Newly Formed Center for Student Excellence Brings Together, Enhances Student Support Programs

Syracuse University’s new Center for Student Excellence, which launches with the start of the 2025-26 academic year, brings together student support programs from across campus and builds on the synergies between them with the mission of helping students thrive and succeed in every aspect of their college experience.

“The Center for Student Excellence entails a transformative approach that brings these vital support programs together under one unified structure to create something more powerful than the sum of its parts,” says Julie Hasenwinkel, associate provost for academic programs. “The center’s three-pillar approach recognizes that true student success requires academic excellence, personal growth and meaningful real-world engagement. We’re not just reorganizing existing resources—we’re amplifying their impact and creating new pathways for students to thrive, persist and graduate with the skills and experiences they need to be leaders and engaged citizens.”

Tommy Powell, assistant provost for academic programs, will oversee the center, which is administered by the Office of Academic Affairs. Powell, who previously served as assistant provost for student-athlete academic development, now reports to Hasenwinkel.

The center offers a network of resources that guide students from their first semester through graduation and beyond, according to Powell. It’s built on three pillars: Academic Success; Student Development; and Experiential Learning and Community Engagement.

“This structure reflects the idea that student success is multidimensional. It brings clarity to our purpose, facilitates collaboration and ensures each program contributes intentionally to academic excellence, personal development and meaningful engagement both inside and outside the classroom,” Powell says.

Academic Success

The programs that make up the Academic Success pillar enable students to persist and perform at the highest level. “Students arrive at Syracuse ready to learn,” Powell says. “These programs open doors to opportunity and ensure our students have the tools, support and guidance needed to excel.”

This pillar includes:

• First Year Seminar (Shannon Hitchcock Schantz, director)
• Center for Learning and Student Success (CLASS) (George Athanas, associate director)
• Retention and Student Success (Kal Srinivas, director)
• Student-Athlete Success and Engagement (Katie Scanlon, director)

Student Development

The Student Development pillar focuses on programs that support personal growth, self-reflection and building a sense of identity. “These programs encourage students to take risks, explore ideas and shape a vision for their future,” Powell says.

This pillar includes:

• Living Learning Communities (Dan Cutler, director)
• Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and Student Support Services (Craig Tucker, director)
• Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) and Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) (Leonese Nelson, director)
• McNair Scholars Program (Christabel Sheldon, director)

Experiential Learning and Community Engagement

Under the direction of Jolynn Parker, the newly appointed director of experiential learning and engagement, the Experiential Learning and Community Engagement pillar comprises initiatives and programs that support immersive learning opportunities for students, giving them direct experience with communities, research and service.

“Students will have even greater opportunities to apply what they learn in real-world settings, and these experiences will prepare them to make an impact and see the value of contributing to the public good,” Powell says.

This pillar includes:

• Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) (Jolynn Parker, director)
• Shaw Center (Jolynn Parker, director)
• Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE) (Kate Hanson, director)
• Program Initiatives (Tamara Hamilton, director)
• Our Time Has Come (OTHC) (Maria Lopez, assistant director of scholarship programs)

Program staff will remain in their current offices until a permanent location for the center has been determined.