Educational Resources is responsible for the Academic Support Center, the Center for Accommodative Services (CAS), and the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). Also listed under this heading is information on the TRiO Student Support Services Program.
Educational Resources is responsible for the Academic Support Center, the Center for Accommodative Services (CAS), and the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP).
Academic Support Center
The Academic Support Center (ASC), located in the Joan Weill Adirondack Library, offers a broad range of services to assist students in reaching their goals for academic success. Support is offered in a dynamic educational environment where students are encouraged to become actively engaged in their own learning experience. Students learn to understand and utilize their own learning style as it is related to the traditional and experiential models offered in their courses. Services are free and available to all students.
Academic Support Options Include:
Peer Tutoring: Available to all students in most subjects offered at the College. Regularly scheduled tutoring is designed based upon student needs and tutor availability and may be arranged as individual or in small groups.
Supplemental Instruction (SI): Offers students an opportunity to meet on a regular basis to review notes, discuss important concepts and develop study strategies. It is available for 4-6 high enrollment/high challenge courses each semester and led by SI leaders who have successfully completed the course and work closely with the professor.
Study Groups/Workshops: Led by peer tutors; they provide a great opportunity to review material, work on problems and review for tests. Study groups are arranged on an as-needed basis throughout the semester.
Writing Center: Assistance for writing in any course is provided by professional and/or peer tutors. Students may develop writing plans, review drafts, and learn skills needed for information literacy.
The Center for Accommodative Services (CAS) at Paul Smith's College ensures that the recruitment, admission, and treatment of students with disabilities are free of discrimination. Personnel in the CAS assist students in exercising control over their own education, in increasing their independence and self-determination, and in completing PSC degree requirements.
Our philosophy is that the individual is the expert about his or her own disability. While challenging people with disabilities to accept the freedom and responsibility of directing their own lives, PSC believes that all students deserve the opportunity to succeed to the best of their ability. The CAS offers alternatives and options that allow students to participate fully in academic pursuits at PSC. It is up to the students to make their own decisions and to initiate actions which ultimately lead to success and enable them to contribute to, as well as share responsibility in, the PSC community.
In providing an academic adjustment, PSC is not required to lower or effect substantial modifications to essential requirements. For example, although PSC may be required to provide extended testing time, it is not required to change the substantive content of the test. In addition, PSC does not have to make modifications that would fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program or activity or would result in undue financial or administrative burdens (Office of Civil Rights).
All services are completely voluntary, and it is the student's responsibility to request them. Services are provided in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and PSC guidelines. Students are encouraged to identify themselves early to ensure timely accommodations. The first step is to submit documentation of a disability to: Learning Specialist, Center for Accommodative Services, Paul Smith's College, Paul Smiths, NY 12970.
The Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) provides academic and financial support to New York State residents who meet academic and income eligibility guidelines. Entering HEOP students attend a four week summer program on campus prior to their freshman year. The summer program is designed to orient students to college life and build their academic skills. All HEOP students receive academic advising through the HEOP Office while attending the College. For eligibility guidelines and the on-line application please go to: www.paulsmiths.edu/programs/heop
TRIO - Student Support Services (SSS) is a federally-funded program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, which provides comprehensive academic support services to eligible participants at Paul Smith's College. Participants are either first generation college students (neither parent completed a four-year college degree), meet family income guidelines, and/or have a documented learning disability.
The mission of the Student Support Services program is to increase student persistence and graduation rates at Paul Smith's College by providing a range of services which include:
All program services are provided at No Cost to participants. The location of the project is Room 207 of the Joan Weill Adirondack Library.