Amongst cut backs and increased enrollment the center aims to reach new goals and more students.
Ultimately, a community college is designed to enhance and better a community through education and career training. The LB counseling center is out to make this college a better atmosphere to do just that. Although cuts are being felt in the center the “retuned and re-focused” Counseling Center believes that by advancing relationships with students across campus we will be adding more value than what were are losing to budget cuts.
Mark Weiss is finishing up his 22nd year as a counselor here at LB and has been the front man in the “re-creation” of the counseling office. He believes we need we need to be “pro-active in campus community building. “
Weiss stated that “the sooner a student knows someone cares about them and that someone is here to help them the better odds that student is going to stay and stay longer.”
Research as in fact pointed out that students that have positive relationships with faculty and staff, tend to be more successful in class, stay in school longer and in the end graduate.
Like any college many of LB students are faced with difficult decisions and challenges that can affect their academic success. For many reasons students feel they have no one to reach out to. Weiss feels “we need to be making sure all students have someone to turn to.”
Bruce Clemetsen our Vice President of student services has been working hand in hand with Weiss to reach these new goals. He believes this new focus will help students get the whole experience of college and increase our graduation numbers.
One of Clemetsen’s goals is to focus in on the undecided students that can benefit the most from counseling.
“By designing our facilities to help these students get through the undecided process and help them create a path for themselves will keep these students motivated, ease their financial aid stress, and decrease our drop- out rate here” Clemetsen added.
Currently LB has more clubs on campus than they have ever had and Weiss also hopes this can be a way for students to get to involved and bring students together. This ties into one of the Counseling Center’s goals by working directly with these clubs and Student Life the center can reach student’s that they normally would not have a chance to reach.
“Clubs and Student Life are a way to find students and staff with the positive energy needed to bring students together” Weiss says.
For instance, Weiss noted a group at OSU that is focused on happiness and solutions rather than problems.
Neil Simms a student at LB for the past year is up for the change and believes in the idea of community building here on campus. “It’s a wonderful idea, we all need to come together and help each other to better our abilities as students and citizens of the community.”
Community Colleges directly affect our economic development, jobs, and average income rates in our community. There is a significant economic value in by having more students receive degrees and certificates from LB.
Weiss says “time is now to answer call of the community and we are going to be a better resource to our community and our students.”
At a Glance:
OSU has already made some significant changes to their Counseling department and Weiss plans on meeting with their director June 1st to collaborate on ideas on how to better our campus.
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