Students Urged to Take Advantage of ACE Services
The Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) is a place available to every Bluefield College student with many valuable services to help students succeed academically.
Tutoring and academic coaching are among the primary services available. Students may also make up missed tests, take CLEP tests to test out of a class, or use the ACE to catch up or get ahead in a class.
Tutoring services are available for almost every course offered at Bluefield College. Tutors are typically fellow Bluefield College students who have shown proficiency in particular subject areas. Similar to tutoring, ACE hosts several workshops that focus on subjects in which students need assistance.
The ACE is also a great place to go even if your problems aren’t tied to academics, but of a more personal nature. Members of the ACE staff say they are more than happy to sit down and talk to students about life issues. In addition, staff members like Haley Thompson are willing to assist students with preparing resumes, career planning, and making other plans for the future.
“What I try to do is make sure they (students) have a plan so they can stay on track and make progress,” said Thompson, a Bluefield College graduate and master’s level social worker interning in the ACE as an academic coach. “It’s kind of like being an advocate for the student.”
Academic coaching is a service offered in the ACE in which students meet once a week with a coach who helps them with their course work. The coaches say it’s much more than just making sure students turn in their homework on time. They actually want to help make life easier for students by helping them plan tasks in advance and by holding them accountable to their responsibilities.
ACE also provides services for students with documented disabilities. In fact, students who are unsure about their status concerning a documented disability should contact the ACE.
“Anybody in college who has not had accommodations but had them in high school, we do that down here; come see us,” said Dr. Lewis Hatcher, dean of the Academic Center for Excellence. “Those are things you have the right to have. Let us help you get those on file. Let us help you get that information to your professors, because you don’t need to be struggling against that if it is something you are supposed to have.”
In addition to academic success services, the ACE is also home to several computers and a printer for students to use for homework or projects they may need to complete. There are also areas available for group meetings or work sessions.
“The ACE helps you have a quiet place to study most hours of the day,” said BC junior Logan Hinnant, “and a good area with a lot of sources for help in pretty much any class that is offered here.”
Students are encouraged to take advantage of the services offered in the ACE. Visit the ACE on the bottom level of Rish Hall by using the entrance located on the side of the building facing College Avenue.