Welcome to Student Affairs
The Student Affairs division exists to facilitate student success by providing innovative services and connection to resources that empower a growing and diverse student body in support of their educational goals. We accomplish this by connecting and integrating each student into the college in a very personal way, collaborating with stakeholders internal and external to the college to remove barriers keeping our students from succeeding, and challenging our students to engage and fully participate in their educational journey.
The Student Affairs team uses three major systems to lead our students to success: LifeMap, Atlas, and Learning-Centered Student Services.
Dr. Lesley Frederick
Vice President, Student Affairs
lfrederick6@valenciacollege.edu
Resources
LifeMap
LifeMap is our developmental advising model that promotes social and academic integration, education, career planning, and acquisition of study and life skills. Organized into a five-stage model of student progression, the focus is on student planning and goal setting, creating a normative expectation that students have life, career and academic goals, and setting up a system of engagement to establish and document those goals for each student.
Atlas
Our Atlas portal supports our learning-centered focus and creates "connection and direction" for students, faculty, and staff. In Atlas students can get information about their educational plans, academic progress, services to support their goals, and receive just-in-time prompts through a series of automated communications (e-mails) that lets them know where they are in various educational processes (e.g. application to enrollment, degree audits, graduation processing). Atlas labs are available on each campus along with support staff that can assist students in using Atlas.
Learning Centered Student Services
Learning-Centered Student Services are designed with a focus on student learning the end-to-end processes they need to complete their educational goals at Valencia. Students begin their on-campus interactions at the Answer Center where staff cross-trained in admissions and enrollment processes, advising, financial aid, student records, and graduation can help them learn the educational processes they need to complete at that point of their degree programs. The student-focused developmental approach of our staff helps students understand the complete process they are engaging rather than just answer their first few questions. Our goal is to have each student leave the Answer Center with an understanding of the process and knowing what their "next step" is. Student Affairs staff continue to engage students through these processes based on their area of expertise (advising and counseling, assessment, career counseling, financial aid, student development, international students, students with disabilities, honors).