By Mirna Youssef
Staff Writer
At the beginning of the new school year last fall, LIU Post initiated a new program known as LIU Promise, which is a team of advisors who guide incoming freshmen through their four years at Post. LIU Promise assigns each student a success coach. Their mission is to help the student, starting from their first day at Post and continuing to their last day. Incoming freshmen students will be able to direct their questions and concerns to their success coaches. Although there are other advisors at Post, the LIU Promise team was formed to ease the transition from high school senior to college freshman.
The success coaches were all advisors who were previously stationed in Kumble Hall. There are still several services provided at Kumble Hall, such as academic planning, Bursar, and the Registrar’s office. However, the coaches have been moved into the Winnick House (the mansion on the hill).
“The LIU Promise Success Coaches are taking this program to the next level. Not only are they connecting with students in our inviting office space, but they are connecting with their students all over campus, as well,” said Ali DiBona, associate director of LIU Promise. The LIU Promise program is different from the usual advising setup at Post because it keeps a consistent link between the same group of students and their respective coaches. DiBona mentioned that the coaches support their students by taking part in their on-campus activities as well, whether it’s attending performances or sports games.
“Coaches are very eager to get away from the typical student- faculty level, that way it is more comfortable to talk about things like work and our futures, things besides scheduling,” said Deirdre Kelly, a freshman Arts Management major.
In addition to DiBona, the LIU Promise team consists of Daniel Carlos, Daniel Lauterman, Saadia Rafiq, Alissa Karcz, and Kaitlin Jensen. All of the coaches have received training through workshops in order to tackle the different majors they are faced with. They are being cross- trained in all majors, as well as in financial aid.
“I feel that the success coaches are a great thing for incoming freshman as it is a promise for the four years while they are at Post. However, in the process, upperclassmen were juggled between advisors due to restructuring; I was a bit uneasy about it at first,” said Danielle Siebner, a senior Elementary Education major with a Spanish concentration.
Success coaches can help students find jobs, internships, work- study, and even plan to study abroad. “As I continue to mold into this position I am constantly discovering new unique opportunities to enhance my students’ experience on campus,” said Daniel Carlos, a former advisor who is now a success coach. Carlos said that the success coaches could also create new events on campus, such as “Tunes @ Noon,” which is held during common hour in Hillwood.. Coaches can also work with various departments by reaching out to them in order to learn more about their students.
Success Coaches continue to receive training to equip themselves with the tools necessary to handle situations with their students. LIU Promise is continuously adding new initiatives and is the new beginning for advising on our campus.
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