view . spring 2012
19
From the moment that a student first steps onto
campus, the pace of life quickens immensely.
University can be exhilarating, exciting and exhausting,
offering new friends, more freedom, and greater
academic challenges.
For some, the exciting buzz of the first few weeks drops
sharply when confronted with the first exam. That’s when
students realize that perhaps they need a bit of help.
Success during a student’s first term is critical, says
Brooke White, executive director of the University’s
Student Affairs office.
“What we find is, if a
student is doing poorly midway
through their first term and
doesn’t get help, they begin
to question whether or not
they should be here at all,”
says White.
“We realize that the
transition from high school to
the first year of university can
be significant,” she continues.
“Some students experience
marks that are lower than they are used to. We don’t want
them to become disillusioned.”
Dr. Alan Wildeman, UWindsor president and vice-
chancellor says that, “The undergraduate experience is the
bedrock of what we are trying to do. It’s that time when
you expand people’s thinking. They learn about what they
might be interested in and they meet all sorts of people.
They emerge from that process with ideas, knowledge and
skills that they didn’t have when they started. We have to
get it right.”
In 2009, the University announced the Strategic Priority
Fund (SPF) as part of the institution’s strategic plan,
Thinking Forward Taking Action
, to bolster projects that
support one or more of the plan’s five priorities.
Dr. Leo Groarke, provost and vice-president, academic,
explains that, “We’ve made a commitment to structure the
budget to ensure we can support people and encourage
people when they want to change things for the better at
the University.”
In 2011/12, the University allocated $1,508,071 to SPF
projects. A total of $434,750 – 28 per cent – was earmarked
for the student experience.
The project that received the top ranking of the dozens
submitted was a first-year
instructional support position,
called a learning strategist, in
the Faculty of Arts and Social
Sciences (FASS).
The faculty, home to
more than one-third of the
University’s 15,800 full-time and
part-time students, has already
invested in several programs
and courses meant to assist
its first-year students in the
transition to university.
For example, FASS utilizes a first-year design team,
which is a group of five academics from different FASS
disciplines that identify the needs of first-year students and
then design programs and courses to meet them.
Many FASS courses incorporate peer mentors who help
students navigate some of the academic, institutional and
social uncertainty of first year. The faculty also offers the
“Gateway Alternative Admissions Program”, which attracts
high school graduates identified as being able to succeed
at university, yet who have been disappointed by their final
high school results.
In Fall 2011, FASS introduced the “Early Warning
Program” to identify first-year students who are struggling
“SOMETIMES FIRST-YEAR
STUDENTS DON’T KNOW
WHAT TO DO IF THEY’RE
STRUGGLING ACADEMICALLY.”
DR. ROY AMORE
A formula for first-year success
STUDENT SUPPORT
One-on-one counselling is a key aspect of the first-year course, “Understanding the Contemporary World.”
Course instructor Professor Natalie Atkin is pictured with student Olivia Greenhow.
BY JENNIFER AMMOSCATO
