Student Academic Success (SAS) helps students develop better study habits, time management skills, tutor services, and more. With almost a whole new team, SAS is working to bring new engaging ideas to Baker University students to make them more a partner in their learning.
Director of SAS, Dr. Anna McCullough, worked as an Assistant Professor of Classics at The Ohio State University before moving to admissions. She worked in admissions for three years at Kansas State University before coming to Baker University for a similar position five years ago.
“The work I have done at Baker has led me more down an academic advising and coaching route, so it seemed like a natural fit,” McCullough said. “I was doing a lot of ‘pre-advising’ with transfers and international students to help determine what their needs were starting out and what would be a good fit for them.”
McCullough plans to host workshops with Academic Success Coach and ADA Compliance Officer, Sunny Allen, highlighting the ways they can assist students with their academics. The workshops will include information on different forms and methods of studying, note-taking, reading academic journals, and other beneficial topics.
“Some students don’t realize how different college is from high school, so I am here to help them adjust to the demands of college,” Allen said of her new position. “If students have a disability that requires assistance, they talk to me. We go through how it affects their learning and what accommodations are available to them to ‘level the playing field’.”
Student Academic Success helps students determine what accommodations may be best for their needs. These accommodations could look like extended time on exams in a designated testing space, disability counseling, and advocacy, access to detailed class notes, sign-language interpreter, tutoring services and so much more. More information on ADA accommodations is available on the Baker Website.
The Writing Center, a unit within SAS, offers student support through writing conferences with the six student tutors available. Will Pore, Director of the Writing Center for the last eight years, leads many of the activities, including the selection of student tutors, but the students involved run it. They offer feedback on drafts and assistance with brainstorming for papers.
“The Writing Center is not an editing service. You come and we will help you by creating a back-and-forth conversation centered on your writing,” Pore said. “We help students with anything they need. Oftentimes times professors will recommend students come for extra support.”
SAS works to ensure students have all the tools and skills they need to be successful in their time at Baker University. From one-on-one sessions like writing and math conferences to group workshops, they hope to bring more to become a more collaborative place for students to feel comfortable in their learning.
“Sometimes, just like with sports, we have to fine-tune our studying skills. We provide a space for students to get that assistance,” Allen noted. “We’re in the big leagues now, we need to refine our skills.”
