Director, Academic Center of Excellence (ACE)

Position: Director, Academic Center of Excellence (ACE)

Division: Academic

ABOUT VOORHEES UNIVERSITY

In celebration of its 125th year of existence on April 7, 2022, Voorhees College was renamed Voorhees University to honor founder, Elizabeth Evelyn Wright. Voorhees University is a private, diverse, historically black, coeducational, liberal arts, baccalaureate degree-granting institution affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Located in rural Denmark, South Carolina, the University serves traditional and nontraditional students primarily from South Carolina and the southeastern region of the United States; however, seeks to expand our reach both nationally and internationally. The University offers each student a comprehensive general education experience coupled with professional education in the values-centered liberal arts environment that supports educational opportunities designed to help prepare students to function in a diverse and increasingly technological society. Accordingly, the University seeks to produce highly qualified graduates who coalesce intellect and faith in pursuit of life-long learning, healthy living, the betterment of society, and an abiding faith in God.

PRESIDENTIAL CHARGE AND SCOPE OF APPOINTMENT

In accordance with the University’s mission, Dr. Ronnie Hopkins, 10th President of Voorhees University has issued the charge and call to action articulated through the University’s mantra: Begin. Believe. Become. that will advance Voorhees University to The Next Level of Excellence. President Hopkins believes and expects that Voorhees University will be nationally recognized as a premier, comprehensive liberal arts institution focused on student success, excellence and integrity. Through this charge, greater emphasis will be placed on high performing learners, highly accomplished faculty and staff, an involved community, and a supportive and dedicated alumni base.

ABOUT THE UNIT

As a deliberate and strategic priority to re-engineer, re-structure and re-form recruitment and retention efforts at Voorhees University, the Voorhees University Academic Center of Excellence (ACE) serves as an integral aspect of right sizing the university’s enrollment and increasing retention and persistence of all students. ACE operates in full collaboration with academic departments, chairpersons, faculty, and campus-wide academic support programs to provide continuous, quality support for undergraduate students from their first year of matriculation through graduation. As such, ACE will operate as a full-service, holistic integrative learning unit that focuses on students’ understanding and addressing real-world problems, beginning with comprehensive and intrusive strategies for students to self-assess and self-resolve problems. The ultimate success is that ACE provides students with opportunities to assess, learn and apply requisite skills to survive and thrive as university students as they evolve to their own Next Level of Excellence.

The Academic Center of Excellence (ACE) consists of four critical components as follows:

Retention/Persistence/Graduation Alliance

Although retention is the responsibility for all university units, aggressive, intrusive, and comprehensive retention efforts will be centralized via ACE. In concert with the university community, ACE will hold this primary responsibility for developing, implementing and assessing the University’s Alliance to increase retention, persistence and graduation rates. The primary focus is to assist students with a successful transition to the university environment and comprehensive support through matriculation to graduation. The ACE staff ensures that students are informed, engaged, and involved in their educational journey through graduation to employment in high demand careers.

Guided Learning Tutorial Resources (GLTR)

The Guided Learning Tutorial Resources (GLTR) is a resource for students, facilitated by the Academic Center of Excellence. The GLTR is an academic assistance and tutoring program designed to include supplemental instruction in all academic disciplines. Tutorials will be facilitated both in-person and via virtual platforms and facilitated by Academic Excellence Coaches, Academic Excellence Tutors, Academic Excellence Student Mentors, Academic Excellence Student Tutors, and faculty.

Academic Excellence Coaching

The Academic Center of Excellence staff consists of Academic Excellence Coaches and operates based on best and promising practices in academic success coaching. As such, all Voorhees University students will be assigned Academic Excellence Coaches to develop academic communities based on classification and major or related majors. Academic Excellence Coaches will partner with and assist students as they mature and develop as effective learners in the university environment. Academic Excellence Coaching will be facilitated in both corporate settings and as one-on-one interactions with a student focusing on strengths, goals, study skills, engagement, academic planning, and performance. The coaching sessions will help students to develop an individualized action plan focused on, but not limited to, time management, goal setting, and study skills. The collaborative effort will focus on soft skills that can be applied to the university experience as a whole and knowledge that will assist in academic achievement.

Scholarship Connections

As an integral component of the university’s retention, persistence, and graduation strategies, Scholarship Connections ensures that all qualified students have the opportunity to study at Voorhees University regardless of their ability to pay. Scholarship Connections will strive to maximize available funds, exercise good stewardship of those resources, and perform related research and program evaluation. The goals are to ensure maximal awards of external scholarships to all qualified students. Scholarship Connections will assist in the recruitment and retention of students, continually improve service to students, and support long-range enrollment and campus planning goals.

Academic Center of Excellence – VISION

The Academic Center of Excellence seeks to establish a model institution-wide improvement center reviving classroom, co-curricular, and experiential practices as essential for driving up retention among all students based on best and promising practices. The driving philosophy is that academic support, student engagement, faculty interaction in the classroom coupled with community engagement, experiential learning, and integrative learning can help keep students on track to graduate as they evolve to their Next Level of Excellence.

Academic Center of Excellence – MISSION

Based on organizational characteristics, student background, socialization, environment, student effort, and cognitive development, the Academic Center of Excellence leads the University’s strategic retention efforts leading to student success, academic achievement, persistence, and retention as they evolve to their Next Level of Excellence.

Academic Center of Excellence – GOALS

Aligned with the Voorhees University Strategic Plan, the Academic Center of Excellence’s ultimate goal is to significantly increase student retention and persistence to graduation with a focus on academic success and student achievement through early intervention and systematic tracking. The ultimate success will be realized as the Academic Center of Excellence provides students opportunities to assess, learn and apply requisite skills to survive and thrive as university students as they evolve to their own Next Level of Excellence. As such, the following goals drive the work of the Academic Center of Excellence:

• ACE staff will serve as chief ambassadors and success agents for all students.
• Implement intrusive, aggressive, and interactive practices retention, persistence, graduation.
• Facilitate the University’s comprehensive and full-serve tutorial programs, including supplemental learning.
• Engage in best and promising practices to assist the University in meeting its, Retention, Persistence and Graduation Goals.
• Provide students with opportunities to assess, learn and apply requisite skills to survive and thrive as university students.
• Operate the University’s interactive and engaging, centralized location to promote and support campus-wide tutorial and academic support, retention, persistence, and graduation initiatives.
• Frequently present data, strategies, and results to all University constituents, including but not limited to students, faculty, staff, administrators, and others as requested.

REPORTING STRUCTURE and DIRECT REPORTS

The ACE Director reports directly to the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs. The ACE Director has the following direct reports: Academic Excellence Coaches (full-time staff), Academic Excellence Tutors (part-time staff), Academic Excellence Student Mentors, and Academic Excellence Student Tutors.

Position: Director, Academic Center of Excellence (ACE)

Division: Academic