The new Center for Academic Success and Achievement (CASA) at Warner Pacific University will soon provide increased academic and holistic support to students in a welcoming environment.
“We are extremely excited for the opening of our physical space, which is currently being renovated,” said Lael Easton, Director of Learning Communities.
CASA is possible as part of a $3 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education under the Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program. Easton is the Project Director for Project Avanzamos: Advancing WPU from Hispanic-Enrolling to Hispanic-Serving.
Scheduled to open for Spring Semester, CASA will be on the main floor of the Otto F. Linn Library. Students will be able to access library services and support staff in one place.
The team aims to make this new renovated space cozy and flexible. The space will have glass-walled collaboration rooms, moveable furniture, and areas for quiet study. In addition to academic support, such as tutoring and mentoring, the team’s Academic Navigator helps connect students to campus and community resources. Currently, peer navigators and tutors can be found in the Student Learning Center or through the Nimbus app.
“CASA is a place, but it is more than a place in the same way that home is more than a place,” Easton said. “We want to build not just a physical but also a mental space, an attitude of love, warmth and generosity, like the word home evokes.”
The team wants to create a home away from home, where students can do their schoolwork or just relax.
“We want students to feel welcome and empowered to welcome others,” she said. “Students should feel comfortable coming to get help with any problem or hanging out and socializing when all is well.”
The project provides academic and holistic support to students through a variety of services, including professional and peer tutoring in several subjects, academic mentoring, and peer and academic navigators. Tutors and other staff are available for online appointments as well as in-person sessions. They also have a laptop lending library for students who need to borrow a laptop for the semester.
“We can’t wait to watch our amazing Peer Navigator team grow their program and find creative ways to serve the students,” Easton said.
Referring to Matthew 25:35-40, Easton said they live out their faith by serving others.
“We don’t do so in flashy ways, and we don’t always talk loudly about it,” she said. “We are here to serve in a humble and grateful way, to live out our faith by our actions toward each other, the rest of the faculty and staff, and the students who bring us so much joy and satisfaction.”
They want students to have a sense of belonging and to know the CASA team is there to support them.
“We want a student to hear ‘Mi casa es su casa’ in everything we do,” Easton said. “Students will know where to find us and where to be found. CASA is a place where students feel seen; where they can build lasting relationships with peers and staff members who support them along their academic journeys; where they can find a sense of community; where they can find practical, meaningful, helpful support in the day-to-day challenges they face while in school. We are here to serve, encourage, and uplift.”