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August 13, 2008

Clarke M. Williams Student Success Center to open Aug. 21

The University of Louisiana at Monroe encourages the community to attend the grand opening of the Clarke M. Williams Student Success Center Thursday, Aug. 21, from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. A special recognition program will begin at 11:15 a.m. The community will tour the center, which is located across from the ULM Library in Scott Plaza.

Students can explore different majors, conduct research, and receive tutoring in the new success center. The facility features an expanded and reorganized base for study skill development, supplemental instruction, and student problem solving.

In the words of ULM President James E. Cofer, its goal is “to ensure the achievement of every student from the minute they step onto our campus until the day they graduate.”

ULM Director of Retention Barbara Michaelides explained that ULM’s new center surpasses national best practices. “General standards involve the inclusion of a ‘success center’ on many campuses that provide academic support services, advising, and technology. On some campuses, these services are separate and provided by different offices. In some cases, the ‘success center’ manages only academic support services. Ours is all-inclusive, providing students with a central hub for technology, advising, academic support services, and a center that students can use to study in groups or alone, have meetings at, and more.”

The center will offer group study and counselor rooms, multi-media rooms, and extended-hour computer labs for students who have to divide their time between work and class responsibilities. Students will also benefit from a full-time advising staff available to assist them in planning their course loads and career explorations while also providing academic assistance. The hours will be extended to correspond to times students most need access.

The following faculty and staff will be housed in the center:

Students will also utilize the Office of Academics and Compliance, which assists student-athletes at ULM in balancing their academic and athletic obligations. The staff is available to help the student-athletes develop and enhance the skills required for academic, athletic, and personal success. The services provided to the student-athletes include academic counseling, mentoring, tutoring, supervised study, and progress reporting. The staff is committed to helping each student-athlete meet the academic standards of the University and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

History of the success center:

In 2002, the CenturyTel Corporation made a lead gift of $300,000 to honor the memory of its founder, Clarke M. Williams. To complete this state-of-the-art facility, an additional $500,000 in private monies was raised, bringing private support of the project to an $800,000 total. The rest of this project was provided by bond proceeds funded with a student-assessed fee. ULM Facilities Inc., a non-profit 501(c)3, arranged for the financing of the project.

Academic programs in detail:

The center views its primary mission as encouraging and assisting students in the exploration of their interests, the pursuit of their goals, and the development of their intellectual knowledge and skills as they strive to reach their full potential.

They achieve this through:

 

For more information, visit the Student Success Center Web site at www.ulm.edu/studentsuccess or call (318) 342-3667.

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