Student Support Services has recently been moved and expanded. OVPTL interviewed Kevin Huie, Director of Student Transition Services, to discuss the reason for the move and how it will benefit the mission of the unit. SSS has moved from 2100 to 2200 and 2300 in the Student Services II Building, and combined spaces with the Transfer Student Center.

With this move, both Student Support Services (SSS) and the Transfer Student Center (TSC) have gained more space for students to study, use computers, work in groups, receive tutoring, and participate in workshops, presentations and other programs. With  the Transfer Student Center and Student Support Services becoming a single entity, the unit will be officially transitioning to a new name in the summer. To be officially announced on July 1st, the unit will become Student Success Initiatives (SSI) and within in it will be the Student Transfer Hub.

Kevin explained two major reasons why this move and expansion is working out so well:

  1. The new center is now able to accommodate more students, for tutoring, using computers, studying together, and participating in workshops and programs. Students that are interested in studying at the center will more likely find a spot to use. Originally between the TSC and SSS there were 13 computers, and now they are going to have 19. The number of seats will also increase by about 30% with the new space being a few hundred square feet larger in size.
  2. The unit’s professional and student staff, as well as the amount of programming, has grown significantly. The team significantly outgrew their previous space. The staff offices and workstations increase the ability of staff to provide effective service, and students who come to the same center will find cross-trained student and professional staff who can support them. Along with this, they now only need one person covering one front desk, so it increases their efficiency by allowing student workers who are not working at the front desk to do focus their efforts on the new programming.

To learn more about the services offered, click here. To speak to Kevin Huie, you may contact him at khuie@uci.edu.