KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – There will be a new feature on the campus of Western Michigan University this fall.
WMU officials say the new Student Success Hub should make being a student easier by serving as a centralized place where students who are having trouble can get assistance, along with those who are having problems where they say will be directed on where exactly to get help, thus combining services that have been typically spread out all over campus in the past.
Dr. Edward Martini says the hub will be especially useful for students may need academic assistance, financial aid or just help navigating the university’s bureaucracy. He went onto say that for most, it can be a difficult transition to change majors, and plan courses that end in graduation, and that they can sometimes slip through the cracks if they can’t get help.
A key part of the hub officials say is that students will be able to get help from counselors, departmental advisors and someone who knows their way around, whom they call ‘Navigators.’
Assistant Dean Tomika Griffin-Brown says one thing they want to avoid is what they call the “Bronco Bounce.” This, she says is when a student is just told where to go. Through the hub, Navigators will make make sure they not only are referred to the right place, but make an appointment for them as well.
The Student Success Hub was launched in the spring and preliminary results show it is helping students stay in school, who might have otherwise dropped out.
They say that it’s particularly useful for first-generation students, meaning those who are the first in their family to go to college. And WMU officials are noticing more of them thanks to the Kalamazoo Promise.
WMU has Scheduled Bronco Bash for next Tuesday, August 29, with classes beginning on Wednesday, August 30.
reporting from John McNeill
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