Focusing on Student Success
August 19, 2009
Visit the Student Success Web site.
Last August, in her first opening breakfast, USM President Selma Botman told faculty and staff, “A college education should transform students’ understanding of the world while equipping them with the knowledge and skills to cultivate productive and fulfilling lives after graduation. This is the implicit promise that we make as a university, and it is our obligation to do our best to deliver on that promise.”
One year later—after analysis and a new USM strategic plan that has student success as a core priority—USM has implemented a reorganization that will be an important step toward delivering on that promise.
The reorganization is based on an external review of advising and career planning services and a review of national research on student success, all of which indicated that integrated, collaborative models such as this improve retention and graduation rates. “The reorganization,” said Botman, “is an important effort to refocus our services in support of student success.”
Specifically, the offices of Academic Advising, Career Services and Professional Life Development, and Early Student Success have been reorganized into a single student success center unit on each of our three campuses. Each center is staffed by a coordinator and student success advisors who can address a range of advising and retention issues in a more coordinated and holistic fashion.
All the staff members in advising, career services, and early student success were invited to apply for the coordinators’ and advisers’ positions. Search committees were established and searches were completed in August. The new center coordinators are Paul Dexter, former director of the Office of Early Student Success; Kim-Marie Jenkins, former director of student services and diversity at LAC; and Rodney Mondor, former associate director of advising services.
The Success Center in Gorham will be located in newly renovated space at 119 Bailey Hall. The Portland center will be in 119 Payson Smith, while the center at LAC will be housed in Room 119.
Susan Campbell, associate vice president for academic affairs, led the reorganization effort along with Vice President for Student and University Life Craig Hutchinson, Dean of Student Life Joe Austin, and other staff members. Staff and faculty also served on an implementation committee.
“I believe passionately that this plan will help ensure that more USM students will leave this institution with a degree, the single most important credential they will earn,” said Botman.
