Spectrum - Volume 21 Issue 04 September 17, 1998 - Student Affairs recognizes top programs

A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor , a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

Student Affairs recognizes
top programs

By Clara B. Cox

Spectrum Volume 21 Issue 04 - September 17, 1998

Five programs in the Division of Student Affairs received the division's Outstanding Program Awards during the division's fall meeting on September 3. The awards, initiated last year by Vice President for Student Affairs Landrum L. Cross, recognize outstanding and extraordinary contributions to the division, students, faculty, and staff of the university.
The award-winning programs are the WING Program, Women at Virginia Tech Student and Alumnae Mentoring Luncheon, University Counseling Center Pre-doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology, Student Employment Leadership Program, and Wellness Environment for Living and Learning (WELL).
The departments that house the programs will each receive $2,000, contributed by the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs.
"These programs exemplify the division's five priorities of quality, learning, diversity, service, and technology. They are excellent examples of ways in which the division is accomplishing its strategic plan for 1997-2001," Cross said.
The WING Program, coordinated by Gerry Kowalski, Lynne Sponaugle, and Deborah Andersen of Residential and Dining Programs, was designed to help new students with academic work and social adaptation and to help them make connections with the faculty and staff. WING residents demonstrated a higher grade-point average, greater student involvement, and greater interaction with faculty members than a sample control group.
The Women at Virginia Tech Student and Alumnae Mentoring Luncheon was coordinated by Sharon DeMar Yeagle, Denise Collins, Alicia Cohen, and Susan Grubbs. The luncheon was created to provide current women students with an opportunity to meet with Virginia Tech Alumnae with the goal of fostering mentoring relationships. Based on evaluations by participants, the program provided a positive way of strengthening the importance and involvement of women at Virginia Tech.
The University Counseling Center Pre-doctoral Internship in Professional Psychology was coordinated by Robert Miller and the University Counseling Center. The pre-doctoral internship prepared psychologists for entry-level professional practice in university counseling centers and other health-care settings. After only two years of operation, the program received accreditation by the American Psychological Association.
The Student Employment Leadership Program, coordinated by Sam Van Curen, Teresa McCoy, Scott Reed, and Doug Yates, encouraged students to serve on departmental committees, which increased their knowledge of the committees' tasks and helped to refine their verbal interaction skills and understanding of workplace protocol. The program was designed to address student learning in the areas of life skills, job marketability, and leadership characteristics.
The WELL, coordinated by Lynne Sponaugle and Deborah Andersen, provides a living environment free of smoke, alcohol, and tobacco and features a fitness facility, an optional one-credit WELLness Forum, and regular educational programming. Residents had significantly higher grade-point averages. The program was cited by the Joint Task Force of the American Association for Higher Education, the American College Personnel Association, and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators as one of the 20 best examples of collaborative learning programs in the United States.
The winning programs were selected from 16 entries by a committee of students and faculty and staff members external to the division.