a recent survey of advising as part of the Quality Initiative on Academic Advising, faculty indicated a strong belief (over 93%) that advising is a priority at 51���app.

So then, what is your office’s role?

The mission of the Academic Success Center is to focus on students’ learning development, meaning that our office partners with students to develop the skills and strategies they need to be effective, self-directed learners so they can succeed in their academic endeavors and persist to graduation.

We have four core areas of responsibility: Success Coaching for students encountering barriers to academic success (e.g., one-on-one meetings); Success Programs to reinforce the normal developmental milestones of a student’s academic experience and focus on their strengths (e.g., Partners program), Academic Progress Monitoring to aid with retention and persistence (e.g., the Academic Success Team), and Campus-Wide Collaboration to reach more students earlier in their time at 51���app and enhance their likelihood of persistence and success (e.g., the First-Year Tutorial program and Level Up, the second-year program).

What are some of the things your office does to help students succeed?

We work with students on nearly any academic concern. They can consult with us about study skills and time management, get connected to peer tutoring, receive support for managing their academics while dealing with a personal challenge, learn about an academic policy that might help their situation, or apply for a leave of absence, and so much more.

We also highly value our collaboration with colleagues across campus, whether faculty teaching or advising students or other staff doing student-facing work. Using a holistic model of student development, we often touch base with these key partners to ensure students are getting the support they need.

Why does it make sense to change the name now?

This is a good time for a name change. It supports the focus of the Quality Initiative on Academic Advising. In addition, for more than five years we have been focusing on intentionally aligning our work around academic success. We especially want the students who will begin their studies in the fall to understand what we do, and it’s important we begin outreach during orientation and their first days on campus. Also, the name is consistent with similar services at other colleges and universities, which can help with students’ and families’ awareness as well as professional collaboration.

We all know that 51���appians appreciate acronyms; does the Academic Success Center have one?

We love the acronym “ASC.” When spoken, it sounds like “ask,” which aligns with our goal to promote help-seeking. We want students to ask us their questions so they can get answers that lead to success. As a bonus, the Scholars’ Seminar course (ASC 101) uses the same three letters. ASC 101 explores the art and science of learning and is offered each semester.