under the OAKS
advising and peer
feeling disconnected
mentoring—pre-dated
Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD,
from her fellow
the program, but none
president of St. Ambrose University,
first-year students
of those operated under
will proclaim Sept. 15 “Military
a single umbrella.
Appreciation Day” on campus.
at St. Ambrose, concerned about her academic standing, and overwhelmed by the
First Year Experience is a First-Year Success
challenges of combining work and school.
“Prior to strategic
Current and former members
planning, we were
of the military from within the
finding this group was
St. Ambrose community and
over here doing this and this group was
elsewhere will be admitted free of
over here doing another thing,” said Tracy
charge to that day’s 1 p.m. Fighting
student from Davenport. “And I didn’t know
Schuster-Matlock, PhD, dean of university
Bees football home opener at Brady
if there was any help for me.”
academic programs. “Sherri is the air traffic
Street Stadium in Davenport. They
There was help, ready and waiting.
control person, making sure that the right
and post-9/11 Gold Star Quad-Cities
Sherri Erkel, Loos’ academic advisor
hand not only is talking to the left hand, but
families will be honored throughout
and staff instructor in the New Student
that they complement each other’s work.”
the day.
Seminar, had a sense Loos was adrift but
Part of that coordination is fostered
said she couldn’t pinpoint why. When the
by the use of MAP-Works, a program of
the St. Ambrose Office of Veterans
student detailed her problems via a MAP-
voluntary web-based surveys to assess
Recruitment and Services. Office
Works early intervention program computer
college success indicators such as personal
coordinator Andrew Gates ’11,
survey, Erkel knew how to respond.
adjustment, level of homesickness and
himself a veteran, encourages SAU
hours devoted to study.
grads who are veterans to attend a
“I was struggling,” said Loos, a commuter
“There were a lot of factors that were hampering her ability to succeed,” said Erkel
SAU response rates to four surveys
The event is being organized by
SAU to Honor Military, Vets
Courtney Loos was
pancake breakfast on campus prior
director of the First Year Experience office.
issued during the 2011–12 school year
“When I got her survey results, I could say,
shattered national response rates, said Paul
‘OK, here’s how we can help.’ I introduced
Koch, PhD, vice president of academic and
veterans among its spring Class of
her to the Student Success Center to get
student affairs.
2012 and hopes to see those numbers
tutoring and helped her have a conversation
More importantly, Erkel said, MAP-
with her employer on the number of hours
Works and the coordinated focus placed on
she could work. All these things came
first-year students helped keep Courtney
together.”
Loos and other struggling new-to-college
And at the end of the school year, Loos happily phoned Erkel with the news she had earned a passing grade in the math class she
grow,” Gates said.
calling it quits. “At the end of the day, the number that matters most is retention and then, more
excited to come back,” Erkel said. “That was
than that, the number that matters will
good for all of us to have that experience.”
be persistence in our graduation rates,” she said. “Because if a student stays from
St. Ambrose sophomores is a primary
first to second year, they are more likely to
mission of First Year Experience.
continue to graduation.”
Much of what constitutes First Year
“St. Ambrose graduated 14
students from packing their books and
had feared she would fail. “And she was so
Bringing first-year students back as
to kickoff.
—Craig DeVrieze
Experience—New Student Seminar, Welcome Week, service learning, faculty 3