From first-year to graduate school, the Student Success Centre provides diverse programming for students
By Vama Saini, September 28 2024—
The Student Success Centre (SSC) at the University of Calgary offers students comprehensive academic support throughout their university experience. In an interview with the Gauntlet, Roxanne Ross, the director of the SSC, provided an in-depth look at the centre’s offerings, its commitment to student well-being and how it supports academic success through a wide range of personalized services.
The SSC provides support that spans a student’s academic journey, offering assistance from goal-setting to graduate school applications. According to Ross, the centre’s approach is holistic, recognizing that students’ personal and academic lives are deeply connected.
“We support students with everything from coming up with academic goals, generating academic goals, reflecting on where they want to go, exploratory advising and thinking about what programs are right for them,” said Ross. “[We also] support students who may hit a hiccup or a challenge in their academic journey and who need additional support to get back on track or to build skills or connect with different resources.”
This comprehensive support includes academic guidance and connecting students to other campus resources.
“We do a lot of work to connect students to various places on campus and external resources, depending on what they need. The goal is really to provide academic supports, but in a really holistic way, given that students are whole people,” said Ross.
According to Ross, inclusivity and accessibility are key priorities for the SSC. Ross highlighted how the Centre has actively worked to make its services accessible to all students, including those with diverse needs. Over the past four years, the SSC has made strides in professional development around equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA).
“For the last four years, our team has done a lot of various trainings and professional development in the area of EDIA,” said Ross. “We’ve made sure that our handouts, websites, PowerPoint presentations, materials and curriculum are accessible for students. We’ve also focused on developing guidelines around inclusive and accessible advising.”
Programs like the First-Generation Students Program and Neurodivergent Immersive Campus Experience (NICE) Days reflect this commitment.
“The First-Generation Students Program connects senior first-generation students with incoming first-gen students,” Ross explained. “For NICE Days, neurodivergent students come onto campus before orientation to get acquainted and connect with other neurodivergent students. These programs ensure students feel a sense of belonging and comfort when they start.”
Another one of the SSC’s services is the Peer-Assisted Writing (PAW) Program, which offers writing support through peer mentorship. The program is designed to reduce barriers for first-year students seeking help with their writing by pairing them with trained upper-year students.
“The peer-assisted writing program was created to expand support and create another pathway for first-year students,” Ross explained. “Meeting with a peer might reduce the barrier of accessing help.”
The SSC also offers digital badges, which serve as micro-credentials to help students build academic skills. These badges are divided into foundational and focused series, providing students with both broad and specific skill development.
“There are two digital badges on academic writing,” said Ross. “The foundational series covers transition skills, like how writing develops from high school to university. The focused series is more advanced and looks at particular genres like research proposals or graduate-level writing.”
Throughout the academic year, the SSC offers a range of workshops designed to help students succeed. One popular series is the Success Seminar Series, which focuses on essential academic skills like note-taking and study strategies.
“We have the Success Seminar Series facilitated by peers, covering topics like academic note-taking and general study skills,” Ross said. “They’re a really good way for incoming students to reacquaint themselves with strategies they might already know or learn some new ones,” Ross continued.
Students can access all SSC services, including one-on-one support, both in-person and remotely.
“Students can meet with writing support, PAW support, or academic development specialists, either online or in person,” said Ross. “Appointments are booked through Elevate, but students can also drop by our front desk on the third floor of the TFDL or use our virtual front desk for help.”
The SSC also helps students who are preparing for graduate school or other postgraduate opportunities. Ross highlights the Aspire Program, which provides information and workshops related to crafting personal statements, finding scholarships and preparing graduate school applications.
“It’s really our main focus in helping students prepare for their next academic steps,” said Ross.
For more information about SSC services, workshops and digital badges, students can visit the Centre’s website or stop by the front desk on the third floor of the Taylor Family Digital Library (TFDL).