Druhmann Center combines advising and learning services

By LESLIE-ANN HOLT

The establishment of the John B. Drahmann Academic Advising and Learning Resources Center is an attempt to be more efficient with student resources.

The Drahmann Center, located in Benson 214, is the home of a wide range of student services that were previously scattered around the university.

The center is the new home of services including tutoring, learning workshops, graduate school information, Disabilities Resources, International Student Resources and more.

While all of these services were previously available to students, they did not share a common location. The goal of the new center is to serve students more efficiently.

"As I see the Drahmann Center, it's a support service for all students at Santa Clara: undergraduates, graduate students and graduates," Coordinator of Disabilities Resources Ann Ravenscroft said.

The physical location of the new center will encourage students to use the resources more, according to Ravenscroft.

"A student may be talking to an advisor just down the hall and it comes up that they have a disability, and that student can walk down here and either make an appointment or see me immediately," Ravenscroft said.

The Drahmann Center hopes to support and facilitate student success through the individual services offered, but also through the collaboration and common location of those services, according to Dean of Academic Support Services Helen Moritz, Ph.D.

"The thought was that there would be better integration of services, and that students would be better served in that way," Moritz said.

The Drahmann Center attempts to serve all Santa Clara students, and to recognize that student life comprises many factors other than academics. The center hopes to recognize the needs and diversity of the student body. In an attempt to ensure that all student needs are met, the center has been communicating with student clubs such as the MultiCultural Center to discuss the existence and the services of the Drahmann Center.

International Student Resources is an example of the center's attempt to assist students. Human support for international students was previously done in the Student Resource Center, while Enrollment Management handled the immigration and visa issues. Both aspects of international student issues are now in the Drahmann Center, so that when students have to deal with the immigration or visa issues, they see that other support services are available through the center.

The center works with the registrar's office and each of the university's schools to ensure consistency in their understanding and interpretation of academic rules and regulations. Though the Drahmann Center has been open since September, the dedication ceremony wasn't held until Thursday, Jan. 27.

The center is named after Physics Professor John B. Drahmann, who was the long-term dean of the College of Sciences when the colleges of Arts and Sciences were separate. After retirement, Drahmann continued to advise students and take a genuine interest in their academic success. The ceremony's guest list included Drahmann's widow, Jean Drahmann, University President Paul Locatelli, SJ, the provost and vice-provosts, the Drahmann Center staff, all deans and associate deans, everyone involved in the creation of the center and a few students.

"This center is really a very positive, tangible result of what we've been calling the provost model, where we bring together student life and learning in a very systemic and important way." Locatelli said. "I think this is really off to a good start. I think this is what we're all about at the university - to be able to look at learning as the central focus, and to bring all of our resources together and focus on that."

Locatelli spoke about the center's legacy.

"For me, John was always a great support and a great asset to the university," Locatelli said. "Many people have really benefited from John in a wonderful way, and the way he reached out to students, faculty members, deans and advisees was really great."

Moritz dedicated the center officially.

"We are celebrating a double dedication today," Moritz said. "First of all, we are dedicating the center to the memory of and ourselves to the spirit of John Drahmann, especially in his role as advisor. He in his own person was a wonderful example of competence, conscience and compassion."

The center hopes to continue to serve and assist students in the spirit of John Drahmann.