Una Creates One-stop Shop For Tutoring, Advising And Retention Services

Aug. 05, 2010

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@una.edu, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

FLORENCE, Ala. - Students at the University of North Alabama will have a one-stop shop this fall for tutoring, academic counseling, testing services, study skills development and other academic services as the university merges its ARC (Academic Resources Center) with CAARS (Center for Academic Advising and Retention Services). Previously, all tutoring and study skills services had been offered through the ARC for students seeking those services and for referrals from faculty members or the CAARS staff. Laura Hardin, director of CAARS, said the merging of the two centers "eliminates referrals and the need to direct the student to another office for services. Arrangements for tutoring and study skills assistance will be coordinated on the spot for students, making for a smoother, more efficient process. "All academic services previously offered will continue, and plans are underway to address specific areas of need in new ways. Having these services in our area will help us bring a new emphasis to the retention services part of our office name. We want to be an office of academic outreach to students and do what we can to help students realize their goal of earning a college degree." All peer tutoring available through CAARS is offered as a free service to UNA students. CAARS also provides academic programming for student orientation sessions, coordinates advising among UNA's four colleges, advises undecided majors and provides academic counseling. In addition, the center provides assistance for students and community members taking the ACT, SAT, PRAXIS, CLEP and similar tests. For more information on CAARS, visit www.una.edu/advising, or contact the center at 256-765-4722 or lhyoung@una.edu.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.