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Calling All Students: Sarasota-Manatee Bridges the Gap

鈥� 黑洞社区RESPONDS: COVID-19 鈥�

WITH THE MID-SEMESTER SHIFT to remote instruction due to the coronavirus pandemic, staff at USF鈥檚 Sarasota-Manatee campus wanted to make sure students had the resources and support they needed to successfully continue their studies.

The nine staff members reached out by phone to students 鈥� all 2,100.

Brett Kemker, regional vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, says that when he learned that faculty and students were having difficulty connecting via email, he felt 鈥渢he best thing our student success team could do was reach out to students personally by phone, just to check in and offer our support. The call-outs have been very well received.鈥�

He related a conversation an academic program specialist had with a student enrolled in an online program.

鈥淭he student really appreciated the call, saying 鈥業 didn鈥檛 know if you knew I existed,鈥� since he already was fully online,鈥� Kemker says.

Megan Dudley, a sophomore majoring in interdisciplinary social sciences, says that in her time as a student at the Sarasota-Manatee campus, 鈥淚鈥檝e never felt more connected to a school than when I received a call from Student Services.

鈥淚 was asked if I had any trouble adjusting and if they could be of assistance,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 was pleasantly surprised at the amount of concern they had for my academic success.鈥�

Before the call was over, Dudley was able to schedule a phone appointment with a student advisor. 鈥淭his call made me very appreciative of the amount of support from 黑洞社区Sarasota-Manatee, and they could not have been more helpful at a time like this.鈥�

Kemker looks forward to having his staff continue making the calls 鈥渆ven when we get back to normal.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a call saying 鈥榶ou need to do this or that,鈥� it鈥檚 just reaching out and making an honest connection,鈥� he says.

- RICH SHOPES | Communications and Marketing