Pine Manor College Launches Initiative for Student Success

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass., Nov. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pine Manor College announces the launch of the Initiative for Student Success, a new program that will provide each Pine Manor College student with a personal academic advisor and a personal success coach. Through a collaborative institutional approach, the initiative will increase students' access to a variety of support, resources, and services both on- and off-campus. The goal of the initiative is to increase every student's likelihood of graduating by ensuring that students thrive in the classroom and in the community. At the heart of the initiative is research-based recognition that a holistic, collective approach and individualized mentorship will give students the greatest opportunity to reach their academic goals and, more broadly, to realize their personal potential.

The Initiative for Student Success was developed from Pine Manor College's strategic plan and the newly defined mission. Through a collaboration between the Dean of the College, Diane Mello-Goldner, Ph.D., and the Dean of Students Affair, Staci Weber, Ph.D., the initiative brings about a new advising and coaching organizational structure.

Dean Mello-Goldner reflects, "Many of the aspects of the Initiative for Student Success have been drawn from our supportive First-Year Seminar and Academic Advising programs that have been in place for over 20 years. This initiative builds on the strength of our academic advising by providing additional support that helps define our student success goals and direct resources in an intentional and structured manner." The Academic Advisor is responsible for helping students process their learning experiences and ensure that their academic pursuits align with their future academic goals. Academic Advisors also direct students to the various opportunities that can enhance their learning experience, such as internships, study abroad, service-learning, and career pathways.

The newly created position of Student Success Coach complements the work of the Academic Advisor by overseeing the overall well-being of each student, in the broadest sense of the term. Similar to life coaches, Pine Manor College Student Success Coaches will help students identify goals, promote self-efficacy and abilities to self-advocate, problem-solve, as well as manage stress and conflict. To that end, Pine Manor College's Student Success Coaches will connect students to resources both on- and off-campus and provide workshops and campus activities that will specifically target students' interests and needs.

Dean Weber added, "While this initiative builds upon the work of Academic Affairs, it realigns Student Affairs to best support the students we serve. We know our students thrive through individualized mentorship and a community-based approach. This new model provides students with both, which allows them to be healthy, well, and engaged in our community, because for students to be successful in the classroom, they need to be successful outside of the classroom, as well."

To launch this initiative, the College realigned current administrators and hired additional staff. A summer-long renovation project that re-designed and re-purposed spaces in the Ashby Campus Center coincided with the realignment. The Ashby Campus Center is now home to Pine Manor College's Student Success Coaches, the "Living Room", a space that encourages student interaction and provides student resources, and the newly renovated dining hall and food services provider.

True to the Pine Manor College's mission — "to make certain that all graduates are prepared to take meaningful steps in their lives: engaging in new jobs and careers, continuing to learn, and positively contributing to their communities. Students, including those who are the first in their families to attend college, who are looking for a purposeful education in a personalized and inclusive learning community will find a home at Pine Manor College" — the new Initiative for Student Success is committed to a purposeful, individualized education and to creating a home for all PMC students.

About Pine Manor College

Pine Manor College is a small, private four-­year liberal arts college dedicated to Educating with Purpose. For over 100 years, Pine Manor College has provided a highly student-­focused education and student mentoring grounded in the liberal arts tradition. The College focuses on pathways to careers through internships, organizational partnerships, and academic programs that instill skills and competencies needed in today's changing workplace. Situated in the Chestnut Hill section of Brookline, Massachusetts, only a few miles outside of Boston, Pine Manor College creates experiential learning opportunities that lead to careers. As a result, 100 percent of our 2016 and 2017 graduates were either employed or pursuing post-degree programs within six months of graduation.

Contact: Efrat Zinnar-Shavit, Director of Media and Publications, ezinnarshavit@pmc.edu, 617-731-7163

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SOURCE Pine Manor College