Counseling and Career Center

Mission Statement

The mission of the Academic Support Office--in support of the university's mission--is to promote students' academic success and to assist degree-seeking, undergraduate students who are experiencing academic difficulties. Assistance to students is provided through Faculty Members, policy development, student contact and counseling, research, and remedial or preventive activities.

Scope of Services

Although the Academic Support Office may work with students who are on good academic standing, the target population is students who have earned GPAs less than 2.0--the university's defined level of acceptable academic performance--and find themselves on an academic standing of warning, probation or suspension.

Assistance for some of these students may come through individual sessions with a member of the office. Such sessions are an opportunity to discuss specific strategies for students to achieve greater academic success, or they may be used to identify resource-referrals to meet their challenges. A much larger number of students, however, are assisted through the Faculty Membering program, which has students meet with a faculty member from their academic major to discuss their difficulties and to review the activities which may facilitate their return to good standing. Regardless if the vehicle is a session with an Academic Support advisor, resource-referral or mentor, the purpose remains the same, to assist students to become academically successful and realize their educational goals.

Five-Year Goals (July, 2003)

The five-year goals of the Academic Support Office include:

1. Increase awareness by the Faculty Members of the intent and goals of the Faculty Membering process used to assist students on academic warning and probation.
2. Prepare training materials for Faculty Members to better equip them in the process of meeting with students who are having academic difficulties.
3. Foster participation by Colleges in working with students who are having academic difficulties, by promoting the recognition that these students may best benefit from an aggressive program of support from departments and individual faculty.
4. Develop strategies and materials which will increase students' participation in the Faculty Membering process.
5. Formalize a robust program of interventions for students who are experiencing academic difficulties.
6. Implement a program of awareness-communication with relevant on-campus units about Academic Support program status and changes.