Caitlin Lezell

Journal Contributor

Suffolk University has unleashed the Student Success Program, a new program debuted this year for undeclared first year students. A project developed by the Student Affairs Office and approved by Acting President and Provost Barry Brown, the Student Success Program has been designed with student retention and success in mind, attempting to take a different approach to these two critical aspects of the university.
Associate Dean of Students Richard DeCapua describes this program to be more “organic” than other programs designed for student retention, as it takes a different approach to helping first year students who have come in undecided. Rather than taking the common approach of seeing which classes they enjoy the most during their first few semesters and going from there, the Student Success Program will begin students with the exploration of various career options and different programs within the college. They will work closely with advisors from Career Services and other departments with the intention that majors and minors will fall into place once clear interests are established.
This year’s pilot group consists of 40 students from a wide variety of backgrounds: different hometowns, genders, ethnicities, and interests. Some are residents, some are commuters, and some are student athletes. They have been divided into four groups of ten students each, and through this program they will be exposed to the many groups and services this university has to offer with the hope being that, through this exposure to such different things and different people, they will be able to determine their own paths at Suffolk.
DeCapua said that the goal to get the students all over the place within the college, but to still provide them with an anchor of the program and one another. All four groups will be attending the Temple Street Fair this month.
Although this is the program’s pilot year, explained the ideal results hoped to achieve with this first group are to keep them at Suffolk and help them develop a strong sense of direction for their sophomore years, and to help them gain the tools that they need to be successful at Suffolk early on so as to not get lost in later years.
“This year is going to dictate how we do things in the future,” DeCapua said, explaining that the program will be intensive but not too overbearing. He hopes that prospective students who are not yet sure of what they want to study will be able to see that a program like this exists at Suffolk University, and that they will take advantage of it in future years.
“If we can craft programs that are continuous, we can get students comfortable enough to ask for help. A lot of first year students who reach out for help are comfortable enough to ask for help. The ones who don’t are the ones who really need it.”