Student Success Center Celebrates its Inauguration

On February 24, the Student Success Center (SSC) celebrated its Inauguration and Open House, which was held outside Howard Phillips Hall near the Reflecting Pond.

“The Tree of Success” was dedicated to former and future students assisted by the myriad of services provided by the SSC. An official ribbon-cutting ceremony formally acknowledged five student support units: First Year Advising and Exploration (FYAE), Multicultural Academic and Support Services (MASS), the University Testing Center (UTC), Transfer and Transition Services (TTS), and the Student Academic Resource Center (SARC), coming together under the umbrella name, Student Success Center.

DeLaine Priest, assistant vice president, Student Success Services, welcomed guests and commented in her opening statement, “The seeds that we plant lead our students to graduate school, to medical school, to careers and to great lives.” Priest also took the opportunity to honor the “dynamic and creative staff of the SSC.”

John Schell, vice provost and dean of Undergraduate Studies, paid tribute to Mary Helen Callarman, founder of the Student Academic Resource Center, saying, “We celebrate the seed that Mary Helen planted, but today it has many different branches. Those branches are creating a huge canopy of support and services for students. As this huge tree continues to grow and flourish, more students will be supported by its mission.”

Students gave anecdotes of their experiences with the various SSC units. Kyle Trauger proudly stated, “SARC taught me to believe in myself, and through that I became involved on campus and in Student Government.” Tracy Richardson said, “I received information on scholarships, internships and on-campus organizations that I may not have heard about if it weren’t for MASS. The individual attention I received while being advised by MASS makes me feel so important and respected.” Tyco Coleman mentioned, “As a Peer Mentor with TTS . . . it has been a great joy to be able to work with students. The staff of TTS is great at pointing students in the right direction and helping them transition to this university.” According to Andrew Hagenauer, his experience with FYAE has changed him as a person and a student. “I feel that the FYAE team has offered the support that so many students are used to receiving at home.”

Mark Allen Poisel, associate vice president for Academic Development and Retention, guided the audience through a visualization. He also used the analogy of the Student Success Center as a tree and part of the university (the forest). Comparing the tree as a component of Student Development and Enrollment Services (foundation or ground) for all that is accomplished and Academic Development and Retention (roots) holding all in place. “As the forest grows, so does its roots,” said Poisel.

Maribeth Ehasz, vice president for Student Development and Enrollment Services, honored the memory of Callarman by wearing a red jacket [The color symbolized the red door that Callarman painted to get student’s attention to come to SARC]. Ehasz also honored staff who provided support through the years including: Bob Snow–founder of the FYAE program; A.J. Range–first director of MASS; Mark Allen Poisel–who led TTS in a new direction and made transfer students an important part of the UCF campus; Russ Tiberi–who worked diligently with undecided/undeclared students; and DeLaine Priest and Pat Pates–whose passion is the success of students. “It makes sense to put everything together, so students know where to go. . . and that is what the Student Success Center is all about,” said Ehasz.

In a surprise presentation to Priest, Poisel stated, “In order to elevate the SSC to a level of importance, you need a strong leader–a leader with passion, direction and commitment–and clearly we have that in DeLaine Priest. She has made a huge difference in all of our work with students.” Priest was presented a framed photograph of the SSC staff.

The morning’s events ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, declaring the Student Success Center officially open. Peer Mentors led guests through the various offices in the center. The SSC continued the celebration into the afternoon with an Open House for students with interactive games, prizes, food and a LINK Scavenger Hunt.

According to Sandra Macaulay, who coordinated the SSC Inaugural program, “Student Success Center’s Inauguration was a true success, and the center will continue to flourish and provide a sanctuary of support for UCF students with its growing canopy of student services.”





Students Dance to Raise Money for Charity

Recently, hundreds of students spent 24 hours dancing to raise money to benefit Shands Children’s Hospital at the University of Florida and Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children & Women through Greater Orlando Children’s Miracle Network.

This student-run philanthropy celebrated its 10th anniversary Las Vegas style with Karaoke, poker competitions, magicians, hypnotists and live bands. The marathon featured performances from groups such as Rukus, a hip-hop student dance group. Fund-raising efforts for the Dance Marathon 2006 totaled over $31,000.





Pandemic Flu Preparedness

Several UCF units met with Bill Toth of the Orange County Health Department to discuss the ramifications of and preparedness for a potential campus outbreak of a pandemic (worldwide) spread of Avian or “Bird” flu. Health Services hosted the meeting that was held in the UCF Health Center on March 8. Representatives from Environmental Health and Safety, Housing and Residence Life, Human Resources, Campus News and Information, and UCF Police attended. A method of dealing with such an eventuality is being drafted as part of the existing Continuity Of Operations Plan (COOP).





Career Panel Discuss Career Opportunities

Career Services & Experiential Learning teamed up with the Interpersonal & Organizational Communications department to develop the second consecutive career panel. The event featured panelists from Florida Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks, Heart of Florida United Way, Hewitt Associates, the Target Corporation and Enterprise Rent-A-Car who sponsored food and refreshments. The panelists spoke to an audience of over 120 students about career opportunities available in their organizations, the importance of interpersonal and organizational communication skills in today’s working world, and provided career-related advice. The event ended with a mini-career fair where students obtained information on job and internship opportunities and passed their resumes along to hiring professionals.





UCF Hosts Population Level Prevention Meeting

Recently, Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Programming hosted a meeting outlining promising practices that address alcohol and other drug prevention on campus and in the community. The session featured prevention experts and college administrators sharing strategies and success stories on how to increase the quality of campus alcohol prevention programming. The program included guest speakers: Rick Howell from the Center for Prevention Research at Florida State University; Ric Underhile, Prevention Practice manager from Outside The Classroom; and Dessa Bergen-Cico, associate dean of students at Syracuse University. Bergen-Cico presented the model prevention programs including, “Twelve-Point Plan” to comprehensive campuswide prevention program. For more information of this plan, visit their Web site: students.syr.edu/12pointplan.





A Walk Through the Tunnel

The Tunnel of Oppression was an effort not only to bring awareness of ongoing oppressions in the world, but also to instill some hope that anyone can be the light at the end of the tunnel. This program addressed current issues such as genocide, fear and anxiety, media and societal messages, spiritual abuse, poverty and everyday hate between two roommates. Over 400 students, faculty and staff attended this year’s program. The most frequently heard comment following the Tunnel was that the issues were presented subtly enough to make us all think a little more about them without going to extremes to solicit a reaction.

This year’s collaboration was shared by the Counseling Center, Housing and Residence Life, LINK First Year Experience, United Resident Student Association, LEAD Scholars Program and Connecting the UCF Community. Over 130 staff and volunteers worked together to make this year’s project a profound success.





Food, Fun and Sun

College Spring Break is an identified high-risk time. Recognizing this, on March 8 The REAL Project (Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Programming–AOD) and Reach for Wellness hosted a “Safer Spring Break 2006” at the Leisure Pool. The event was aimed to raise awareness about reducing the risks associated with Spring Break.

This year, AOD and Recreation and Wellness Center partnered with GAMMA (Greeks Advocating the Mature Management of Alcohol), Delta Delta Delta Sorority and Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. One of the highlights of this year’s event was a Spring Break Fashion Show presented by the UCF Fashion Club. There were raffles; “beer goggle field sobriety tests” administered by the UCF Police Department; “Mocktails” (non-alcoholic Pina Coladas and Strawberry Daiquiris drinks); dance performance by Rukus; and a Safer Spring Break Jeopardy (TV game show).





Test Center Unveils New Web Site

The University Testing Center (UTC) has launched their new Web site and now features online CLAST advising; CLAST registration deadlines and test dates; a downloadable CLEP registration form; in-depth Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheets for the most popular exams including the CLAST, CLEP, and FTCE; and comprehensive information on national and standardized examinations.

Additionally, students can learn how to satisfy the university’s Foreign Language requirement by taking one of over 50 available Foreign Language Proficiency Exams (FLPE) available. Students can also access point-to-point driving directions, “Testing Talk” updates, and links to resources, such as testing agencies and test preparation. UTC’s Web site can be accessed at: www.testing.sdes.ucf.edu.





Standing Room Only at Employment Prep Fair

With a room filled with eager listeners, Anne Deli, keynote speaker for the Spring 2006 Employment Prep Fair, captured the audience’s attention with her life successes and the skills students need to chart their careers in the 21st century. Deli, co-founder and president of Orlando Harley-Davidson and American Road LLC, was chosen as Orlando Business Owner of the Year and Business Woman of the Year in 2005.

Local, national and international employers addressed topics on job search strategies, networking, resume writing, interviewing, negotiating, job search correspondence and diversity in the workplace. In addition, employers critiqued resumes and conducted practice interviews in the Pegasus Ballroom with 400 students participating.

This semi-annual event provided UCF students opportunities to network with employers and better prepare for success at the Career Expo and on-campus interviewing.





Advising Office and Colleges Meeting Will Benefit Students

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of First Year Advising and Exploration (FYAE), the office is hosting a series of monthly events, “Coffee Talk with FYAE.” While spotlighting a different college at each event, FYAE will invite faculty and staff members of the colleges to discuss the challenges students face today in regards to student-parent values, beliefs and relationships, and what assistance may be provided for students to succeed.

In addition, FYAE will gain insight from the colleges regarding career-related resources and internships for their specific majors. The culminating event will lead to a celebration in December when FYAE will commemorate the office’s beginnings, founders and successes. For more information, call 407.823.3789.

Counseling Center Initiates Pre-Doctoral Internship Program

The Counseling Center has selected two pre-doctoral interns to join the staff for the inaugural year of their internship program in professional psychology for the 2006-07 academic year. This is an important milestone in the history of the center, as they are now on their way to propelling their internship program into the national spotlight, with the goal of eventually pursuing APA-accreditation. The interns, Cathleen Connolly (Florida State University) and Wade Arnold (University of Florida) come from APA-Accredited counseling psychology programs and will begin at UCF on August 3.

Richard McLaughlin serves as the training director for the internship program.





Induction of New UCF Chapter

Career Services & Experiential Learning (CSEL) announced UCF’s newest honor society, Delta Epsilon Iota (DEI). The chapter DEI hosted its new member’s reception on February 2nd with over 100 founding members in attendance, along with 150 of their family and friends. The reception featured addresses by Richard Drye, executive director for the National DEI Office; Caroline Willard, UCF advisor for DEI; and Melanie Parker, executive director for CSEL.

This academic honor society works closely with CSEL to heighten students’ awareness of campus career services and encourages their involvement in career-related programs. DEI’s membership is limited to undergraduate and graduate students who have completed 30 credit hours and maintain a 3.3 GPA.

Fair Assists Students in Major Decision-Making

“Find out what it takes to be America’s Next Top Major” was the challenge facing UCF students who attended the Spring Majors Fair on March 2. This semi-annual fair, sponsored by Career Services & Experiential Learning and the Student Success Center, began with an opening welcome from Mark Allen Poisel, associate vice president for Academic Development and Retention, to participating faculty and staff.

Over 350 students had the opportunity to meet with 44 academic departments and advising offices, as well as attend workshops on academic decision making, experiential learning and transitioning to the sophomore year. After meeting with faculty and academic advisors, students were able to declare or change majors with the on-site assistance of the Registrar’s Office.

 

SI Leaders Present at Peer Leader Conference

Recently, Supplemental Instruction (SI) leaders Brittany Harrington and Joni Lopez represented the Student Academic Resource Center (SARC) at the North Carolina SI Peer Leader Conference at the University of North Carolina. Harrington and Lopez presented, “Integration of Learning Skills into SI Sessions,” that focused on study skills including note cards, comparison grids and flowcharts modeled during SI sessions.

In addition, Harrington and Lopez attended presentations and learned valuable ideas to incorporate into their SI sessions including how to structure around various learning styles. They also had the opportunity to meet other peers and share their experiences and best practices. This trip was a collaboration between the Student Success Center and the Student Government Association.

 

 

Welcome to SDES

SDES Division Changes

Awards and Recognition

• Mark Allen Posiel, associate vice president for Academic Development and Retention; Ron Atwell, director, SDES Assessment and Planning; and Paula Krist, director, UCF Operational Excellence and Assessment; presented at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Conference in Washington, D.C. on March 13. The session, “Assessment Toolkit for Academic, Student and Enrollment Services” had more than 150 conference participants in attendance.
  
  
• Craig Ullom, associate vice president for Campus Life, presented a program to student services staff at Valencia Community College as part of their Spring Professional Development Day on March 10. The topic was “Building Foundations for Effective Parent Partnerships.”
  
  Ullom also co-presented with Carolyn Stirling (University of Southern California) and Joyce Shotick (Bradley University) an interest session at the NASPA National Conference in Washington, D.C. on March 13. The session presented findings from a national survey on “Promising Practices for Partnering with Parents.” Ullom is the coordinator of this on-going effort which is a project of NASPA’s Parent and Family Relations Knowledge Community. Laura Settembrini (former graduate assistant for Assessment and Planning and currently employed at the Florida Community College) also assisted in the preparation of the program, but was unable to attend the conference.

Discount Tickets for Disney College Days in April

On sale now at the SGA Ticket Center on the first floor of the Student Union are One-Day, One-Park Walt Disney World attraction tickets. These tickets are good for admission to any one park (Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Magic Kingdom or MGM) during Disney College Days, April 1-30. The price of each ticket is $42.00 (the price at the gate is over $60.00) and anyone with a UCF ID may purchase up to 6 of these discounted tickets. Supply is limited and are sold (cash only) on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets may be purchased through April 29th.

The SGA Ticket Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. For more information, call the SGA Ticket Center at 407.823.2816.

Wellness Expo Fun

The 18th annual UCF Wellness Expo was held on March 8 at the Recreation and Wellness Center next to the Leisure Pool. EXPO ‘06 offered students and the UCF community health wellness information and safer spring break kits. There were demonstrations and events, including: UCF Police canine, kickboxing, a fashion show and stage music. Some raffle prizes included a two-night stay at the Holiday Inn Select and tickets to the Orlando Science Center. Many SDES offices participated in the Expo including: LINK First Year Experience, Counseling Center, Health Services, Reach for Wellness and The REAL Project.

INTEGRITY
I will practice and defend academic and personal honesty.

SCHOLARSHIP
I will cherish and honor learning as a fundamental purpose of my membership in the UCF community.

COMMUNITY
I will promote an open and supportive campus environment by respecting the rights and contributions of every individual.

CREATIVITY
I will use my talents to enrich the human experience.

EXCELLENCE
I will strive toward the highest standards of performance in any endeavor I undertake.

SDES Assisted in Time of Need

Staff from Millican Hall room 282 assisted “Mr. E.”–the DHL driver who regularly delivers in the building–when they heard his home was damaged by fire. Mr. E. and his family currently spends time at a local hotel while they rebuild. To assist in aiding his family, staff presented him with four $50 gift certificates for Publix. Nelson Roman, SDES computer technician, asked his fraternity, Lambda Theta Phi, Latin collected food and donated a $30 gift certificate.





Self-Discovery Knights Schedule

Self-Discovery Knights presentations are held in the Student Union, Key West 218AB, 7-8:30 p.m.