The Center for Academic Achievement will make every effort to support students and faculty.
We strive to make the tutoring options friendly and a safe environment for students to ask questions about their processes in any assignment as expressed in our Mission Statement.
For Students, please take a look at our resources for the writing process. We have tools to help you with every step in the process, from brainstorming your idea to final edits.
For Faculty, you may find the Writing Center RISE referral form among other ways we can help you support your students.
Vision Statement
The TC will provide:
- A caring environment where students and faculty can work together,
- Knowledgeable tutors in many areas of expertise,
- Up-to-date materials to meet the changing technological needs and expectations in the curriculum.
Mission Statement
The TC's mission is to provide individualized instruction to help students reach their academic potential by supporting their intellectual growth, promoting retention, and assisting students in meeting the demands of college-level work enabling them to become lifelong learners.
Values
The TC encourages students to take ownership of their individual learning and achievements.
In the spring of 2002, Sharon Morrissey, Academic Vice President, Tom Dechant, Arts and Sciences Dean, Gigi Derballa, Developmental Studies Department Chair, and Sharon Killian, Math Lab lead instructor, began talking about the need to bring the various student support labs together in a central location with similar operating, tracking, and reporting procedures. During the next two years, a proposal was written and Killian developed plans for converting four classrooms in the Ferguson building to an area to house the Tutoring Center (TC). The proposal was approved by the Board in the fall of 2004. By January 2005, the classrooms had been renovated to accommodate the math and English tutoring labs, the computer writing lab, the Spanish Lab, and the newly created testing lab in an open, inviting environment. The ALC opened on January 10, 2005. The coordinator, Sharon Killian, and approximately 15 part-time employees staffed the labs.
During the summer of 2005, the open computer lab in Holly joined the TC department.
In the fall of 2005, the Learning Resources Division was created. The TC became part of this new division.
In October 2007, two more open computer labs in Rhododendron joined the TC.
By the fall semester of 2008, the TC was staffed by Sharon Killian and 20 part-time employees. The Spanish Lab eventually moved out of the TC. Each semester, the TC served 300-400 students in the tutoring labs, 2000 students (11,000 hours) in the open computer labs, and received over 2,000 tests to be administered in the testing lab.
In the fall of 2011, Sharon Killian retired and Zaneta Summers became the TC Coordinator for one year. Computer lab management was moved under IT and the testing lab and English Lab hours were extended to better serve students.
In the fall of 2012, Leah Hampton became coordinator of the TC.
In the summer of 2013, the Testing Lab moved out of the TC into Simpson. The TC thus became a location exclusively for tutoring and support in English, math, and the sciences. The TC currently serves about 500 students per semester, providing over 5,000 hours of tutoring in a variety of subjects.
In the spring of 2014, Sharon L. Smith became the coordinator of the TC when Leah Hampton slid into the chair position of the Developmental Studies.
In the fall of 2017, the English tutoring became part of the writing center and the space in the TC became an Accounting lab. In the early semesters of the Accounting lab, it was open for limited hours.
In the summer of 2024, the Tutoring Center and Writing Center merged to become the Academic Achievement Center. The Tutoring Center was moved from Ferguson to the downstairs of the library. Sharon L. Smith became the Director of the Academic Achievement Center managing both tutoring centers.