AMP Academic Support Services Working Group

Charge from the Provost

In order to fully support the academic mission of the university, it is necessary to examine the structures in place to support students directly. The AMP process should also determine how to support and foster excellence in the faculty, staff, and administrators who help our students have an academically fulfilling experience. The AMP working group Academic Support Services encompasses student-focused offices (e.g. LARC, FAST, Advising Center, EOP, Career Services, etc.) that are vital in retention and graduation. It is important that those services be explored not just for the way their transactional processes work. These services provide learning that needs to be explored, documented, and supported. To ensure that graduating students are fully prepared for the workforce, student academic support services address skills such as critical thinking, communication, leadership, and equity and inclusion as part of the campus co-curricular process. Faculty and staff-focused services such as those delivered in units like CTET, CCE, ORSP, the HUB, etc., help to create a foundation for the type of experience we want our students to have at SSU–one that is high-touch, personalized, and focused on life-long learning.  

Objectives

• Craft a final report with specific recommendations to strengthen or create new support services for students and faculty to ensure academic success
• Identify Academic Support Services pride points and strengths that could be used to help with enrollment (e.g. TRIO), and how to translate these successes to other existing populations on campus with emphasis on student retention 
• Develop approaches for student-facing academic support services to develop career readiness skills and engage in experiential education (e.g., internships, service-learning, etc.)
• Identify gaps and weaknesses for Academic Support Services, particularly for students’ post-graduation preparation
• Research models of faculty, staff, and student-support services and examine the possibility of consolidating and sharing services
• Consider potential solutions for faculty-specific support service gaps as it relates to the RTP process
• Propose solutions to streamline support services and make it clearer to students, faculty, and staff where to go for each type of support; develop a resource directory for campus

Driving Questions: 

• How can we better support students in their academic endeavors and more fully prepare them for their future careers?
• How can academic support services be used to recruit and retain students in the Strategic Enrollment process, particularly non-traditional/adult, international, and/or online students?
• What support structures should exist and how are they best communicated for faculty, staff, and students?
• How do we support student learning and needs through academic support services?
• How can student support resources help with retention and graduation rates?
• What are our areas of strength and weakness in terms of Academic Support Services?
• Can there be shared services amongst Academic Support Services? If so, how and in what way?

AMP Academic Support Services Working Group Spring 2024 Recommendations Report

Membership: