The Academic Success Center (ASC) provides student advising and support services. Located on the first floor of Bernardine Hall Room 105, its team includes professional, administrative, and student staff with responsibilities for Advising, Academic Support Services, and Accessibility Services.
Advising
- General Advising Support
Alvernia students can meet with any member of the Academic Success Center staff to get help with questions about advising and many university policies and procedures:
- Adding and dropping courses
- Withdrawing from a course
- Adding or changing major & minors
- Preparing for advising appointments with your major advisor
- Understanding the SEARCH curriculum (General Education Core)
- Understanding how decisions about coursework impact degree plans and financial aid
- Academic coaching
- Accessing help for your courses
- Accessing the many other university services that are in place for your success
- First Year Student Advising
Each First Year Student is assigned to a First Year Seminar section, which is taught by as the student’s advisor for the first year. Their work is supported by the ASC, which provides advising training and materials to First Year Advisors. First-year students wishing to make changes to their first semester schedules must visit the ASC to do so, as they do not yet have access to the registration features of self-service.
- Advising for Students with Undeclared Majors
After the first year, each student is assigned a faculty advisor in the department that houses the student’s major. Students who have not yet declared majors are offered additional support through the ASC to continue exploring their interests and developing their educational plan.
- Advising for Students Who Want to Change Majors or Add Minors
Many students decide to change their major after a semester or two (or even more!) The advisors in the Academic Success Center help students with a variety of tasks aimed at helping them choose a new major:
- Talk to faculty in potential majors
- Create a course schedule that lets you try out a new major
- Navigate college policies and procedures for making the change
- Explore other majors and what careers are possible with them
- Transfer Students
New transfer students are provided with individual intake services for each student directly after admission. Each individual session lasts between 1 and 1.5 hours. Sessions cover:
- An explanation of transfer credit accepted
- Overview of educational plan through completion
- Course advisement and scheduling
- A brief orientation to services on campus
- Training on how to register in myAlvernia
- Answers to specific, individual questions
- Contact Us
Lee Ann Bieber
Director, Title III
610-796-8263
Academic Support Services
Students can choose from a variety of free academic support services, including but not limited to:
- Peer Tutoring
- Individual or friend-group sessions, in-person and online
- Supplemental Instruction (SI) for challenging courses
- Study Groups and extended test review session
- STEM Study Groups (biology, chemistry, and calculus)
- Writing Support
- - free with active Alvernia email
- Help at any stage of the writing process
- Citation support for APA and MLA Style
- Professional Tutors for graduate and PhD level
- Academic Coaching
- Private meetings to address personal goals
- Brain-based study strategies
- Time management, note taking, test taking, stress reduction tips
- Academic Success Workshop weekly evening series
- Tutoring Services
Tutoring Services are free and offered in-person and online.
- Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
- Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Sunday 4 p.m.- 8 p.m.
To schedule an appointment, call 610-568-1494, email academic.support@alvernia.edu, or go to .
- Contact Us
To schedule an appointment, call 610-568-1494, email academic.support@alvernia.edu, or go to .
Carla Mannix
Director of Academic Support Services
610-796-5613
carla.mannix@alvernia.edu
Accessibility Services
The Office of Accessibility Services coordinates the academic campus wide accommodations for students with disabilities, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. All accommodations are decided on a case by case basis in accordance with what is reasonable for the institution and the student.
Andrea Swift, Ed.D.
Director, Office of Accessibility Services
Bernardine Hall 105A, Academic Success Center
Phone: 610-568-1499
Fax: 484-335-4486
andrea.swift@alvernia.edu
Office of Multilingual Success
The Office for Multilingual Success serves as a campus-wide resource for developing a shared vision of embracing cultural and linguistic diversity. We strive to ensure that linguistically diverse (LD) students receive expert academic support based on respect for cultural and linguistic differences.
John Carl Hepler, Ph.D.
Director, Office for Multilingual Success
Bernardine Hall 105C, Academic Success Center
610-568-1495
multilingual.support@alvernia.edu
john.hepler@alvernia.edu
Office Hours
Monday-Friday
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.