Student success centers provide free resources for recent graduates as they venture out into the job market.
USM maintains three student success centers – one on each campus – that connect students with advisers that help plan their future for everything from jobs and internships to an academic timeline and choosing a major. USM student success centers are open to alumni as well and frequently help recent and not-so-recent graduates in their job search.
The Portland USM student success center sees an average of 30 students each day according to senior marketing and business major Heidi Lowell who works in the success center.
“We do a lot of advising for students that haven’t chosen a major yet, ” said Lowell who explained some of the opportunities available that students may not be aware of. “You can get credits by even taking a lifeguard course. CPR, volunteer firefighter, any knowledge that you feel you should earn credit for, you can submit it to the right person and apply for credit,” said Lowell.
The success centers maintain large bulletin boards outside their office in 119 Luther Bonney where 10 staff are on hand to help advise members of the USM community in everything from paying tuition to finding the perfect summer job.
Lowell said that their offices see a lot of recent graduates and alumni as well. “They come back in and this is the first stop for them,” said Lowell. The student success website outlines their “Passport” program whereby students learn but what advising is and go through the steps to charting a path for academic success.
The website also includes a “form bank” with everything from the FAFSA to USM readmission applications.