Lion Scholars Program, Preparing Students for Success

Written By: Ian Silvester

Despite already being a month into the summer term, Academic Success Center (ASC) staff at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith are busy helping prepare incoming students with what they can expect when classes begin on Monday, August 21.
 
Initiatives like Mane Event and programs like Lion Scholars have allowed ASC academic coaches Amber Robinett and Derek Hill to meet with students face-to-face, helping answer questions, address concerns, and ensure they are prepared to begin their UAFS education.
 
“We are meeting with these students well before they ever start their first class to make sure that they know what to expect and have the tools to be successful,” Hill said. “We want them to feel confident and ready for this new chapter in their life.”
 
Lion Scholars is a UAFS program designed to assist incoming first-year students in making a successful transition to college life. The program enters its third year, welcoming students who could benefit from additional support based on their high school GPA or test scores.
 
Assistant Provost for Student Success and Retention, Dr. Blake Johnson, says the Lion Scholar program directly correlates to the UAFS Strategic Plan as “a proof of concept to show we can take a group of students, prioritize purposeful supports, and improve outcomes.” Johnson continued by stating, “In the Lion Scholars program, students are getting up front, holistic supports that address some of the most common barriers to student persistence.”
 
Through the Lion Scholars program, those barriers are broken by providing each Lion Scholar with a personal success team that consists of their ROAR First-Year Advisor, an academic coach like Robinett or Hill, a financial advisor, and foster greater engagement across the university.
 
“Additionally, we’ve added curricular components to create something closer to a learning community model, and this has led to improvements with our academic areas in terms of mentoring and course delivery,” Johnson said.
 
Lion Scholars will enroll in either the English Summer Bridge Program, designated sections of Composition I, Composition II, Speech Communications, and designated sections of Personal Finance Applications. Along the way, each success team will be there to support their student.
 
However, the support Lion Scholars receive doesn’t just end with the completion of a student’s first year at UAFS.
 
“We are here to continually support our Lion Scholars throughout their journey at UAFS. We will celebrate their successes, big or small, and work through the challenges together as a team,” Robinett said.
 
As the next academic term approaches, academic coaches will continue to meet with students and support incoming first-year students who qualify as Lion Scholars by forming effective habits, creating plans for success, developing study schedules, and setting achievable goals.

• Tags:
• Lion Scholars
• Academic Coaching
• Student Success and Retention
• Financial Aid
• Academic Success Center
• ROAR First Year Advising Center