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| History & Purpose |
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| Student Support Services (SSS) has served the academic needs of students at Aquinas College for over 20 years. SSS provides services to college students enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a program of postsecondary education at Aquinas College. Low-income students who are first-generation college students and students with disabilities evidencing academic need are eligible to participate in SSS projects. The ultimate goal of the Student Support Services Program is to promote persistence, performance, and graduation from Aquinas College. |
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| A holistic approach is used to assist student in becoming well-rounded educated adults, prepared for graduate level study. Students are assisted with basic academic skills and technology information, moving towards critical writing skills and retention of concepts. This step by step process results in overall critical thinking skills and the ability to transfer learning from one course to another. |
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| Student Support Services responds to both eligible traditional-age students and continuing education students. Each September, a committee identifies and selects 160 eligible students. Determining factors for selection include: |
- first-generation students (neither parent graduated from a 4-year college)
- students needing financial aid
- students with disabilities
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| Once selected, participants are invited to an orientation session for a thorough presentation of services and introduction to staff members. The Director and SSS staff assesses student needs, and individual support plans are created, monitored and reassessed as needed. |
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| Full-time SSS Program Specialists meet individually with students in the areas of Math, Reading, Writing, Science, and Study Skills. Students are provided advice and assistance in postsecondary course selection, federal student financial aid programs and benefits (including Federal Pell grant awards and loan forgiveness) and resources for locating public and private scholarships. Personal and career counseling as well as financial literacy and economic literacy counseling is also provided through the SSS program. In addition, the SSS program refers students for help in specific course studies to the Peer Tutoring program provided by the Aquinas College Academic and Learning Services. |
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| Participant Eligibility for Grant Aid |
| To receive SSS program grant aid, students must be current participants in the SSS project who are in their first two years of postsecondary education and receiving Federal Pell Grants. Grant aid may be offered to students who have completed their first two years of postsecondary education and are receiving Federal Pell Grants if the institution demonstrates that these students are at high risk of dropping out and it has first met the needs of all its eligible first and second year students. |
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| To learn more about the Student Support Services Program call the Student Support Services Office at (616) 632-2165 and schedule an appointment with a SSS Program Specialist or with Director, Gary Karasinski. |
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