Center for Student Success relocated to Bone House

After years of serving students and staff alike in Lanier Hall, GCSU’s Center for Student Success has claimed a new hub in the midst of campus traffic. The center which is now in Bone House is located in the cross section of Greene and South Clark streets alongside the art building of Mayfair Hall and the hall for University Commissions.

Now only a crosswalk away from the campus residence halls, the center will carry on with business as usual with a sharper eye for student advisement needs and a shorter walking distance for students of the residence hall community.

The Center for Student Success has worked in the second floor of Lanier Hall as a crucial center for advisement, learning and mentoring for first year and transfer students of GCSU. Each year, the center is responsible for the advisement of roughly 300 students all off which are undeclared or undecided majors.

Alongside mentally coaching students, additional duties have included mandatory seminars for advisees, staff training for new faculty and early registration. In recent years, the center has made programs such as POUNCE for early registration and the Degree Works program to outline degree requirements accessible to new students.

After nearly 10 years, the center left Lanier room 212 to expand into Bone House setting to better meet students’ social adjustment needs. Mike Augustine, Senior Director of Advising and Retention for Bone House regards the move as a win for both students and staff involved.

“It provides students with a comfortable feel of their advisement,” Augustine said, “and now the line that once stretched outside the office is now inside the living room.”

The extension of space gives hope to expanding staff and improving current programs.

During the summer several departments including the Department of History and Geology met to discuss re-organizing their location to better suit the campus. The decision highly considered space and budget cuts. The University Communication Center agreed to take the second floor of Lanier after the move of the Student Success Center for a more centralized location.

Judy Bailey, who is the media relations manager for University Communication says that the move “better meets customer needs.”"Few people realize all the components that make up our department.” Bailey adds, “It is important that we continue to service our students and community.”

Controlling the campus television and radio stations, as well as public relations, the University Communications center continues its powerhouse duty to keep the campus connected.

The year continues for both the Center for Student Success and University Communications, as expected, with students hustling to get classes, choose a major and stay focused. Gabby Brooks, an undeclared freshman major, has consulted the Success Center for advisement and peer mentoring since the commencement of her college career.

Brooks admits that although the location is less convenient for those students who are currently living off campus, that the facility has met her needs for “the college and independent living adjustment.”

The Center for Student Success is hopeful of serving more students and faculty and spreading the words of the new location through flyers, banners and e-communication. In the weeks ahead it expects to service at least 500 advisees and 1,000 students and faculty by the end of the school year.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 4 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry