USF Offers a ‘Pathway to Success’ For Incoming Students

SARASOTA, Fla. (Aug. 05, 2020) – USF’s Summer Beginnings program is helping first-time college students get a jump on the fall semester at the university’s Sarasota-Manatee campus.

Incoming students can elect to enroll in the program’s intensive academic instruction in communications, humanities and other subjects and also gain insight into campus clubs, activities, Student Government and other valuable resources offered by USF.

“This is about providing a pathway to success while also helping students adjust to college life,” said Bart Stucker, Summer Beginnings coordinator and the campus’ coordinator of orientation and recreation/wellness programs. “One of the nice things about a small campus like ours is the individualized attention and encouragement we’re able to offer students.”

Forty students signed up for the program in June, which concludes Friday. Among those who participated was English major Ivelina Kirilova.

“The summer beginnings program helped me feel more prepared for the fall semester and more excited to explore USF further,” Kirilova said. “It was manageable and interesting, and its virtual format allowed for many personal freedoms in terms of scheduling. It’s a great way to test the waters and get ahead in your USF experience.”

Students in Summer Beginnings take two courses of three credits each that can be applied toward their degrees. The classes run six weeks.

Teeranai Ovathanasin, director of student success at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, said of the program, “Summer Beginnings is just one of many initiatives that has helped students succeed early on at the Sarasota-Manatee campus; it gives students a path toward academic success.”

To learn more about programs at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, visit https://www.sarasotamanatee.usf.edu.