Photo courtesy of the Student Success Center (SSC). Pictured above, Phoebe Holmes and Kirti Mann study in the SSC.

With finals quickly approaching, students may find themselves feeling extra stressed. One resource that can be a big help for all SAU students is the Student Success Center (SSC). Located on the first floor of Ambrose Hall, the mission of the SSC is to “challenge and support learners in achieving academic goals so they can enrich the lives of others.”

“The SSC provides in-person and online tutoring for many content areas, most specifically for 100 and 200-level classes and even some upper-level classes too,” Director of Student Success Dr. Sarah Rissler says. “We also have in-person and online writing support!”

“A great resource we have available is the study skills tutors, which are a tutoring option that I think is underutilized,” Assistant Director of Student Success Tinette Stoner says. “It’s really good for helping students with things that aren’t content related like time management and just better studying practices overall.”

Additional services provided by the SSC include Supplemental Instruction (SI) and study groups that meet a couple of times a week for certain classes. There is also an online writing lab where students can submit their writing assignments and receive feedback from writing tutors. 

Some content tutors are embedded tutors, which means they not only tutor students in the SSC, but also sit in on the classes to help when needed. 

The SSC also partners with athletics to host student-athlete study rooms. For many of the sports on campus, teams have one or more nights a week for designated study time under the supervision of a student-athlete study hall tutor. 

While finals aren’t here just yet, both Rissler and Stoner emphasize beginning to study for these exams early. 

“Start preparing early and actually create a study plan,” Stoner says. “You want to make sure you have a dedicated scheduled time for that.”

Stoner is not only the Assistant Director of Student Success at SAU, but is also an Ambrose graduate student working towards a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership. She says her favorite part about working at the SSC is the students. 

“In this job I get to work with students who come in and are discouraged, they’re not feeling like they’re in a good place, and I’m able to either help them or get them scheduled with someone who can help them. On the other hand, our tutors are some of the brightest students on campus, so I also get to work with them in that aspect and I try to keep them in a good place as well.”

“My favorite part of working at the SSC is seeing the learning happening,” Dr. Rissler says. “When a student is working on something challenging and they have the ‘I get it now!’ moment, that’s the best!”

Senior Business Management and Finance major Will Haugen is a tutor, receptionist, and student-athlete study hall tutor for the SSC. Additionally, he has recently achieved his Level 1 Tutor Certificate. Haugen says he enjoys different aspects of each of his roles. 

“As a receptionist, my favorite part is meeting new people and talking to Tinette. As a tutor, I enjoy seeing my students succeed and seeing their improvement throughout the semester. As a student-athlete study hall tutor, I enjoy acting as someone that they can go to for help and gaining their respect.”

Kirti Mann is a junior biochemistry major and is both a tutor and pupil at the SSC. “I believe that being both a tutor and a tutee is akin to a teacher continuing their education! While I may have mastered certain subjects, I still seek support in others.” 

For example, I picked up skills such as attending tutoring sessions just to create dedicated study time for myself. This strategy has not only been effective for me as a tutee but has also enhanced my skills as a tutor.”

The SSC is available to help students during busy times like midterms and finals, but also at any point in the semester. These resources are for any kind of student, for a one-time appointment or multiple times a week. 

“At the SSC, we all strive to improve ourselves and support one another,” Mann says. “I truly appreciate the many opportunities it has provided me, both as a tutor and a tutee, which have significantly enriched my learning experience.”

“We care about individual human beings in Student Success,” Dr. Rissler says. “We will help you figure out how to learn, how to study, and ask you about your unique interests too! Everyone has a place in Student Success and we hope to get to know you soon!”

Students who would like to schedule an appointment at the SSC can email [email protected] or schedule it themselves through Accudemia, which can be accessed through the Ellucian student portal.