GREENVILLE, Pa.—Two leaders from the Thiel College Learning Commons presented on student success and academic support strategies at Engineerica’s Academic Center Summit, held Oct. 26–28 in Orlando, Fla. Robin Sakonyi, director of the Learning Commons, and Hannah Keeling ’08, coordinator of peer-led learning programs, delivered a featured session titled “Extreme Makeover: Learning Center Edition.”
Their presentation highlighted the Learning Commons’ evolution into a comprehensive student support center that provides peer-led learning services, academic coaching, an accessibility resource center, and collaborative study spaces. Sakonyi and Keeling shared the center’s history and the intentional changes that have transformed it into a vibrant hub for student success and retention.
“Our research into the history of the Learning Commons at Thiel was both informative and fun! We learned a lot about how far we’ve come in becoming a nucleus for student success on Thiel’s campus,” Sakonyi said.
Engineerica Systems, Inc., founded in 1994 and based in Florida, develops attendance-tracking and student-support platforms for colleges and universities. The Thiel College Learning Commons uses Accudemia, Engineerica’s academic center management system, for appointment scheduling, service tracking, and reporting. The system helps streamline student engagement with campus resources and provides data that supports continuous improvement in academic support services.
The summit brought together learning center directors, tutoring professionals, academic coaches, and student-success practitioners from across the country to share best practices and emerging trends in academic support, peer-led learning, and learning center management.
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.