The Class of 1956 Academic Success Center breaks ground for new home..

CLEMSON - The groundbreaking on Friday, June 20, 2008, marked the start of construction of the Class of 1956 Academic Success Center at Clemson University.



The $13.7 million project includes construction of the Academic Success Center building, as well as site preparation, furnishings and landscaping. The Academic Success Center (ASC) now operates on the third floor of the R.M. Cooper Library.

“We are very excited about this new building and the opportunities the increased space will provide. Right now we have tutoring sessions and other programs spread across campus. The building and its location will provide greater accessibility and availability,”
 said success center Director Elaine Richardson.

Architect's rendering of the front of Academic Success Center

The Academic Success Center began in 2001 with a few pilot programs to enhance student learning and academic success. The programs have grown exponentially and have received national and international recognition. The center received the 2008 Association for the Tutoring Profession Peer Tutor of the Year Award and in 2006 earned the Frank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Award from the National College Learning Center Association. Also in 2006, the center received the International Outstanding Supplemental Instruction Program Award and in 2005 earned the Tutoring Program of Excellence Award from the Association for the Tutoring Profession.

The new building, to be located behind the library, will provide additional space — 35,000 square feet and three floors — dedicated to academic support and will allow the following new or enhanced services:
 

• Supplemental instruction sessions that can be offered during the day, with some offered immediately following the regularly scheduled class meeting;
• individual rooms that will provide more effective space for daytime drop-in tutoring;
• a help center for students' electronic portfolio development that will include a production studio and two editing rooms;
• more classroom space for CU 101; and
• a test proctoring center.

All parts of the center will be in one space, allowing for most efficient use of resources to provide academic support to all students. It will include the Office of Student Disability Services, which also a part of the center but now is housed in Redfern Health Center.

“The Class of 1956 was looking for a golden anniversary project that cut across all disciplines represented in our class and at the same time we wanted a project that would continue to actively give back to the school for years to come,” said fundraising committee chairman John Blackmon. “After considering many other ideas, and learning about the work of the Academic Success Center in helping students succeed and the need for a dedicated building to consolidate the program in one location, the committee  knew we had found our project.

“This was our opportunity to have a part in assisting present and future students who utilize the ASC program to help them stay in school by improving their grades and in some cases helping some to retain LIFE Scholarships,” Blackmon said. “The class is proud to furnish seed money to make the ASC building a reality and we look forward to the day when the project is complete and being utilized to maximize the ASC program for the benefit of all students at Clemson who use it.”

The Class of 1956 raised $2.7 million to get the project started. Anyone interested in donating or learning more can go to www.clemson.edu/alumni/projects/1956.html. Academic Success Center information is available at www.clemson.edu/asc/.