WVU Academic Support Programs Foster Learning Combined with Belonging and Growth
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on March 04, 2025
When it comes to supporting students on their academic journeys, West Virginia University walks the walk by addressing specific program and course support in innovative ways.
One of the newest additions for this mission is the Foundational STEM Collaborative, a hub for all foundational University STEM courses required by more than 47 science-focused undergraduate degree programs. 
Launched in Fall 2023 by the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences and the WVU Office of the Provost, the Collaborative quickly expanded its services in Fall 2024 with the opening of the STEM Learning Center and Student Collaboration Space on the ground floor of the Chemistry Research Laboratory, providing students access to drop-in and appointment-based academic assistance, study space, and areas to relax and recharge between classes while making connections with each other.
“Oftentimes, we hear one of the reasons students eventually decide to leave campus is because they say they just haven’t found their people,” said Stephanie Young, STEM Collaborative director and teaching professor in the Department of Biology.
“We’re trying to make a difference in these students’ lives by meeting them where they are, getting them the academic support they need and creating a strong sense of community for STEM students on campus. All these things can directly impact student retention and improve academic outcomes.”
All majors are welcome. To meet demand, the Center’s team works collaboratively with students and faculty members by selecting learning consultants from each Eberly College department and responding to specific course needs.
Nursing students checked in the most. For Spring 2025, several additional courses in each discipline were added as well as statistics support. As of early February, more than 225 unique students with upwards of 400 swipe-ins had sought help with their studies from the Collaborative’s learning consultants.
Paul Miller, physics professor and associate chair of undergraduate studies and academics in the Eberly College, said he is grateful his students have additional help when they need it.
“When we learned Eberly College was starting a STEM Foundations program, one of the first things I thought about was space and help with tutoring our introductory courses,” he said.
“WVU students in STEM arrive with a wide range of readiness. It’s essential for students who may not have a strong background to have a way to gain confidence. When the program started, I was happy that they were able to add support for physics classes almost immediately. This kind of one-on-one help with courses can really make a difference and build confidence.”
Young said the goal is to make sure WVU students can be as successful as possible in STEM.
“Whether that’s a STEM major or a STEM course, we are here to support students, especially in their first two years,” Young said.
She isn’t alone in her commitment to the mission of empowering students and fostering a thriving academic community on campus.
Regan Bruni is the director of REACH Student Success, in the Center for Learning, Advising and Student Success, which was created to help qualifying students transition to college and gain confidence in their strengths. The program received a grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to expand its services and provide more unique types of support to students.
Through REACH — which stands for Respond, Engage and Climb Higher — students from all schools and colleges can access success coaches, peer assistants, workshops, mid-semester help, a Summer BOOST program and a student lounge in the Student Services Center, located next to the Mountainlair, with free resources like snacks, printing services and school supplies. The program also recently rolled out a peer-to-peer texting program and maintains a “REACH for Community” focus to foster connection and support among students.
“As part of our grant, we were tasked with serving 3,000 students over two years and expected to achieve an 81% retention and persistence rate,” Bruni said. “We have served thousands of students and have achieved an 89% retention and persistence rate among students who engaged with our services.”
Student-powered success is evident in the WVU Honors College, too, with plenty of full-circle moments like the one Fairmont native Abby Keefover experienced with the TestWELL Learning Center. The Center offers both STEM and non-STEM tutoring services to all students on campus every weeknight evening. Keefover, a senior studying immunology and medical microbiology in the WVU School of Medicine, said she struggled greatly with her first chemistry class as a freshman and was desperate for help.
“My professor told me about TestWELL and suggested I check it out,” she said. “The support I received really turned things around for me that semester and even set me up for success in every other class I’ve taken since then.”
Keefover was such a believer in TestWELL that she applied to be a tutor. She was hired in 2022 and tutors all chemistry classes. “I had no confidence coming to college and going to TestWELL really turned that around for me. It’s really a full-circle moment for me. I was struggling in a class that I now tutor for and that’s entirely because of the support I found here as a freshman.”
TestWELL Director Ashley Watts has been the driving force behind the Center since 2016 and champions the many ways it is transforming how students learn and support one another through tutoring and mentorship programs.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Watts said. “In Fall 2024, we had over 900 swipe-ins from August until December.” But for Watts, success isn’t just about numbers. “When I train tutors, I tell them their job is to work themselves out of a job by teaching students to be more autonomous and figure things out on their own. I am proud to say they are doing exactly that every day.”
TestWELL’s commitment to excellence has earned the Center national recognition and certification through the National Tutoring Association, which reflects the high standards and dedication to student success that define its mission.
Like Keefover, senior Kayla Workman has her own full-circle experience which began as an underclassmen in the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics.
The Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, native will graduate in May with a degree in management information systems and a minor in accounting, but admits she wasn’t sure she would succeed when she first arrived on campus.
“The first couple of months of college are super hard for everyone. I didn’t necessarily know if this was even the place for me at first,” Workman said. “I was also really nervous and didn’t know what to expect from my first accounting class. But I quickly learned that I wasn’t in it alone.”
Workman walked right up to the Neidermeyer Scholar assigned to her accounting section and asked for help. She also sought out additional resources from the Becker Academic Engagement Success Center. Expanding her network, finding people that she was comfortable around and realizing the support available from her peers made all the difference for Workman, she said, and even inspired her to apply for a role in the Center early on in her academic journey. Now, she’s a Neidermeyer Scholar herself, still logging long hours in the Becker Center and helping students just like her.
“Everyone is new at one point, and we’ve all been in that position before,” Workman said. “All of us in the Chambers College are going to end up in the Becker Center at one point or another and all the scholars there are super understanding and never scary. We’re all in this role because we enjoy helping and we were once in their shoes. We get it, maybe better than most.”
Becca Smith is the program coordinator for the Becker Center and is passionate about the success of students across campus and the peer-led approach that seems to resonate with them. The 3,600-square-foot Center is open to all WVU students and it’s usually pretty busy, Smith added.
“The busiest day we had last fall saw 173 check-ins in a four-hour window,” she said.
“Overall, we’ve seen a 2.3 % retention increase in the Chambers College. There are a lot of different factors that go into that, but the programs and support services we have in the Becker Center really are a big part of it. We had 1,300 students utilize our space in the last academic year and those students logged 9,700 hours of studying. It’s a win in my book, seeing that many students take advantage of the resources we offer.”
At the STEM Learning Center, learning is regularly paired with fun with the goal of sparking interest in STEM fields through engaging events, highlighting creative approaches to STEM learning.
“Students in STEM majors tell us they feel a little cooped up with the long hours required of their classes — lots of lab work, lots of studying,” Young said. “We found some science-backed research that shows these students do tend to be more sedentary than other majors and we’re taking steps to change that.”
One of those steps is the introduction of two walking pads with desks to the space.
Young said that’s just one way they’re working to support the “whole student.”
“In the STEM world, we too often hear students wonder if they’re smart enough to be here or even to keep going,” Young said. “It’s our hope that all across campus, in all of these ways, we are doing everything we can to keep preventable things or solvable problems from changing any student’s trajectory or stifling their dreams.”
Editor’s Note: WVU Photos/Brian Persinger
