A photo history of the Academic Success Center [Photo by Torie Doll, University Communications and Marketing]
By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
Regulars had a nickname for the former home of the University of South Florida’s Academic Success Center: The dungeon.
“It was a term of endearment, but accurate,” said Zoraya Betancourt, director of the Academic Success Center, located on the second floor of the Tampa campus library. The center is USF’s central learning-support hub, providing peer-to-peer academic support through tutoring, writing assistance, academic mentoring, Peer-Assisted Study Sessions and other services. “It was dark, dingy and compartmentalized. It was not uncommon to hear students ask for a better space.”
USF listened, and now, students are stepping into something entirely different.
Following a yearlong renovation, the Academic Success Center has reopened in a brighter, more collaborative space in the USF Library. The new center is nearly twice the size of its former home, which occupied a smaller area within the newly expanded footprint. It features an open-concept Tutoring Hub, a Writing Studio, private tutoring rooms, upgraded technology and dedicated study areas.
On Monday, the center held its official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“This is a space that has been years in the making,” said Tony Delgado, assistant dean for Undergraduate Studies. “When I joined USF about five years ago and stepped into this role, one of the first things I did was tour this space. What I found was a maze, winding corridors, low lighting, a layout that felt more like a puzzle than a welcoming place. Luckily, there were people here who saw what this space could become.”
Students in the Academic Success Center
The new storefront windows
One of the classrooms used for tutoring
Growing Demand
The new design is already making a difference.
Since the start of the fall semester, the Academic Success Center has recorded nearly 3,000 visits and served more than 1,000 students, putting it on pace to surpass last fall’s totals when the center was operating out of a temporary location during renovations.
“I was here on a Friday morning and there were students waiting for the next group to shift,” said Allison Crume, dean of Undergraduate Studies. “They truly are already taking advantage. When you build it, they will come and that is certainly happening here.”
One major factor, Betancourt said, is the center’s new storefront-like entrance, which replaced a wall with small windows. The large windows give students a clear view inside — and make the center much more visible from the library.
“I was hoping that open storefront would encourage students to peek in,” Betancourt said. “That’s absolutely happened. They look in, ask what we do here and then come back for our services.”
Zoraya Betancourt, director of the Academic Success Center (right), and her son [Photo by Torie Doll, University Communications and Marketing]
More Room, More Support
The transformation also came largely by taking things away.
Walls that once divided the center into a hallway and a series of small, enclosed rooms were removed, creating one open, connected space. The library also gave the Academic Success Center adjoining areas that had previously served as a computer classroom, office space and storage.
The former library classroom is now a dedicated study area. Former storage closets have been converted into private tutoring rooms. And what once were separate tutoring rooms now make up an open Tutoring Hub, with movable tables and whiteboards that allow students and tutors to work together.
The additional space has also allowed the center to expand what students can do there.
One of the newest additions is structured study groups, which give students a place to work together with support from trained student leaders. Students also can use the center simply as a place to study, an option that was difficult to accommodate in the old space.
The center continues to offer its established tutoring, writing, mentoring and PASS services, as well as online tutoring after traditional hours and on Sundays. But the larger footprint means those services no longer have to compete for the same limited space.
USF President Moez Limayem and other leaders cut the ribbon [Photo by Torie Doll, University Communications and Marketing]
Supporting them is a student workforce of more than 90. About 20 Federal Work-Study students serve as academic assistants, helping operate the center’s two front desks. Seven academic peer mentors work with students on study strategies and connect them with other campus resources. The remaining student employees include STEM and writing tutors, as well as PASS leaders who facilitate study sessions and provide additional course support.
“Every Bull reaches a point where they need some extra help,” said Hunter Rabinowitz, student body president. “That's simply part of being a college student. The Academic Success Center has always been a place where students can get the support they need and leave feeling more confident than when they walked in.”
Retiring the ‘Dungeon’
With the larger space, Betancourt said the center can offer those services simultaneously without one program taking space away from another.
“It’s allowed us to use our space creatively,” she said, “so we can add to that without cheating any other services.”
And at the ribbon cutting, USF President Moez Limayem officially turned the page on the center’s former nickname.
“Today, I am officially retiring the name, dungeon,” he said. “It doesn't look anything like a dungeon. What a great at day at USF.”