November 13, 2023
The Cove Courier | Fall 2023 Newsletter
STEPP Update
With the university’s continued commitment to supporting academic success, STEPP is now positioned under a larger umbrella of university academic support known as Student Academic Support Services.
(SASS) is being led by Executive Director Dr. Elizabeth Coghill. Dr. Elizabeth Coghill served as the inaugural Director of the Pirate Academic Success Center at East Carolina University for 15 years. Her research and practice interests focus on educational access, academic success, and sense of belonging of marginalized student populations: neurodiverse learners, students of color, first-generation, economically disadvantaged, and military-affiliated students. She is an early adopter of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) techniques embedded within a campus learning center.
Dr. Coghill is an invited speaker and advocate for neurodiverse students in higher education. She is a co-editor and author of Supporting Neurodiverse College Student Success: A Guide for Librarians, Student Support Services, and Academic Learning Environments, a Roman and Littlefield publication.
She is a past president of the Southeastern College Learning Center Association (SECLCA) and served as the leader of the Mid-South region of the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA). Coghill was awarded the Lifetime Learning Center Leadership Certification from the National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA) in 2021.
The university is entering a newly refreshed strategic plan, placing student success services at the forefront of its priorities. Our innovative approach to supporting student success at STEPP will now be adopted in a broader scope, benefiting students beyond The Cove. These partnerships aim to establish ECU as a leading institution supporting learning differences in North Carolina.
“The best partnerships aren’t dependent on a more common goal but on a shared path of equality, desire, and no small amount of passion.”
Sarah MacLean
Staff Spotlight
Adam Denney, the Director of the STEPP Program, and Danielle Dietz, the Instructional Specialist for the STEPP Program, serve as the Network Chair and K-12 Bridge Working Group Coordinator and are both part of the College STAR Student Support Network. They work alongside Ashley Cooper, the Transition Specialist for the STEPP Program and K-12 Bridge Working Group Coordinator-Elect. Together, they form a part of a national network of professionals who provide support to students who have learning and attention differences, also known as neurodiversity. The network is dedicated to creating opportunities for students nationwide by establishing a nexus of experiences, expertise, and resources that enhance and improve their programs.
The College STAR Network organized a national workshop series conference for K-12 professionals and families who support individuals with disabilities as they transition from high school to college. The first part of the conference, “Options: Types of College Settings”, will be held on October 26th, 2023. Over 1,100 participants registered for the conference, including over 500 prospective student teachers from the East Carolina University College of Education.
The workshop series will continue throughout the spring of 2024 with additional topics such as “Habits and Behaviors of Successful College Students”, “Common College Resources and Departments”, and “Differences between High School and College”. If you want to learn more about the College STAR Network or receive additional information about the workshop series, please contact the College STAR network at admin@collegestar.org.
Student Highlight
Fall Graduates: ECU will be holding our graduation ceremony on December 15th at Minges Coliseum to celebrate the graduation of its fall class. Our STEPP staff will be present in the audience to celebrate with two of our own – Benjamin Bryan and Sarah Blackwelder. They will proudly walk the stage in December, displaying their diplomas and commemorating the final chapter of their undergraduate degree alongside their peers. Let us all congratulate our 2023 Fall Graduates on this significant achievement!
“My next step after graduation is to work for Mark Young Construction in Colorado. I accepted a job offer from them to become a project engineer to start and then I can work my way up to become a superintendent. I’ll be moving to Greeley, Colorado, right after graduation.” – Benjamin Bryan: BS Construction Management Minor Business Administration
“Without the STEPP Program, I’m not positive I would have gone to college and been as successful as I was. I cannot thank STEPP enough for everything they have done for me since my first day. This program changed my outlook on learning differences and I will continue to spread the word to anyone and everyone! Thank you Mr. Denney, Dr. Dietz, and Ms. Cooper! It’s never a boring day in the Cove and I wouldn’t change it for a second!” – Sarah Blackwelder: BS Construction Management
Career Readiness
Starting this fall, Christina Dowd, a second-year student majoring in Physical Education, has joined the STEPP Program as the Curriculum Design & Program Support Intern. Thanks to the program’s continued support, up to two students in the STEPP Program per semester can be employed, combining their academic focus with program-wide initiatives. This effort aims to provide students with relevant and meaningful internship opportunities. STEPP is grateful to bring such an impactful opportunity to our students and continue to look at ways to offer a unique experience that is academically and professionally empowering to current and future students of the program.
“Thanks to this job, I am getting experiences that I would never think that I would have. The internship is giving me the experience of being a teacher and being able to help Dr. Dietz with grading, making PowerPoint presentations to help out with College STAR, and being able to make my own presentation about assistive technology and presenting it to others in the program. It has been an amazing experience that would have never happened if it wasn’t for the support of the program. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the opportunity to work with this amazing staff and an amazing program.” – Christina Dowd
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