There’s a reason they call it the Student Success Center

Oct 10, 2016
5 min read

Whoa, that's a big building.

James Madison University is looking out for its students. Beginning the academic journey of JMU Dukes calls for a post dedicated to our most recent and resourceful building. According to their JMU website updated this year, The Student Success Center has brought together opportunities for Dukes to achieve more than just being a Duke in its 250,000 square feet of excellence. The facility strives to challenge, support, collaborate and counsel JMU students every day of the week.

SSC, as we know it, is an academic dream for the Dukes of JMU. Students have access to the high-impact learning center Monday through Sunday year round. Think about a day in the life of a Duke: eat, study, friends, class and repeat. SSC provides students with one location that includes every aspect of your routine. Are you looking for a group study room, a bite to eat, a place to socialize, or a refreshing walk to class? Well, you've found the right building.

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So, what’s in it for me?

According to their JMU home page updated this year, SSC houses nearly 300 staff offices, 3 dining options, a student common area bigger than any lecture hall you've ever stepped foot in and a beautiful outdoor space to eat, relax or catch up with friends. The building also gives some of JMU’s most unique services a home including:

SSC sets JMU apart from other universities and helps Dukes make the most of their academic life all the while giving them a place to look forward to on campus. Want to find all information regarding SSC? Check out their JMU website at https://www.jmu.edu/successcenter/

http://www.jmu.edu/_images/sats/news-pictures/SSC.png

I am way too nervous about this speech.

Personally, I have benefited from the Student Success Center since it’s construction. The Learning Center is located on the first floor of SSC. Here, you can find individual centers inside that focus on your particular area of study. For example, before a big presentation, I was nervous just like a lot of Duke’s feel before a grade that may make or break their success in a class. I had no idea the resources available to me until I walking through the doors of the Learning Center. The Communication Center is an open space for students to get help in various areas like:

Presentation help
Overcoming speech anxiety
Formatting visual data
Test preparation

As I walked into the Communication Center, I approached the front desk and posed my concerns about my speech. Instantly, I was paired with an official tutor in the center to record my speech, give me feed back and leave me feeling in a new and improved speaker. Without the Communications Center, I would have entered my speech just as nervous as I had started.

Final exam week for all students is stressful, and as a busy communications students I can relate. As a freshman, I could have especially related. Our required communications general education class or as we all knew and loved it, GCOM, was and still is a treacherous for many students. If you aren’t into the world of communications, this class could have gotten close to ruining your life – or maybe that's dramatic.

Well I don't have speech anxiety, so why should I care?

Joe Loving is a junior at JMU. He indulges himself in the culture of Dukes through his involvement in the Student Ambassador organization at JMU. On any given day, you can find him in SSC. But, why does he love it so much?

"I really love being in SSC because it truly offers everything I need. There's places to eat, student resources, places to get stuff done, or places to not get stuff done and have some time with friends. I can go to SSC no matter what mood I’m feeling for the day, but I know I can always have a good day in SSC.”

As a good friend of Joe’s, I can assure you that he is the definition of what a JMU Duke should represent. So, it goes without saying that SSC is the hub for all things Dukes.

If I’m going to stay in SSC for a week straight, can I survive?

The simple answer: absolutely. If our country were under a surprise zombie attack, I would be running to the Student Success Center for cover. Not only do they have extremely helpful academic resources so I could make sure my homework is finished before the zombies took me hostage, but there are also some vital survival resources in SSC.

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While stress eating to cope with my innate fear of being under zombie attack, SSC’s variety of food options would be there to save me. I could get my coffee and donut fix every morning I woke up to plan our zombie retreat at Dunkin Donuts, or I could go to the second floor where there are 3 dinning options including the Grace Street Market, Get Your Green On! and Bistro 1908. According to the James Madison University Dining Services page updated this year, I could get a quinoa bowl, some yummy pasta or the classic burger and fries duo. What else could a girl in zombie distress ask for?

Most importantly, I think the most convenient of resources in a zombie take-over is the University Health Center. It’s free to Dukes and so easy to access. Feeling under the weather? Making an appointment is simple and only requires you sign in with your My JMU Health account.

Aside from the essentials like food and medical treatment, I would be extremely anxious about the whole zombie situation in general, so I would be in desperate need of some relaxation. Luckily, SCC provides students with “The Oasis”. Doesn't that just sound like the place to be in a disaster? Here, Dukes are free to come and go free of charge to relax with meditation spaces, message chairs, noise-canceling headphones and guides to relaxation. Access is permitted to any and all Dukes.

And finally, in the chaos of a zombie apocalypse, you might do one of two detrimental things: your computer crashes, or worse, you lose your JAC card. Oh, no! How will you ever communicate or pay for any of the yummy food in SSC? Have no fear, Dukes. The Information Technology Help Desk is located on the fourth floor of SSC, and JMU Card Services on the second floor. See, anything and everything you could think of is conveniently located in one Student Success Center.

I have got to get to the Student Success Center!

Use this space to your advantage, Dukes. It was constructed with all of our academic, social and appetizing interests in mind. Check out the official JMU Student Success Center website for more information and schedules for events.

References

Success Center Home. (2016). Retrieved October 03, 2016, from https://www.jmu.edu/successcenter/index.shtml

James Madison University Dining Services. (2016). Retrieved October 03, 2016, from https://jmu.campusdish.com/

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