This year Norwich University hired a new transition and academic success coach to fill a position that had been empty for three years.
Stephen Looke, the new coach, is no stranger to the Norwich community. His position as associate athletic director was eliminated in January of 2009, he said. “Prior to that I coached [at Norwich] for 25 plus years.”
After being selected for the Transition and Academic Success Coach position, Looke received training from the Academic Achievement Center, Admissions Office, Registrar’s Office and Student Life.
Looke primarily works in the library.
“I help primarily freshmen in the successful transition to college life and academics,” Looke said.
Looke describes his job as “help[ing] students succeed.”
“I coordinate with other areas of the university as necessary to help students get the information, support or advice they need,” he said.
Looke’s favorite part of his new job is “helping students define, understand and reach their goals,” he said.
This position is necessary, according to Coach Looke, because, “Norwich constantly seeks to improve the quality of the service provided to its students. This position is one of several measures being taken in that effort.”
Most of Looke’s time is spent in individual meetings with students, assessing and assisting them as needed.
The future of the position of transition and academic success coach is ever changing and Looke “feel[s] we’ll reevaluate both the direction of the position and the method of selecting students served over the course of the 2009 – 2010 school year,” he said. “Following that reevaluation [we will] continue or adjust as necessary.”