Backed at Every Step

Academic support demonstrates the VALUE MSU places on student success.

By Amanda Dyslin '03, '15

Student success doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built through relationships, resources and a campus-wide commitment to helping every Maverick find their footing. From the first day of class to graduation, the University invests in academic support systems designed to help students thrive.

Three standout programs—TRIO Student Support Services, the Center for Academic Success, and the Maverick Peer-Facilitated Academic Support System (MavPASS)—illustrate how that commitment comes to life.  

TRIO Student Support Services

For many students, college is more than coursework. It’s learning how to navigate an entirely new world. TRIO Student Support Services, a federally funded program, provides holistic support to students who are first-generation, meet income guidelines or have disabilities.

“We’re funded to serve students who have some type of academic need,” said Director Margaret Hesser. “It could be a low GPA, but it could also be a student in a competitive major who needs to raise their GPA or someone returning to school after time away.”

TRIO offers guidance on financial literacy, scholarship searches and the often-unspoken rules of higher education.

“Some students have great support systems cheering them on,” Hesser said. “But they don’t necessarily have someone who understands how college works.”

The program emphasizes relationships, encouraging students to meet regularly with staff who help them anticipate challenges and make informed decisions. “The biggest thing I hear from students when they graduate is that they felt seen and supported,” she said.

For Hesser, success is measured not only in retention and graduation rates, but in growth. 
“It’s about students realizing what they’re capable of,” she said. “They don’t just succeed academically—they grow as people.”

Center for Academic Success 

At the heart of campus academic support is the Center for Academic Success, the University’s primary tutoring hub. As part of the Learning Commons in Memorial Library, the center provides free, accessible support across disciplines, from writing and languages to math and science.

“We’re the primary academic support in terms of tutoring,” said Director Jason Westman. “But we’re also working to simplify and connect all the support that exists across campus.”

The center also offers study skills coaching and workshops on topics ranging from time management to the ethical use of AI. One of the center’s biggest goals is changing how students think about tutoring.

“We’re trying to normalize it,” Westman said. “This is just what a successful student does; it’s not a last resort.”
In fact, many high-achieving students are among the center’s most frequent users.

“We often say we’re trying to tutor ourselves out of a job,” Westman said. “We’re not just giving answers; we’re helping students learn how to think, how to study and how to solve problems on their own.”

Equally important is the environment. The center is intentionally low-pressure and welcoming, allowing students to drop in, work independently or seek help as needed.

The impact shows up in both data and experience, with student users demonstrating higher retention and course success rates. But for Westman, the real measure is simpler: “People who use it return. That tells us we’re doing something right.”

MavPASS 

Sometimes, the best person to help you succeed in a class is someone who has already been in your seat. That’s the idea behind MavPASS, which offers peer-led study sessions for historically challenging courses across disciplines, like biology, chemistry, physics and accounting.

Available at no cost to students enrolled in supported courses, MavPASS sessions are introduced on the first day of class and remain open throughout the semester. The model is intentionally flexible and highly social.

“The reality is that most of us know what it takes to succeed,” said Heather Camp, faculty liaison for the program. “But we struggle with procrastination, low motivation and distraction.  

MavPASS helps students overcome those hurdles by providing structure and a community.”

That sense of community is a defining feature, according to McKenna Granda and Nolan Custer, who both took advantage of MavPASS and were so impressed that they signed on to be student leaders.

“I think MavPASS is really effective because you’re not just like another tutor. You are somebody who is encouraging a collaborative environment with the students and making sure that they are working with each other to find the answers instead of just lecturing them,” said Granda, a dental hygiene major who engaged in MavPASS for human anatomy, human physiology, organic and biochemistry, and microbiology.

“My first semester on campus, I was pretty involved in MavPASS for general chemistry, and my MavPASS leader was awesome,” said Custer, an exercise science major. “I really, really enjoyed that class, so it was an easy yes for me to be a MavPASS leader. It’s so effective because students who have succeeded in class before can help facilitate study sessions and give students advice on the course.”

Camp said peer leaders like Granda and Custer create an atmosphere that is approachable, engaging and judgment-free. Students consistently describe the program as both academically and personally impactful.

“They say MavPASS was a lifeline,” Camp said.

Her advice to students who may be hesitant is simple and direct: “Stop hesitating and go. Decide that you want to be part of this intellectual community—we want you.”