The New Approach: Academic Support is rolling this fall at MC.
The Academic Support Center is making some “pivots” this fall, and the main man behind all of this is Noah Bowman, 2013 Spirit of the Covenant Award winner. Bowman is the Assistant Director for Learning Services here at Maryville College.
As many of you know, COVID-19 has been reshaping the way Maryville College looks this fall. There have been many big challenges for the students and Bowman.
“The largest pivot” for Bowman and his team of students this fall was having to move group studies and tutoring to remote platforms. This includes the new rules for social distancing, masks, and the capacity rule of two students and one academic support mentor working in each room of the ASC COL.LAB. There is a schedule posted in the ASC COL.LAB for academic support groups, E-tutors, the writing center, etc. Furthermore, the schedule is posted on the college website under the Academic Support Center.
In addition, Cooper Success is a program that has been running for 10 straight years, helping student athletes. The decision to not hold Cooper Success was a difficult one for Bowman because he has a passion for helping student-athletes.
Bowman said, “I love working with student-athletes… and more specifically, I love helping student-athletes self-regulate and self-actualize into student-athlete scholars…Helping support this often-underrepresented group of students succeed in academics is always an honor and highlight of my job.”
Even with the hybrid approach, Bowman and his academic mentors still have the same goals and missions to help students be successful scholars.
The importance of having a planner has not gone away and if you need one, Bowman has one just for you while supplies last. Even the importance of being present in-class remains a number one priority as well for Bowman. He continues to stress the famous four tenets of MC Success which are “being organized, utilizing campus resources, being full-time, and asking for help.”
In Bowman’s opinion, he believes the most important tenet is asking for help.
“All too often we wait too long before reaching out and finding out what support services are available,” Bowman said. “As soon as you start to get a whiff of trouble or discomfort, whatever it may be, that’s when you should ask for help.”
If you walk around the ASC COL.LAB, there is still a sense of energy and focus. The ASC COL.LAB consists of the Academic Support Center, where the study rooms and in-person tutoring takes place, and the COL.LAB is, according to Bowman, where “collaboration meets college lab.”
The academic mentors continue to “always be modeling” and even have their own planners out on their desk. The same signs are placed on their table showing their skills in not only fields of different sorts, but also their skills such as time management or organization.
Yana Macon, Hailey Jo Carmichael, and David Clark were just a few of the many students continuing to create this academic centered environment and were flexing their planners in the ASC COL.LAB this past week.
Even Bowman practiced what he preaches. He showed off his massive planner on his desk. As he continues to engage in kung fu with his daughters, and help students from various walks of life, the goals and motivations he sees as the most important have not changed for him.
“My mission is to help as many MC students as possible become the very best versions of themselves,” Bowman said. “Let every other college and university produce mediocrity –we want to graduate real game-changers who positively affect those around them, whether it’s professionally, personally, or socially. I’ve been very fortunate to have amazing mentors in my life that have helped shape me into the person I am today, and I just hope to be able to Pay It Forward and provide the same motivation, wisdom, & support to those around me that I’ve received pretty much my entire life.”
Email [email protected] or visit the academic support center page on the college website for more information on Academic Support. The ASC COL.LAB is located on the lower level behind Thaw Hall.