Ashland University Establishes New Center for Academic Support

Ashland University’s commitment to the success of students on campus has resulted in the creation of a new center to help students with their academic experience at Ashland University.

According to Ashland University Provost Dr. Frank Pettigrew, the new Center for Academic Support has been created within the Division of Academic Affairs and is being headed by Kathy Stone as the director of academic support.

“This change is the outcome of analysis over the past several months that focused on how our students could be best served through increased academic support, coordination and collaboration across campus,” Pettigrew said. “We are very pleased to announce that this new center will bring a number of support areas under one umbrella, including peer tutoring, supplemental instruction, student retention, disability services, first year experience, and components of academic advising.”

Pettigrew said the components of the new center will be located in a variety of locations for now, but noted that the plan is to physically move the entire department into one consolidated area on campus later this year.

“I truly believe that this new center will have a profound academic impact on our students and I am excited to be involved in its creation,” Pettigrew said. “This center provides resources to students in a coordinated effort that will increase their academic success.”

Kathy Stone, who has been director of Student Success and Retention for the past two years, agreed with Pettigrew.

“I am excited to lead the efforts in creating a visionary Center for Academic Support,” Stone said. “Academic support is a critical factor influencing student persistence and degree completion.”

Stone said the new center is a great opportunity to coordinate the efforts of many departments across campus. “Our center will focus on the individual needs of our students with an emphasis on academic success,” she said.

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities category for 2012, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.