Student Support Services

An interdisciplinary faculty provides academic advising to students throughout the Division of General Studies. Each advisor is assigned a number of advisees who receive assistance in registering in appropriate general education courses and whose academic progress is monitored to ensure completion of general education requirements prior to exiting the Division.

A professional counselor is available to help participants understand and cope with the challenges students face in college. Our philosophy is that counseling should be conducted in three tiers: developmental, remedial, and preventive.

The developmental function enhances student development and facilitates optimal use of Morris College's physical, fiscal, and human resources. We encourage our participants to positively assess themselves and realistically deal with the results. They are taught that intellectual development is personal, and that they must make career choices that are appropriate for their specific situation. We reinforce the idea that only they can set limitations and boundaries that define their success.

Remedial counseling addresses students' problems. Personal adjustments and adaptation is the framework of a successful stay in a college or university. In settings of group and individual sessions, we address current or historic family situations, social-economics, personal relationships, student-professor relationships, and other stressors that may influence or impede academic progress.

Our preventive phase is the process of counseling in ways that anticipate and eliminate or reduce the impact of the day to day stress factors through various intervention strategies, i.e. workshops, symposiums, mentoring, etc. In other words, we help students make the transition to college by trying to resolve problems that may hinder their academic success.

Participants may contact our counselor between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday in room 101 of the Brawley-Starks Building or call extensions 3187 or 3188 for an appointment (walk-ins are acceptable).

Throughout the academic year, workshops are facilitated by our professional staff to enhance the academic and personal growth of participants. These workshops include: Financial Aid information, financial literacy, positive motivation, social skills, test taking, writing skill building, conflict resolution, goal setting, and communication skills, etc.

Cultural enrichment trips and other activities are planned periodically to expose participants to the fine arts and broaden the students' experiences. Trips include theatrical and musical productions, museums, and other events and/or exhibitions.

We in Student Support Services believe that consistency in performing academic work is the most important ingredient in students' success. Our professional supplemental instructors provide professional and personalized tutorial and instructional services. Help is available in every phase of mathematics and language arts. Sessions are available one-on-one and are designed specially for the student who may need or desire that little extra punch to get him/her into the next round. We help to clarify concepts from the classroom, support out of class work efforts, improve study habits, and provide the individual attention that our students need for academic success.

A number of terms, including partner learning and peer teaching have been used to describe this concept of learning. In Morris College Student Services, we prefer to use the term, "Peer Tutoring." Peer tutoring is when our participants learn by using other students as education coaches. The peer tutor work and study alongside the participant in one-on-one situations helping them to grasp the subject matter. Each of our peer tutors has been well recommended by experienced faculty members, carefully selected by the Student Support Services director and approved by the president of the institution. This select group of Morris College students has demonstrated academic excellence and provides help in understanding course contents, preparing for exams, and managing one's study time.

Tutorial Services are provided to students daily on an "as needed" basis in a variety of courses including mathematics, sciences, fine arts, reading, history, foreign languages and English.

Participants may come by the office of Student Support Services between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday. We are located in room 214 of the Brawley-Starks Building or may call extension 3188 for appointments.

Student Support Services maintains a library of current textbooks for participants. Textbooks are for general education courses and are available for use throughout the semester on first come, first served basis.