An education from ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ doesn’t just prepare students for their careers, it prepares them to lead a meaningful life. In other words, the university uplifts the entire student, providing a holistic academic experience that helps them become more resilient, analytical and self-assured.
As a result of a transformative gift from the Goizueta Foundation, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has greatly expanded the breadth and depth of its commitment to holistic education in recent years, providing more robust professional academic support services; state-of-the-art learning software; comprehensive first-year programs; and inclusive learning spaces.
Center for Student Success
A key milestone in this transformation was the establishment of the Center for Student Success in 2021. Student Success serves as a central hub for holistic support, bringing together professional advising, tutoring, peer coaching and accessibility services under one roof. Advisors work together with faculty and campus partners to support each student’s academic, personal and professional growth, ensuring that no Petrel undertakes their college journey alone.
The level of support provided by Student Success continues to increase year-over-year. In 2024, the Student Success team conducted more than 5,000 advising appointments, supporting over 1,300 distinct students, which represented 90% of the total student body. Peer tutoring, supplemental instruction and coaching sessions logged more than 1,500 appointments, while accessibility services expanded to support a growing number of students with documented needs. These numbers reflect a university community deeply committed to student achievement and to creating an environment where students can do their best work.
The expansion of academic support also includes the thoughtful design of physical spaces that promote accessibility. When the number of students needing testing accommodations increased in 2024, the Center for Student Success quickly adapted its facilities, transforming a planned classroom in Robinson Hall into a dedicated accessibility testing space.
First-Year Seminar
For Oglethorpe’s newest students, the transition to college life is guided by the First-Year Seminar (FYS) course, a cornerstone of the university’s academic support model. Every incoming first-year student now participates in FYS, which introduces them to campus resources, helps them develop critical academic skills, and builds early connections with faculty and peers. Thanks to Goizueta Foundation funding, both faculty and peer mentors receive extensive training and resources to make the experience as engaging and supportive as possible.
In fall 2024, 98% of students successfully completed their FYS course, an 8% increase from the previous year. Surveys of participants showed that nearly every student had interacted with the Center for Student Success, and 97% agreed that Oglethorpe faculty and staff are genuinely invested in their long-term success.
The Writing Center
Strong writing is central to a liberal arts education, and Oglethorpe has taken significant steps to ensure that students receive the support they need to excel. With Goizueta Foundation funding, the university established the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Writing Center, which officially opened in 2024 under the leadership of its inaugural director, Dr. Courtney Mullis Sridharan.
The Writing Center now provides one-on-one peer tutoring and classroom workshops designed to help students strengthen their writing skills across disciplines. In its first semester, the new writing center supported over 190 writing appointments, serving 121 unique students, and reaching more than a third of the student body through in-class visits.
The Upshot
Oglethorpe’s vision for holistic support extends beyond academics. Throughout 2024, the Center for Student Success partnered with campus organizations to host a variety of wellness events, from art therapy and de-stress massages to self-defense classes. These activities gave students tools to manage stress and maintain balance amid the pressures of college life.
The data shows that Oglethorpe’s investments in student support are working. In 2024, the university’s persistence rate — the percentage of students continuing their studies — rose to 91.09%, exceeding the university’s goal by more than six percentage points. The average GPA across the student body climbed to 3.10, and 88% of graduates reported securing employment in their chosen field or enrolling in further study within six months of graduation.
The university’s commitment to student support represents a cultural shift toward a holistic, student-centered approach to education. By uniting academic, personal and professional support under one collaborative umbrella, Oglethorpe has built a foundation that not only strengthens student outcomes but also enriches the entire campus community.
Each tutoring session, mentoring conversation, and wellness event contributes to something larger: a campus where every student feels supported in pursuing both knowledge and purpose.
Thanks to the generosity of the Goizueta Foundation, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ has redefined what it means to support student success: proving that when education extends beyond the classroom, students flourish.
