Success Center shares services with new students

The College of Applied Sciences and Arts Student Success Center hosted an open house on Sept. 2, with more than 30 new San José State University freshmen and transfer students from the 10 departments and schools in the College present.

During the Open House, peer advisers and peer tutors talked about the many services available to students at the CASA Student Success Center, which is located in MacQuarrie Hall 533. Students can receive general education advising, help with completing change of major/minor forms or other paperwork on campus and even tips on navigating mysjsu. Drop in advising is available on Tuesdays, from 1:30-4 p.m. and other days by appointment.

Students also can receive tutoring for the following courses: Stat 95, Chem 30A, Biol 65 and Biol 66. Writing tutors are available in coordination with the SJSU Writing Center. The center also has laptops and iPads available by reservation.

Heather Miller, a peer adviser, shared some of the other benefits of the space on the Fifth floor.

“If you need, you can leave your lunch here,” she said, of the refrigerator and microwave available. “There are study rooms you can reserve for group projects.”

Throughout the year, the Center is host to workshops on taking the GRE, writing a personal statement for graduate school and how to be successful in Biol 65/66, a key course for many CASA majors.

The peer advisers and peer tutors, all who are students within CASA, led the new students through an ice breaker so they could get to know each other better. The students interacted by asking others about what year they were in school, what generation college student they were, what their major was and where they were from with the goal of finding the person who was most similar to them and least similar to them.

Tony Korsund, an academic adviser with the Center, said one of the goals is to help students build community.

“We’d like you to think of this as a home away from home,” he said.

To find out more about services or to make an advising appointment, call 408-924-2910 or email CASAsuccesscenter@sjsu.edu. Follow the CASA Student Success Center on Twitter at @CASA_SSC, on Instagram at @CASA_SSC or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CASAStudentSuccessCenter

CASA Faculty Grant Awards Highlight SJSU Research Foundation October 2012 Release

by Staff

Some exciting news was recently released from the SJSU COO’s office regarding CASA faculty contract and grant rewards submitted by the SJSU Research Foundation.

A university-wide summary of the October 2012 report for contract and grant awards received and proposals submitted by the SJSU Research Foundation reflects that:

  • Awards – 29 new awards were received for a total of $4,744,192.
  • Proposals – 28 proposals requesting a total of $2,884,560 were submitted to sponsoring agencies.

In particular, CASA awards almost doubled in the past year (from 2011 – 2012 to 2012-2013) with awards reaching $2,530,063; representing a 76.7% increase in awards over the past year to the tune of $1,096,368. CASA proposals are also up in 2012-2013, with an 8% increase in proposals, up $161,403 from the previous year.

In particular, we would like to highlight the effort, skill, and dedication of the following CASA faculty who have received grants this past month.

 

Faculty & Projects College or Dept Grant Provider
Laurie Drabble, Kathy Lemon-Osterling
Child Welfare Partnerhisp for Research & Training
School of Social Work UC Berkeley
Sadhna Diwan
The Advanced Directive Attitudes, Values, & Knowledge in Chinese Elders (ADVANCE) Study
School of Social Work UC CA Regents
Susan Wilkinson
SJSU Physical Education – Health Project at Long Beach
CA Physical Education – Health Project
Department of Kinesiology UC CA Regents
Diane Guerrazzi Martinet
Establishment of a University Partnership in Journalism with Herat University Afghanistan
Journalism/Mass Communication Department of State
Jayne Cohen
The Health Place, 2012-2013
Nursing Town of Los Gatos

Congratulations to the faculty and students who received grants and awards, and good luck to the faculty and students who are seeking grants and contracts. The increase in grant awards has occurred due to the hard work of faculty, and has also occurred due to the groundwork laid by CARHS and CASA to increase proposals and awards.

CASA is dedicated to the development of new research and providing the resources and time needed for faculty to pursue research paths that help in our efforts to transform SJSU and our communities.

Please note that these reports can also be found on the Research Foundation’s website under “Quick Links” (www.sjsufoundation.org).  The direct link can be found here: http://www.sjsufoundation.org/html/sjsuf-news-info/comp-award-and-proposal.htm