SouthernLife
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 501 NEW HAVEN, CONN.
A NEWSPAPER FOR THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY
Southern Connecticut State University
SEPTEMBER 2014 • Vol.18 No. 1
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4 Provost Seeks Support for Non-Traditional Students 5 New Dean for School of Education
A Success Story in the Making Several initiatives designed to improve
the university’s graduation and retention rates are being implemented this fall as part of Southern’s commitment toward greater student success. The creation of an Academic Success Center, as well as the hiring of both a director of new student and sophomore programs and a coordinator of financial literacy and advisement, are among the developments resulting from a report of the Student Success Task Force last semester. “The report was only released in February, but we’re already taking some significant steps intended to improve student success at Southern,” says Tracy Tyree, vice president for student affairs. “I really believe we’re on the path to doing some great things.” The Academic Success Center — which will provide support for students seeking help in maintaining the university’s academic standards, as well as for those who are already good students but want to excel further — will eventually be located in Buley Library. The area will be designated after the renovation project to the building is completed.
“I’m hoping that a year from now, we’ll have a physical location,” Tyree says. “In the meantime, the concept of the center will be developed. We are already looking at several initiatives, including online tutorials and peer coaching programs, in which upperclassmen work with underclassmen.” Katie De Oliveira has been hired for the position of the center’s director. Meanwhile, Sal Rizza has been named the director of new student and sophomore programs. Rizza, who had been the associate director of student life, will look to create co-curricular programs for freshmen, sophomores and transfer students. Among the possible programs are a transfer student social organization and a peer mentor program. He will work closely with Nicole Henderson, director of the First-Year Experience program. “Research shows that students who have social and co-curricular connections to the university are more likely to succeed and are less likely to drop out of college before attaining their degree,” Tyree says. “We have an excellent first-year student program already, Success continued on page 6.
Southern is launching several projects this year to enhance student engagement and improve graduation rates.
Helping Students Achieve Financial Literacy Managing
finances has always been
for college students, who are often on a tight budget and on their own for the first time. But in recent years, students are borrowing more to pay for college, resulting in skyrocketing loan debt. In fact, student loan debt in America exceeded $1 trillion in 2014. In an effort to help students plan for the cost of education and manage their financial a challenge
obligations, Southern has created a new position devoted to providing financial literacy and planning information for current and prospective students, as well as their families. Lew DeLuca, who had served in the university’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for 10 years, has been tapped for the position of coordinator of student financial literacy and advising. Through advising, outreach and
on-campus programming, he will work closely with students and parents to raise awareness about financial literacy, student aid programs and scholarships, as well as the advantages of the timely completion of a degree. “Southern is excited to provide financial planning services to our current and future students and their parents to help ensure our students are informed and prepared for the full cost of the degree, not just for one semester or year,” says Kimberly Crone, associate vice president for enrollment management. Both Crone and DeLuca agree that the new service will bolster student success and ultimately improve overall degree completion. “Financial aid departments in colleges and universities have people who talk with students, but generally not in the kind of depth Lew DeLuca, coordinator of student financial literacy and advising, meets with a student, Taylor Andrews (left), and her mother, Karen Andrews, to assist them with their budget planning.
that we will be able to provide on a consistent basis,” DeLuca says. “And we are available to talk with high school students and potential transfer students, as well.” The position was created in response to recommendations by Southern’s Student Success Task Force. “There was a clear, demonstrated need to help students gain financial literacy,” he says. DeLuca says he has financial planning worksheets geared toward undergraduate and graduate students, both in-state and outof-state. “We can look at the estimated yearly tuition and fees, as well as the projected costs for room and board, books and supplies, transportation and other items,” DeLuca says. “We’ll then estimate how much in revenue a student has – including grants and scholarships, student/parent loans, savings and credit cards.” Learn more about about the university’s financial literacy and advising at SouthernCT. edu/financial-advising.
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Building the Future
Expect
to see a dramatically
different campus landscape less
than a year from now as two major building projects are completed. And the upcoming creation of a new Master Facilities Plan will provide a long-term preview of the university’s future course of development. According to James Blake, executive vice president, the renovation to Buley Library and the construction of the Academic Laboratory Science Building are on time and progressing well. “This is really an exciting time to be on campus, as you can see the progress being made from week to week,” Blake says. The renovation work to the older wing
of Buley Library should be completed by late November or December, according to Blake. He says that once that is finished,
the newer wing of Buley will undergo some final preparation work that should be completed early in 2015. When all is said and done, the library will span about 245,000 square feet and will include an atrium and skywalk connecting the two sections of the building.
Among the features of the library will be the creation of an art gallery, as well as space for media collections, special collections and a cyber café. Meanwhile, the new science building is more than halfway completed, Blake says, and should be ready for occupancy by the end of next spring. The four-story, 103,608-squareFuture continued on page 6.