Success Center Dedication

The Milburn Student Success Center Dedication

November 9, 2012

From the beginning our desire and intention has been to partner with all students in order to help them exceed all that they think is possible.  In all that we do, we want to transform students into scholars through our participation in the mission of the university.   We have been about the business of equipping students to pursue academic excellence in a way that integrates their faith with their studies and empowers them to engage the diversity of our world while being centered on a commitment to living worthy of the high calling of God in Christ.

Through our work and service we have developed caring relationships with students of all classifications, majors, abilities, and backgrounds.  We have helped strong students excel both in areas of weakness, but also in areas where they are already strong.  Early on, I dreamed that someday we might hire a student who had benefitted from our services.  Today...we only hire students who have made use of the Success Center.  One such student, is one of our seniors and our Civ Coordinator.  During Kallie Engle’s interview to work in the Center, I inquired about her personal use of the Center.  She looked a little sheepish.  I might mention that Kallie is an English major and a member of our Honors’ Program.  She said...”Well, I only come in for my papers.”  I was so struck by the fact that Kallie used the Success Center for the one area in which she was strongest.  She went on to talk about how our staff had helped her to improve her writing!  Now...she provides the same for countless others.  In fact, few of our staff submit written work without first having a peer in the Center give them feedback.

Of course, we have also been privileged to aid students who might otherwise not have succeeded in college.   On Sept. 8^th of 2008, we opened for services.  The first student who came to see us was a freshman and to say that he was overwhelmed would be an understatement.  While incredibly bright, this young man faced significant challenges including diagnosed learning disabilities.  He spent countless hours in the Student Success Center over his first years of college.  More than anything, he battled anxiety and social challenges.  Nevertheless, with the help of our staff, he persisted and excelled.  At the end of his sophomore year, a number of our staff who had worked closely with him on a daily basis were graduating.  This student sat in my office and quietly wept as he grieved their departure.  He shared with me that they had changed his life and that he was a different and better person than he expected to become because of the impact they had on him.  I am happy to tell you that this student will graduate Magna Cum Laude in December and is preparing for the GRE and graduate school!

During our first two months in 2008, we conducted 1,055 sessions.  This fall, a mere four years later, during our first two months, we conducted 3,306 sessions culminating in an increase of 213%.  This gift will help us to exceed all that we think is possible!  With it, we can reach a greater number of students more thoroughly and completely.  Thank you, Ann & Paul, for your generous gift.  It inspires us to new levels of service.  And, on behalf of both our current and future students, I want to express the deepest gratitude.  You are changing lives with this gift!

In addition to investing in the students who seek out our services, we are also developing future academic leaders.   We have had 102 students and graduates serve their fellow students since our doors opened.  A large number of our staff has aspirations to be educational leaders in the future through elementary, secondary, and higher education.  A large percentage of our graduates are pursuing or have completed advanced degrees in their fields of specialty including medicine, science, history, higher education administration, and theology.  Our current seniors are in the process of applying for graduate school and one has recently been accepted to serve through Teach for America!  This gift provides practical and challenging experience for each of them as they develop as scholars and servant leaders.

Increasingly, colleagues from other institutions are looking to us. We have hosted visits from a Flagship state school, a regional public, a community college, and a fellow CCCU institution. All of this without having published about or presented our efforts yet!

What does the future hold?  We plan to continue and expand our compassionate service and rigorous challenge to all students.  It is our goal to be a model of best practices that others might learn how to serve their unique populations.   And, finally...we will continue to develop leaders and scholars in all disciplines that they might go into all the world continuing to impact lives for Christ.