Student support services from across campus will come together this fall in a newly refurbished office complex to form the Center for Student Success in order to provide students with easier access to academic assistance.
Construction is underway on the second floor of the student center as workers convert the former Hammon Room into the new multifaceted student support area.
According to Dean of Students David Collins, the Center for Student Success will bring eight different departments together, including the McNair Scholars Program, Upward Bound, the Advance program, along with disability services, career services, academic advising and academic support. The various programs will work in coordination under the leadership and direction of a new Dean of Student Success, who has yet to be hired.
Collins said he hopes the center will not only provide students with easier access to assistance, but also increase collaboration between the programs so that they can better aid students in reaching their goals.
“Everyone in this center is going to be focused on students being successful,” Collins said. “We want [students] to have the very best experience and be as successful as they can in college, whether that is a student who is struggling to pass or whether that is a student who is performing at a B level and wants to have an A average, this center is going to be there to assist either of those students.”
Jake Brownfield, Interim director and counselor, said many of the student support departments currently see the same students for different but similar reasons. Brownfield said with all of the services in one space, he thinks the programs will be able to do a better job providing students with assistance.
“With everyone under one roof, we will have more opportunities to bounce ideas off of each other, share materials and resources, and get assistance when needed,” Brownfield said. “The truth is that since we are spread out all over campus, we rarely see each other in person or even communicate as often as we probably should.”
According to Collins, the center will include several small rooms for testing accommodations or for tutoring,some larger conference areas and two classroom spaces, one which can also be used as quiet place for students to study.
“We have tried to maximize the space as best we can and have common space that can be shared among all of the programs,” Collins said.
There will be six offices where the Hammon Room once was, according to Collins, and the other directors will have offices nearby. The Career Center will remain across the hall from the Hammon Room and the disability services will also be outside of the Hammon Room area.
Collins said the construction on the Center for Student Success should be finished by the end of this semester and open to students at the beginning of the fall semester.
