Student Support & Engagement
The Director of Student Support & Engagement in the Student Success Center assists students to overcome the obstacles they encounter in their daily lives by providing them with an environment conducive to academic success. To this end, the Director:
- Serves as a referral agent to help students connect to other departments that can assist them in setting and reaching academic, social and career goals.
- Develops close helping relationships with students while coaching students toward seeking the proper resources, devise appropriate self-care strategies and learn self-advocacy.
- Works with students of a wide variety of needs following a solutions-based approach, helping students to engage in effective problem-solving.
Tyler Shephard
Director of Student Support and Engagement
At-Risk Student Referral
The Director of Student Support & Engagement will work strategically with students who exhibit certain characteristics that have been proven to serve as an impediment to student success, causing them to be “at-risk”. Students who exhibit three or more of these risk factors will satisfy the requirements for intervention by the Director.
If and when a student is identified as being at-risk, the Director will provide personalized and consistent advising, focus on goal setting and healthy habits, coaching on time management and self-awareness, and assist in organizational skills. The Director will make every effort to contact referred student within 3-4 business days and ensure that some action is taken on every form that is received. Students who do not meet the criteria will be referred to other necessary departments.
- Academic Risk Factors Examples: Low GPA (2.0-2.5), sudden decline in academic performance, excessive absences, unresponsive to outreach, failing class, lack of classroom engagement
- Familial Risk Factors Examples: First generation college student, disruptive household functioning, lack of financial resources
- Social Risk factors Examples: Conflicting ethnic or cultural values, traumatic peer exchanges, lack of social interaction
- Personal Risk Factors Examples: Lacking in areas of motivation, self-esteem, direction, goal clarity or communication skills
To refer a student that you are concerned might be at-risk, please use the Student Referral Form.