We have a new initiative where advisers now send handwritten congratulatory cards to students when they achieve a GPA of 3.0 or better. Dawn has been doing similar things for her students for years, Downey said. Kakumba, who is very modest about her role in any changes, says she was apprehensive at first. It's great to feel that you have positive input into their lives and can help in so many ways. Both the changes made and the feedback I have received from students have been very positive, he said.
Students are also aware of the improvements.
There are more resources, tutoring and academic support now, said Douglas Sifert, a sophomore. In addition, the center has recently created student email Listservs where students receive reminders about important deadlines and programs and learn about course schedules and changes. We have made it more convenient for students to use our Listservs by arranging for them to receive mail and information from us even when they are using America Online or other Internet service providers, said Sue Phillips, who along with Downey serves as an associate director of the center. The center is also better equipped to serve as an advisement resource for the rest of the campus. With the aid of technology to make advising easier, the center now has more time to give advisers extra training to help them perform even better.