By: Jason Ladley, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, jkl6160@psu.edu 

After months of construction and years worth of planning, the Academic Success Center in the Vairo Library officially opened after spring break. 

The Academic Success Center comes with a bevy of amenities for students including many seating areas, separate rooms to be used for group studying, and easy access to the various offices of the directors for each of the groups that now call the Center home.  

I sat down with Christine Brown, Deb Ousey, and Janeen Madison, who head the Brandywine Writing Studio, Multilingual and International Program, and the STEM Lab, respectively. The three of them combine to give students a range of options to help them achieve their potential academically, as well as helping them get involved on campus. “It is so bright and inviting,” Brown said. “People have poked their heads in through the door, and one of the three of us have always been there to say, ‘come on in!’ and to give them a tour.”   

The first day after spring break, the Center was jammed full of students who were looking for a place to relax and study with friends, and to get some tutoring help as well. One big advantage of the Center was its ability to group all the programs together in one central location and to allow the space necessary for students to have a quiet place to study. “One thing to notice is that the ceiling heights vary dramatically inside,” Ousey said. “We can have group tutoring in these rooms and the sound will not be a big issue, because the way the space was designed helps keep noise levels to a minimum so students can focus.” 

Another benefit of having these programs grouped together in one location is that it can foster friendships and a sense of belonging. “Having the Center in the library is such a huge deal for us,” Madison said. “So many students are already around the library that if anyone needs to come to our new offices, they can ask another student and you might have a moment where they will reply ‘Oh, you are going there? I am too!’ and it brings everyone together in a community.” Indeed, so far,  the Academic Success Center has become more than just that, it has become an academic community, one where students can enjoy themselves as well as advancing in their studies. 

The three agree that the biggest advantage of the Academic Success Center so far has been the implementation of the new technology. “What is really nice about the new smartboards is that they provide space,” said Madison. “It helps a lot in tutoring because now it is not just two people leaning over a laptop, the tutor can project what they want on the board to a room with a handful of students and then show everyone at one time.”  

They have also noticed that the students themselves have quickly picked up the new technology as well. “I think a huge part of the smartboard technology is that students are already familiar with it,” Brown said. “These rooms are not just for tutoring but can be for group study between a handful of students, and seeing them just being able to connect to the projector and put everything together themselves makes it so easy for them to work more efficiently.”  

I also reconnected with fourth-year student Michael Dunleavy, who said he was interested in visiting the Academic Success Center previously. “It really has blown me away,” Dunleavy said. “I kept walking past the place when it was under construction just wondering how it would look when it was finished. Now that it is complete, my expectations were completely surpassed.” He also mentioned the ease of access to the Center and how well integrated the technology is. “The thing I like the most is that it just makes everything so much easier,” Dunleavy said. “You can walk in on the bottom floor through the front entrance, you can come down through the entrance attached to the library, and you can even come through the back door from the dorms. Adding to that, I was surprised how many outlets and chargers are there. It seems everywhere you sit there is a place where you can stay plugged in, so you can study more effectively without the worry of your equipment dying.”  

Overall, the Academic Success Center had a huge opening and has hit the ground running as the new hub for many Brandywine students.  

For those interested in more information about the programs located inside the Academic Success Center, check out the links below: 

Multilingual and International Student Programs Contact, Deb Ousey, dlo4@psu.edu  

STEM Lab Contact, Janeen Madison, jdm40@psu.edu  

Writing Studio Contact, Christine Brown, cmf22@psu.edu