Welcome to South College! My name is Lauren and I’ll be your tour guide. I’ll be taking you through some of the different departments you’ll encounter during your academic career and giving you a little information about what each one oversees.
Admissions
Our first stop is Admissions. This department will be your first point of contact when you request more info about South College. Once you request more info, an admissions officer will reach out to you to see what your interests are, tell you about our programs, take you on a tour of the campus, and assist you through the application process. The enrollment process involves paperwork, checking qualifications, getting you set up with a financial aid officer, and obtaining your schedule.
Financial Aid
After Admissions, we have Financial Aid. Our financial aid officers meet with students to discuss the process of applying for financial aid and assist them with the documentation. They verify student information and give out awards as necessary. They also certify eligibility for grants, scholarships, and student loans.
Student Services
Next stop is Student Services. Student services advisors meet with both new and current students and have a lot of tasks to juggle. They meet with new students to help them adjust to academic life, register for courses, help with any transfer credits if you’re transferring to South College from another institution, and help with any challenges students are facing. With current students, they meet to plan for upcoming courses, review their academic plan of study, and address any concerns. They also monitor student progress for any students on probation, contact at-risk students, and so much more.
Library/Resource Center
Next up is the Library! Each campus has either a library or resource center and that is where you will find our Librarians and Library & Instructional Technology Clerks. This is where you will obtain your student ID, print any documents, and check out a laptop. The Librarians put on research orientations for different South College classes, participate in monthly collection development to keep the resources current for students and faculty, as well as hold research appointments for students needing extra assistance. Our Library & Instructional Technology Clerks assist students with navigating Canvas, help our Instructional Design and Technology team Help Desk with basic tickets, and work with faculty for instructional technology integration.
Career Services
Last, but not least, we’re going to conclude our tour with Career Services. I saved this department for the end because, though they are available to you during your entire academic career and beyond, you’ll probably visit here the most when you’re getting close to graduation. Our career services coordinators assist students with securing employment, working with businesses to determine employment needs, coordinate job placements with potential employers, and coordinate job fairs. They are also available to help you with mock interviews, resume and cover letter writing, and strategies for the job search.
With that, our tour is finished. Your academic journey at South College is about to take you on the ride of a lifetime! These descriptions are not exhaustive, and all South College employees work hard to ensure students are set up for success at all points at our institution.
Did you know that the South College Library provides students, faculty, and staff access to over 100,000 eBooks? Find eBooks related to your academic studies, personal interests, and self-improvement.
The Prescription Drug Problem by Ryan Schroeder, Jason Ford, & George Higgins
Providing an indispensable resource for undergraduate students, graduate students, and policymakers interested in the prescription drug abuse crisis in the United States, this book summarizes the current state of prescription drug abuse and its growth over the past 20 years. It includes comparisons to marijuana and hard drug use during the same period. Specific attention is given to prescription opiate abuse and the transition from prescription opiates to heroin.
Unfinished Business by Matt Bergman
For at least the last 100 years, more than 40% of all students who enrolled in American colleges and universities have not persisted to graduation at four-year institutions. Their stories are varied, but in every case, something got in the way of that pursuit. Life happened. They became one of the nearly 36 million Americans who have some college but no degree. For many, the stigma of not finishing college is a closely held secret that weighs heavily as they discuss, engage, and compete to meet the challenges of the workforce in the 21st century. Some weren't ready at age 18 for the focus and commitment that academic studies require. Others found opportunities to create income and meet immediate familial needs or requirements. Many have excelled despite their lack of a college credential. Contrary to the deficit mindset that often permeates the retention and persistence discourse, this book highlights the stories of those who successfully returned to what was left unfinished. The stories here may challenge your assumptions. These are high-quality students who demonstrated a compelling and inspiring commitment to their education, begun long ago and now completed—in some cases decades later. As you read, don't miss the role that engaged advisors, supportive family members, and well-designed programs such as prior learning assessment played in helping students to the finish line. These narratives also demonstrate that it is time for institutions of higher education to imagine and embrace new ways of serving these students well.
Learning the Birds by Susan Fox Rogers
“The thrill of quiet adventure. The constant hope of discovery. The reminder that the world is filled with wonder. When I bird, life is bigger, more vibrant.” That is why Susan Fox Rogers is a birder. Learning the Birds is the story of how encounters with birds recharged her adventurous spirit. When the birds first called, Rogers was in a slack season of her life. The woods and rivers that enthralled her younger self had lost some of their luster. It was the song of a thrush that reawakened Rogers, sparking a long-held desire to know the birds that accompanied her as she rock climbed and paddled. Energized by her curiosity, she followed the birds as they drew her deeper into her authentic self, and ultimately into love. In Learning the Birds, we join Rogers as she becomes a birder and joins the community of passionate and quirky bird people. We meet her birding companions close to home in New York State's Hudson Valley as well as in the desert of Arizona and awash in the midnight sunlight of Alaska. Along on the journey are birders and estimable ornithologists of past generations—people like Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Florence Merriam Bailey—whose writings inspire Rogers's adventures and discoveries. A ready, knowledgeable, and humble friend and explorer, Rogers is eager to share what she sees and learns. Learning the Birds will remind you of our passionate need for wonder and our connection to the wild creatures with whom we share the land.
Man in the Dog Park by Cathy Small, Jason Kordosky, & Ross Moore
The Man in the Dog Park offers the reader a rare window into homeless life. Spurred by a personal relationship with a homeless man who became her co-author, Cathy A. Small takes a compelling look at what it means and what it takes to be homeless. Interviews and encounters with dozens of homeless people lead us into a world that most have never seen. We travel as an intimate observer into the places that many homeless frequent, including a community shelter, a day labor agency, a panhandling corner, a pawn shop, and a HUD housing office. Through these personal stories, we witness the obstacles that homeless people face, and the ingenuity it takes to negotiate life without a home. The Man in the Dog Park points to the ways that our own cultural assumptions and blind spots are complicit in US homelessness and contribute to the degree of suffering that homeless people face. At the same time, Small, Kordosky and Moore show us how our own sense of connection and compassion can bring us into touch with the actions that will lessen homelessness and bring greater humanity to the experience of those who remain homeless. The raw emotion of The Man in the Dog Park will forever change your appreciation for, and understanding of, the homeless life so many deal with outside of the limelight of contemporary society.
Places to Bee: A Guide to Apitourism by Lynette Porter
Travelers are buzzing about apitourism or “bee tourism”-- as an opportunity to get close to bees and learn about the ecology and industry they support. Apitours invite visitors to see what takes place inside a hive, taste fresh honey, and observe its journey from comb to bottle. Apitourists explore bee culture through diverse activities--watching films, creating art, building bee hotels, sampling mead, learning to plant pollinator gardens and documenting species in the wild. This guide presents an educational overview of apitourism, with an exploration of the fascinating world of bees and the sometimes-controversial issues surrounding them.
Sound and Noise by Marcia Jenneth Epstein
This book is about how you listen and what you hear, about how to have a dialogue with the sounds around you. Marcia Jenneth Epstein gives readers the impetus and the tools to understand the sounds and noise that define their daily lives in this groundbreaking interdisciplinary study of how auditory stimuli impact both individuals and communities. Epstein employs scientific and sociological perspectives to examine noise in multiple contexts: as a threat to health and peace of mind, as a motivator for social cohesion, as a potent form of communication and expression of power. She draws on a massive base of specialist literature from fields as diverse as nursing and neuroscience, sociology and sound studies, acoustic ecology and urban planning, engineering, anthropology, and musicology, among others, synthesizing and explaining these findings to evaluate the ubiquitous effects of sound in everyday life. Epstein investigates speech and music as well as noise and explores their physical and cultural dimensions. Ultimately, she argues for an engaged public dialogue on sound, built on a shared foundation of critical listening, and provides the understanding for all of us to speak and be heard in such a discussion. Sound and Noise is a timely evaluation of the noise that surrounds us, how we hear it, and what we can do about it.