After a kick-off event in September, coaches and students have started coming together as part of the Success Coaching initiative. This program is the latest initiative to come out of the work from the Achieving the Dream grant. Success Coaching is a method of supporting and encouraging students to engage, persist and succeed.
Success Coaching is meant to connect first-time-in-college students with faculty or staff members who can act as a point of contact and connection with the college. A top priority of the program is making connections between students and college personnel, resources, clubs and activities. At the kick-off event, the students were asked to list a few of their activities or interests so that small groups with shared interests could be put together to begin building social connections. Over the past two weeks, groups who shared an interest in politics, sports, just getting together for coffee or getting together for food, have all had their first meetings. Claire Bambrough, chemistry professor; Bobby Neiman, program service coordinator for Excel; Beth Nikopoulos, director of the center for independent study; and Becky Knickel, accounting professor, are leading the groups.
Stephen Herd, automotive professor, and Becky are overseeing the project together and already have plans in place for postcards and a new kick-off event for the spring semester.
