Taking Ownership of Education

It’s finals season at Gordon! As students are feverishly studying and preparing, the Academic Support Center (ASC) is making sure they’re cared for during these stress-filled few weeks.

For 17 semesters, the Finish the Course (FTC) initiative has provided encouragement to the student body during finals week. This 10-day program provides hot and cold beverages, supervised study halls around campus, extended tutoring hours, finals assistance, personalized help from professional ASC staff members, daily devotionals, finals prep tips, general encouragement and even a finals clinic with materials to help students prepare well. FTC was the brainchild of Deneen Levy ’08, a Clarendon Scholar and ASC intern, and now involves student leaders from the Gordon College Student Association (GCSA) and Academic Affairs Council (AAC).

Not only is FTC great at providing tactics to encourage good study habits, but it also encourages students to be the best they can be. In other words, according to Pam Mulvihill, academic counselor in the ASC, it helps students “to take ownership of their own education, to finish well and do their best and to embrace the privilege of being at Gordon.” ASC estimates that about one third of the student body gets involved in FTC.