College is Hard. Widener’s Office of Student Success is Here to Help.

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College is Hard. Widener's Office of Student Success is Here to Help.

Ashiya Outlaw '28 meets with her academic coach Jill Gilbert to develop strategies to manage her courses and workload.

At any point during the semester, Jordan Scales '26 is balancing classwork, an on-campus job, and his various memberships with organizations such as the Black Student Union and WU TV network.

The junior communications studies major keeps a busy calendar, which includes a standing weekly meeting with Erica Brunner, his academic coach in the Office of Student Success.

Jordan Scales '26 credits his weekly meetings with his academic coach, Erica Brunner, for his success in class.

Scales has partnered with Brunner since his sophomore year to leverage the resources and one-on-one guidance available through Widener's broad network of support.

"The coaches went through the same phase as I'm going through right now as a college student, so I need all the help and all the advice that I can get because there are some things that I'm not really meant to do alone while I'm in college," said Scales.

Personalized student support is a hallmark of the Widener experience. But through the Office of Student Success, Widener continues to expand and diversify available services to position undergraduate and graduate students to achieve their greatest potential from day one.

Current services include academic coaching, tutoring, and peer mentorship. The office also partners closely with teams across campus to connect students to mental health support, internship and career guidance, and accessibility support as needed.

According to Scales, the results speak for themselves.

This semester has been really great for me because I've been taking advantage of the resources. My midterm grades are really great and I thank the Office of Student Success for that." -Jordan Scales '26

Scales' experience illustrates that students can access support at any time, not just when or if they're struggling.

"They can get help immediately. They don't have to wait until they're in trouble to come to the Office of Student Success to find out how we can help them be successful," said Jill Gilbert, associate director of academic enrichment.

Jill Gilbert and the student success team offer personalized support to help students with their academic performances.

Gilbert explained that the office uses a personalized approach to identify and address a student's individual needs that may impact their academic performance such as test-taking strategies, time management and organization, and test anxiety.

Brunner, who is the assistant director of academic enrichment, added that the student support team strategizes ways to ensure students are flourishing not just academically, but mentally and socially as well.

"When I provide academic coaching, it's to make sure students are balanced all across the board," said Brunner.

While students can turn to the office at any time, Gilbert emphasized the importance of interacting with students in their first year at Widener.

"It's really important to get to students sooner rather than later," Gilbert said, noting that approach allows students to get in front of potentially feeling overwhelmed or falling into academic trouble.

Ashiya Outlaw, a first-year honors program student, reaped the benefits of personalized coaching early in her Widener career. The elementary education major connected with Gilbert in her first semester and saw immediate improvements.

"I had been really struggling that week so I decided to set up an appointment," said Outlaw, who added, "I was able to schedule an appointment right from class."

The pair identified tools and developed strategies to manage Outlaw's specific schedule, work style, and course assignments. Thanks to a new calendar and time management system, Outlaw is well on her way to meeting her academic goals while enjoying a meaningful college experience.

At the end of the day, Gilbert and Brunner's goal as academic coaches is simple: meet students exactly where they are and empower them to thrive.

"We like to let students know that there's so much that you don't have to do alone," said Gilbert.

Success is just a click away