A SUNY Potsdam success story
Student Success Center
Issue date: 5/8/09 Section: College Life
Lisa Cota remembers when she had more advisors than classes. As a student who had been academically dismissed, later readmitted, than eligible for dismissal again (for failure to raise her cumulative average sufficiently after one semester back), Lisa ended up with three advisors in Fall 2006. Though only taking two classes, she had an academic advisor for her major, which was Psychology, an advisor for readmitted students who were previously dismissed, and an academic mentor. An academic mentor is a professional staff person in the Student Success Center who is assigned to a student who was eligible for dismissal but whose appeal of the dismissal was granted. The mentor works with the student on course advisement and monitoring student progress. Instead of viewing the heightened level of assistance as intrusive, she appreciated that she was not "left alone." Since she began at SUNY Potsdam in Fall 1998, the College had "moved the safety net closer" for students who need help.
A lot of things were different for Lisa in 2006 than they had been when she started college. In Fall 1998, Lisa had entered SUNY Potsdam as a Crane major with drums as her primary instrument. In Fall 1998, one week after Lisa arrived, her mother was diagnosed with cancer, passing away during Lisa's finals week in Spring 1999. In Fall 1998, Lisa began a process of "disconnect" from her family, academics, and, given her increasing substance abuse, reality. While she understood that she was in academic difficulty, she did not realize that she could make any sort of adjustments to her schedule to salvage her semester. She felt adrift without guidance or direction.
After being dismissed at the close of Fall 1999, Lisa worked on and off doing data entry in another county for five years, during which time she stopped abusing substances and started recovery. After developing carpal tunnel, given the work she was doing, she knew that completing her education was the only real option. At that point in her life, she faced reality head on, acknowledging that jobs were increasingly difficult to find without a college education but even more difficult for a person with limited use of her hands. She returned to SUNY Potsdam with the mind-set that, "failure is not an option."
A lot of things were different for Lisa in 2006 than they had been when she started college. In Fall 1998, Lisa had entered SUNY Potsdam as a Crane major with drums as her primary instrument. In Fall 1998, one week after Lisa arrived, her mother was diagnosed with cancer, passing away during Lisa's finals week in Spring 1999. In Fall 1998, Lisa began a process of "disconnect" from her family, academics, and, given her increasing substance abuse, reality. While she understood that she was in academic difficulty, she did not realize that she could make any sort of adjustments to her schedule to salvage her semester. She felt adrift without guidance or direction.
After being dismissed at the close of Fall 1999, Lisa worked on and off doing data entry in another county for five years, during which time she stopped abusing substances and started recovery. After developing carpal tunnel, given the work she was doing, she knew that completing her education was the only real option. At that point in her life, she faced reality head on, acknowledging that jobs were increasingly difficult to find without a college education but even more difficult for a person with limited use of her hands. She returned to SUNY Potsdam with the mind-set that, "failure is not an option."
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