Though it is challenging to resume our normal lives after the loss of our beloved President Floyd, we do so knowing much of what we do at WSU was and is inspired by his passion for higher education and his quest to expand opportunities for students.
One of the main goals outlined in the Strategic Plan, formulated under Floyd’s leadership, is improving student preparedness. Summer session is making a difference in this area and giving student success a major boost.
Summer session is an unsung gem for many WSU students. Throughout the WSU system, there are more than 700 face-to-face class offerings in May, June and July. Add in internships, research projects and online courses and there are hundreds more educational opportunities for students.
Summer session offers numerous advantages as students enjoy greater access to professors, with smaller class sizes and fewer demands on faculty. Most students take a small number of courses, allowing them to focus their studies and often boost their GPAs. And by earning credits in the summer, students can often earn their degrees quicker.
In fact, statistics show WSU-Pullman students who take at least one summer course at some point after their freshman year were much more likely to graduate within six years than those who did not.
There are about 5,100 students on campus this summer taking 23,000 credit hours of classes. Online course offerings are growing at a rapid pace and active WSU students can easily enroll for summer courses at any campus statewide. No matter what options students choose, summer session is boosting their chances of reaching their academic goals.
“We get really positive feedback from our alums,” says summer session director Ben Perkins. “A lot of our students in the summer are juniors or seniors and the most common thing we here from them is, ‘I wish I had gone to summer session earlier in my college career.’”
The Summer Advantage program is increasing its impact. It’s a program for new students that gives them a head start—in the classroom and socially. Perkins is expecting 100-120 students at Summer Advantage this year.
Perkins is excited for the inaugural cohort of Summer Advantage for Transfers, which arrived on campus this week. The transfer students will take a popular core course to earn some invaluable credits—and participate in a variety of events and bonding activities to get acclimated to life at WSU. Former transfer students will mentor the new students, which is a key component of the new program.
After making its debut last year, Calculated Success is back. The math-focused program helps incoming students acclimate to college academics while improving their math placement test scores and building momentum toward their first college-level course, which is often a challenge.
For more information on summer session at WSU, visit summer.wsu.edu.