While the pandemic turned education, along with the rest of the world, upside down in 2020, the University of Illinois Springfield did what it does best – adapt to student needs through innovation.

As an institution that serves a diverse range of student populations, including transfer students, adult learners, online students and traditional residential students, UIS is no stranger to constant change. A pioneer in online education, UIS was poised and ready to shift classes and support services to online formats in response to the pandemic.

Now, three years later, that innovation has given birth to enhanced academic support services delivered to students in a variety of ways. These services have been expanded to increase enrollment, prepare students for academic success and ensure that student support services are more accessible than ever before.

To help drive enrollment and bridge the gap between high school and college coursework, UIS Admissions developed the Smart Start Program. This unique program helps transport high school students from Springfield School District 186 to the UIS campus to engage in math or communication coursework at no cost to the student. The program is designed to help students earn free college credit and explore continuing their education at UIS. The program ran as a pilot in 2022 and is returning this summer with even more course options.

In addition to Smart Start, UIS will once again host incoming freshmen on our campus for our annual Summer Scholars event. This program bridges the summer between high school graduation and freshman year by offering students one week on campus followed by an additional seven weeks of online coursework, allowing them to complete courses in English, math and academic study skills.

This blended format allows incoming freshmen to begin courses on campus while exploring Springfield, becoming familiar with support services and building lasting friendships with other students during the first week of the program. Following that, students have regular interactions online with instructors, academic advisors, peer mentors and professional staff tutors to ensure they have all the tools they need to be successful as they become UIS students. The goal of Summer Scholars is to build a strong network for student success and to help students achieve academic goals on the road to graduation.

Finally, students are once again exposed to the broad range of academic support services, like The UIS Learning Hub, at New Student Orientation. These services are delivered to students in person when they visit campus for orientation, but are also available online. Through these interactions, new and incoming students learn how to access free tutoring support through supplemental instruction, in-person tutoring, email appointments and tutoring via Zoom.

Our goal is to meet students where they are. Students today have more challenging schedules than ever before, but they’re also more comfortable accessing support via technology. UIS works hard to make sure they can get the support they need in the modality that works best for their life.

Support services like these will soon be moved to a new home, as UIS finalizes plans for a new building: the Library Commons, which will house the UIS Library, Career Services, Testing Services and the Center for Academic Support and Advising. This thoughtfully designed building aims to give students even greater access to academic success coaching, advising, research resources, career planning tools and so much more, all in one convenient location. Dean of Library Instructional Services Patti Piotrowski, who has served on the planning committee, calls the building a “welcoming, inclusive, dynamic space that aims to be adaptable and inspiring to students.”

Although UIS embraces constant change in how we adapt to student needs, our goal of student success remains the same. We look forward to continuing to expand how we serve students, and we’re ready to face new challenges head-on.

Tarah Sweeting-Trotter is the director of the Center for Academic Success and Advising at the University of Illinois Springfield.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: UIS Academic Support Services helps students reach for the STARS