the Informer

In its first year alone, the Freshman Success Center served an outstanding 3,000 students, which is exactly why this summer it will go through the transformation to become the “Student Success Center.”

In the two years the Freshman Success Center has been in operation, it has had steadily increasing business consisting of first-year students, their professors and other students who return after getting help in years past.

With consistent walk-ins, e-mails and phone calls, the center felt it was time to expand its services to the entirety of the university. “It’s clear that business is good,” said Irwin Nussbaum, the director of the Freshman Success Center.

Students other than freshmen are continuously returning seeking help and answers to their questions because they do not know where else on campus to turn. However, starting next year, those students will have a legitimate place to go.

“We really want to be a one-stop shop for all students no matter what their question is; we want to be supportive and help,” said Nussbaum. The Student Success Center aims at helping students who have any type of question or concern.

They cater to everything from questions like, “how do I change majors?” to providing discount movie tickets and arranging trips to Boston or New York.
In order to further implement these changes and assist all students of the university, the Student Success Center will be working even more closely with the Student Government Association.

With this alliance, the two organizations plan to co-coordinate a new tutoring program which any student can take advantage of. Nussbaum, confident in the future success and benefit this program will have, said “SGA and I will have a really good relationship, making it work successfully.”

The center will continue, as it has in the past, working closely with Residential Life as well. It is with this relationship that they have been able to provide special deals to freshmen for discounted off campus events including trips to cities, the Hartford Stag, and even amusement parks, all events that will no longer be exclusive only to freshmen.

“We want to help promote any positive experiences on or off campus,” said Nussbaum. By continuing these positive experiences for not just students, but faculty as well, the Student Success Center strives to develop and keep a respectable name for itself.

Recently, an e-mail was sent to all first-year students asking them who at Hartford had a positive effect on them during their first year. After sorting through the responses, the center plans on sending out thank you notes to all those who have helped facilitate incoming students’ experiences, spreading good feelings across campus.

The title on the banner for the center will be changed to the “Student Success Center” right after commencement so it will be ready for the May and June orientation sessions.

So to all returning students, make sure you take advantage of what the center has to offer in your coming years at Hartford.