March 2023
Welcome to our First Edition!
The Institute for Student Success was developed within Academic Affairs in 2022 to serve two purposes. First, it provides a home for many of UNH’s academic support centers, programs that serve underrepresented student groups, and its University Advising Center. The other purpose, aspirational yet practical, is to unite across organizational lines to do the good work of student success in which we all have a stake and a responsibility. The Institute for Student Success establishes the hub to connect our campus units in Academic Affairs with those of Student Life to further grow a well-connected and integrated student support ecosystem, both on the ground and on the myWildcat Success platform.
My hope in leading the Institute for Student Success is that we find ways to share expertise, enhance and amplify each other’s work as faculty, advisors, and staff, and partner to maximize the opportunities for our students to develop and exceed the goals they have set for success in the classroom, in leadership roles on campus, in research, in career preparation and personal growth. We propose to circulate this newsletter once per semester to highlight the work being done and to open the door to more partnerships and innovation.
This first edition in large part acquaints those not familiar with the programs and centers living within the ISS to our services. Going forward, we will highlight collaborations and partnerships our programs have that are making a difference for our students on campus. I’m excited for the work we can do together. Have an idea? Want to partner on research? How can the Institute for Student Success support your work? Please invite me or any of our staff to talk to your department. I’m excited to see what the future will bring!
Dawna M. Pérez, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Student Success
The Institute for Student Success
TRIO Scholars (Student Support Services) is a federally funded program that supports UNH students who are first generation college students, from a low-to-modest income background, and/or are registered with Student Accessibility Services (SAS). We work with students throughout their undergraduate careers, specifically providing:
-
Assistance with FAFSA, financial aid, and scholarships
-
Financial literacy training
-
Graduate School/career prep
-
Content and study skills tutoring
-
Preparation for advising sessions on course selection (including major/minor exploration)
We achieve this through 1:1 coaching, events, and a Canvas course page specifically for TRIO Scholars. In Fall 2022, we were excited to offer a semester-long workshop series that included strategies for academic success, managing finances, career readiness, and more, partnering with CaPS, the Financial Aid Office, Global Education Programs, and CFAR.
This spring we are looking forward to bringing new, high-impact cultural and academic programs to our students. This includes:
-
Bringing a group of 20 students to the Boston Opera House to see Hamilton;
-
Hosting Genuis Potential on campus to do a day-long career and finances motivational workshop; and
-
Developing a financial literacy bootcamp to be held in Summer 2023.
Should you have any questions about TRIO Scholars or would like to refer a student, please visit our website or contact TRIO Scholars Director Jes Crowell: Jes.Crowell@unh.edu; 603-862-3362.
Pączki with Pérez
(Doughnuts with Dawna)
Every third Friday, 8 AM – 9 AM
Drop-in Office Hour (Hood House Rm 111) or request a Zoom link!
Ask me anything, or just come to connect!
CONNECT Program
The Challenging Ourselves in a New and Nurturing Environment by Coming Together (CONNECT) Program was founded in 1994 through a partnership with the Diversity Support Coalition (DSC), the late Dr. Roger M. Beattie (Special Assistant to the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management), and Dr. Judy Spiller (Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Support Services). CONNECT was designed to help students that have been historically excluded from higher education (People of Color, first-generation and/or low-income/high financial need) thrive in their transition to and through college.
Each summer, CONNECT offers two bridge programs to help first-years transition to UNH. CONNECT STEM is a two-week, donor-funded program for 40 COLSA and CEPS majors. CONNECT Classic is a weeklong program for COLA, CHHS, and PAUL majors funded by the university. Participation is free, and students move into their residence halls early. They learn about campus resources and are enrolled in modified “Mini courses” that prepare them for academic success. CONNECT first year students are matched with a Peer Mentor (based on college major) who works yearlong to support their academic, personal, and professional goals.
Population Data (spring 2023)
Sixty-eight first-year students (out of one hundred and ninety-one all four years)
-
Two-thirds of students self-identified as women
-
Fifty-eight percent identified as a student of color (including those who were labeled “non-Hispanic 2 or more races.”)
-
Fifty percent identified as first-generation (i.e., first in their families to attend a four-year college or university.
-
Forty one percent of participants also identified as low-income students.
Spring 2023
CONNECT hosts monthly socials for first-years to bond with other CONNECT students. These range from movie nights, dinners, regional trips, to arts and crafts nights. CONNECT also frequently collaborates with the Office of Community, Equity, and Diversity, the Aulbani J. Beauregard Center for Equity, Justice, and Freedom, the Center for Academic Resources, McNair, Study Away, and TRIO SSS to host relevant workshops and presentations for all students.
Past workshops include Maximizing your LinkedIn, Professional Headshots, Alumni Panels, Career Fair Prep, Job/Internship search, and Resume Review.
Contact Info
For questions related to the UNH CONNECT Program, please contact the Program Coordinator Funmi Oyekunle (she/her pronouns) at funmi.oyekunle@unh.edu or 603-862-2221. CONNECT is on Instagram @unhconnectprogram.
First Annual Undeclared Week!
The University Advising Center held its first annual Undeclared Week last semester, and we’re proud to say it was a resounding success! UAC director Nathan Talbot set the goal to implement this event for the 2022 Fall semester not knowing how it would be received or what kind of attendance it would garner. The event was open to undeclared freshmen, and attending at least one event was a required assignment for their COLA 401 exploratory course. Students were asked to pre-register, and several events reached capacity before the week kicked off.
We partnered with other campus resources in order to offer students a variety of meaningful content. Our friends at the Connors Writing Center, the Mathematics Assistance Center and the Center for Academic Resources joined us to meet and speak with students at our mini resource fair. Career and Professional success hosted our Careers Day in their space in McConnell Hall. The other events were organized and conducted by the UAC team either in the MUB or Hood House. We plan to expand and enhance this programming, and as we look toward Fall 2023 for our second annual Undeclared Week we look forward to inviting all undeclared students to join us and enjoy these events.
University Writing Center
Successes and Upcoming Events
In July 2021, Meaghan Dittrich took over for Ed Mueller as Director of University Writing Programs and soon after, in August, Cyndi Roll began her position as the new associate director of the Connors Writing Center. Both Meaghan and Cyndi serve as co-President of the Northeast Writing Centers Association (NEWCA). Cyndi is also in her third year as NEWCA’s treasurer.
In June, 2022, the Writing Program reinstated its annual Writing-Invested Faculty Retreat at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel. A new cohort of 9 faculty participants engaged in three days of curriculum development and discussion surrounding writing in their classes. We are excited to keep this yearly program running through the generosity of the Dey Family Gift Fund.
During the 2021-2022 academic year, the Connors Writing Center piloted its first sessions of the Community Writing Table - a space to write in a community of support from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesdays. Students came to sit at our Big Table, built by Bob Connors and his graduate students back in 1994. Bob intended the Big Table to be a space for community writing and this past year it welcomed a great turnout of student writers from across the university! We are looking forward to more writers in the coming semesters as we continue this new weekly community tradition.
This Spring, we are focusing on accessible and inclusive writing assignments, leading a CEITL faculty workshop in January, as well as hosting Dr. Allison Hitt as WAC Guest Speaker at the end of February. See our Events page for information on how to register for these sessions.
The Writing Program continues to issue its eNewsletter, “Write Free or Die,” each semester. Look for more of our updates about the UWP each term on our Resources page under the collapsible Newsletter tab.
McNair Scholar Profiles
McNair scholar, Joslyn Villavicencio, Sr. BusAdm: Management was nominated and selected to attend the 2022 Institute on Teaching and Mentoring conference in Atlanta, GA in October 2022. The Institute is “the largest gathering of minority doctoral scholars in the country.” Each year, the conference welcomes undergraduate students from across the country to attend this conference through a nomination process. At this 4-day conference, undergraduate students have the opportunity to learn strategies on how to thrive in graduate school and work toward becoming a member of the professorate while networking with faculty, doctoral scholars, and graduate school recruiters. While at the conference, Joslyn met up with two UNH professors who were tabling at the conference.
McNair scholar, Tori Schofield, Sr., Psychology and Justice Studies dual major co-wrote a research article with her McNair faculty mentor, Dr. Amy Michael from the UNH Anthropology Department and it was published in the Teaching and Learning Anthropology Journal in December 2022. The title of the article is “Engaging Undergraduate Students in Forensic Anthropology Research During Times of Restricted Lab Access: The Efficacy and Importance of Student-Led Surveys."
Upcoming Events:
McNair Senior Celebration, Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 5:00-7:00 PM Squamscott Room in Holloway Commons. At the senior celebration we will be honoring our 10 graduating seniors and recognizing this year’s Donovan Scholarship and Joseph and Elizabeth McDonough Scholarship recipients. RSVP to Kate.Luksha@unh.edu
Center for Academic Resources: Student Profile
Morgan is a second-semester sophomore in COLA. She views CFAR as her first stop when she comes across a challenge or wants to share a success. Morgan first came to CFAR, with a list of questions in hand, her first week of being a Wildcat. Because of our holistic approach to student success and well-being, we were able to address the many transition questions she had. This was the start of us forging a partnership with Morgan and her meeting regularly with me as her educational counselor.
Morgan has worked hard and has been diligent since arriving at UNH. Starting as a COLSA major, Morgan quickly decided to move into COLA undeclared. Through our discussions, Morgan decided this was a better fit for her. She maintained her science courses but wanted to explore possible majors for becoming a Physical Therapist.
As the semester unfolded, Morgan faced an uphill battle. Although eager to learn, Morgan discovered that she needed to improve her time management and study skills for her difficulty science courses. Each week, Morgan put into practice the strategies discussed and utilized every appropriate resource built into her classes and offered on-campus. Morgan met with her faculty, teaching assistants, a CFAR peer academic mentor, and honor society tutors. With each exam, her grades steadily improved, and her confidence grew.
Simultaneously, Morgan faced additional challenges. In one meeting, we practiced how she might approach her roommate amid a complicated and thorny roommate situation. After our meeting, Morgan said she felt a lot better about talking with her roommate and working with her RDH on a room change. With Morgan’s trust in me firmly established, I was able to direct her to campus offices to help with her personal life issues impacting her life as a student. With every curveball thrown her way, Morgan used those challenges to grow. She finished her first year at UNH with over a 3.0 GPA.
This year, Morgan returned saying, “this will be the best year yet”! To find the right major, Morgan worked with me and her UAC advisor to investigate different paths to her dream career. We co-created a list of faculty and staff to meet with and talked through her messaging strategy. Morgan got right to work! As a result of her thorough research, Morgan is applying to the Health Sciences major this spring. We’ve evaluated the application requirements and process together. Morgan knows her next steps and is eager to see where this next chapter takes her.
Even during tough times, Morgan has a smile on her face and gets to work. She will often thank me, and I’ll gently remind her that she’s the one doing the work. She's the one sending emails. She’s the one visiting office hours. She’s the one hatching plans and prioritizing her work. Most importantly, she’s the one who asks for help when she needs it.
Morgan is a true Wildcat and has become a part of her community. She participated in OISS’ Global Leadership Experience last year, was just chosen for Sophomore Summit, and is applying to be an RA for next year. She embodies what it means to say “yes!’ -- you may have spotted Morgan in this year’s Macy’s Day Parade holding the Snoopy balloon! All of Morgan’s hard work is paying off and with her academic prowess, emotional intelligence, and positive attitude, CFAR is lucky to be able to partner with someone like Morgan!
91% of tutees passed the course
34% of these students had alerts
Average course grade was 2.46
Average minutes tutored= 320
Exciting Partnerships Happening Across Campus
The Office of Community, Equity, and Diversity has partnered with some funding for a pilot program with Study Away, USA’s National Student Exchange program to recruit students who may want to spend a semester at a NSE member HBCU, especially focused on those students who could benefit from an application fee waiver and help with travel expenses! Programs helping to market and recruit students include CONNECT, TRIO Scholars (SSS), UNH McNair Scholars, and The Beauregard Center. Already one student has applied for Spring ‘24! Interested students should reach out to national.student.exchange@unh.edu or visit www.unh.edu/nse
CaPS is holding a Professional Success Symposium in collaboration with many groups/programs across campus to meet students’ desires to learn more about post-UNH life preparation: Finding a place to live, housing, lease agreements, taxes, negotiating a job offer, understanding employment benefits and selecting insurance and retirement plans, budgeting and building good credit, finding the right work culture and supportive employer, and so much more. The symposium will take place on March 31st in the MUB Theaters. Interested in participating? Email Krysta.Gingue@unh.edu
On the myWilcatSuccess platform, we have added the ability for faculty and advisors to REFER students to offices such as the Center for Academic Resources (CFAR), Veterans and Military Services, McNair Scholars Program, the Math Center, and Basic Needs Coordinator. University Advising Center makes referrals to COLA CaPS, and in the future we hope to add all colleges’ CaPS offices, Residential Life, and more. Our purpose is to build a coordinated care network on the platform to provide the best support for our students’ success!
Please let us know what you think of this first edition of our newsletter by filling out our 4-question survey
