With the semester almost halfway over and midterm grades coming out, students may want to start thinking about taking advantage of the resources Grand Valley State University offers to ensure student success.

The Student Academic Success Center is a widely-used resource among students, as it offers tutoring, learning skills development services and student support programs.

Last year, over 65,000 hours of tutoring occurred and almost one-third of undergraduate students utilized the SASC, said Michael Messner, director of the SASC.

“We love working with students and doing this kind of work,” Messner said. “(The staff) is dedicated to working closely with students and doing everything we can to help them reach their goals and be successful.”

The SASC collaborates with academic departments and facilities, among other groups. This allows the SASC to offer help in a range of academic subjects and have locations both on the Allendale and Pew campuses.

“We couldn’t do anything we do without collaborating with all kinds of different areas within the university,” Messner said.

For students who want to improve their academic performance before the semester is over, Messner recommended the drop-in tutoring services the SASC offers, or attending a workshop to better their study skills.

The Mary Idema Pew Library also provides services for students.

“We’re thrilled to see students in (the library) and we certainly want them to feel welcome and to be able to take advantage of the services available to them for their own academic successes to prepare for their careers,” said Julie Garrison, associate dean of research and instructional services.

Tutoring services through the Knowledge Market, in particular subjects like in chemistry, receiving advice from a writing consultant on an essay and getting help from Speech Lab consultants on oral presentations are some of the services that can be found in the library.

“Because so many of our students are in and out of the library every day, they just happen to become more aware of what’s happening across campus if those services are also being offered in that building,” Garrison said.

Students can also meet with research consultants at the library to receive assistance on finding library sources for research papers.

“I think that’s the one thing that surprises us, is that students sometimes think that they’re bothering us when they ask these questions, but really we love to be there to help them,” Garrison said.

GVSU has been developing these support services and others over the years. This increase was part of the university’s strategic plan, said Nancy Giardina, vice provost for Student Success.

“I think what’s important for students to hear is that between 2010 and 2015, we’ve been intentional about developing all of these support services,” Giardina said.

In the next strategic plan, Giardina hopes to keep the services growing, and at a high quality.

These instructional support services and academic advising opportunities are part of a broader plan GVSU has implemented into its student success model.

The model consists of four parts and is based on student academic challenges, engagement and support.

First year experiences like advising, registration and the Transitions program help incoming freshmen adapt to college. MAP-Works and help with career planning and major exploration help freshmen later in the year.

Students can also be engaged in high impact experiences such as undergraduate research, leadership roles, internship opportunities and studying abroad.

“Employers are telling us that they want to employ students that have had these kinds of high impact experiences while they’re doing their studies,” Giardina said. “We encourage students to choose some of these things in addition to doing your studies.”

The support services like the Fred Meijer Writing Center, Library Knowledge Market and SASC help students in their studies.

Lastly, there are university-wide initiatives that students can get involved in throughout their college experience. Employment on campus, scholarships like the Grand Finish, mentoring programs, counseling services and student life organizations are some of the many initiatives.

This outline shows how GVSU defines student success, Giardina said. Students are making progress each year toward completing their degree and graduating in a timely manner.

“After you graduate, it’s that you are successful at getting a job or going onto graduate school or doing whatever it is in your life that you feel your bachelor’s education has prepared you for,” Giardina said. “Students have choices in terms of how you define what success is for yourself.”

For more information, visit www.gvsu.edu/sas.