Suffolk County Community College students are often asked to step back from the familiar surroundings and attempt to look at the world differently in hopes of making new, positive changes. Recently, the College chose to do the same by assessing its routine practices in an effort to deliver student support services more efficiently.
The result? Welcome to the new Student Success Center at the Eastern Campus.
With almost 4,000 students, the Eastern Campus is a hub of energy and activity. The Student Success Center – affectionately known as the “One-Stop Center,” provides students with all the services they could need in a convenient, centralized location within the Peconic Building.
“We wanted to expand our capacity to serve our students,” says Dr. Evon Walters, Executive Dean of the Eastern Campus. “With our old process, students were moving between six different offices in order to meet with College representatives about financial aid, registration, counseling and advising,” says Mary Reese, Assistant Dean of Student Services for the Eastern Campus. “We wanted to understand how we could do this differently – in a manner that was easier for the students.”
Based on successful customer-service driven environments in other industries, the new Student Success Center is a high-tech, high-touch dynamically responsive space that delivers a completely new experience for current and potential students. It includes a concierge station, queuing system, digital displays and self-help kiosks and is the culmination of a shared vision of student learning and intensive customer service cross-training through multiple departments.
“It’s now a more simplified way for students to just come to one location,” says Landon Doroski, a current student on the Eastern Campus. “Our single point of service has made all transactions easier and more efficient,” says Suzanne Dela Raba, Administrative Director of Business Services.
The new space is a technology-rich environment that provides enhanced information to students while, at the same time, expedites the entire process. After being checked in by a concierge, students are able to relax in comfortable furnishings surrounded by directional signage and dynamic oversized LED displays. Digital signage reflects the student’s position in the queue and will flash when they are ready to be attended to. Directional signage will also flash so that students can immediately determine where they are going.
“We are mindful that this is a student population that is technologically savvy and one that has come to expect immediate gratification,” says Dr. Walters.
To foster an enjoyable and informative learning environment, additional overhead and projected large-screen signage shares on-going news about College academic programs, student leadership opportunities and college events. While in the queue, students can even choose to utilize self-serve kiosks to check information about their academic records, classes and more.
The result is a one-stop approach that leads to an enhanced overall student experience that supports student engagement, persistence and success. “I envision this model becoming the standard for all three of our campuses,” says Dr. Shaun L. McKay, President of Suffolk County Community College. “From admissions through registration, this new approach will ensure that Suffolk continues to lead the way in being innovative and providing enhanced service delivery for all of our students.”
For more information about the Student Success Center, please call
631-451-4100.
Drew Fawcett