COLUMBUS -- Kate Riffee and her colleagues in other offices, who provide a variety of services to students across campus, think about those services in terms of before and after construction of the Younkin Success Center.

Before moving into the newly constructed center, for example, student athletes and people in her office "spent the majority of their days commuting, driving to practices and going to study tables. It just wasn't convenient for us or our students," said Riffee, director of student athlete support services. The unit was scattered all across campus, with offices in St. John Arena and in the basement of Raney Commons.

The after is now a reality.

The $8.6 million Younkin Success Center, located at 1640 Neil Ave., opened this spring, consolidating several student -- and some faculty -- services under one roof. The center also houses the new Academic Learning Lab, Counseling and Consultation Service, the Career Connection office, Faculty and TA Development, and a resource library.

The facility is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, with the possibility of extended hours during finals weeks. The computer lab is open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. as a public computing site.

Riffee's feelings echo throughout the building.

"It's wonderful. My sense is that everyone is quite positive," said Chris Rideout, director of Career Connection and staff psychologist in the Counseling and Consultation Service. "Our initial goals haven't really changed. We've always worked together for what's best for the student. Now it's easier for us and the student because we're just floors apart."

Rideout also is this year's chair of the Younkin Success Center Coordinating Council, which meets on a regular basis to discuss unit programs, ways the units can continue to work together and building issues.

"Synergy is the buzz word around here," Rideout said.

Synergy led to development of the building in the first place. The offices of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs combined efforts to make the center possible. At the time of its inception, it was to be the first such center of its kind in the country.

The overall goal of the center is to help Ohio State students meet their full potential. It also is designed to attract and retain high-caliber students, promote student learning and integrate services.

Bruce Tuckman, director of the Academic Learning Lab, heads the only new unit housed in the Success Center. Tuckman and his staff are using computers to assess and, where possible, provide those services that will best suit individual students, particularly in regard to learning and self-motivational strategies.

"We think we have some ideas and some strategies that are going to be very unique around here -- if not in the country," he said. "Computers will be used to provide instruction in learning and self-regulation strategies designed to meet students' needs. It should be more efficient for all involved."

"Individual Learning and Motivation: Strategies for Success in College," a class offered by the School of Education Policy and Leadership in the College of Education for the past year, also will be held in the learning lab, Tuckman said.

Career Connection is a service for all students that works to fill gaps in other University career services, which are decentralized at Ohio State, Rideout said. The unit offers services such as career planning, self-assessment, interviewing and resume-writing assistance, but does not actually function as a placement service.

Even the CVS store that will occupy the first floor of the Younkin Success Center will contain an educational and career guidance opportunity: OSU pharmacy students will manage the store's pharmacy.

The center is not just for undergraduate students or student athletes, according to Rideout. "We want faculty, TAs and graduate and professional students to feel comfortable coming to the Success Center," she said.

"It's like a supermarket open to everyone on campus," Riffee said. "Students can type a paper, hang out between classes, see a tutor or a counselor and not leave the building. We're all so very excited. The possibilities are endless, and that's a very good challenge to have."

The center will be dedicated in an invitation-only ceremony June 6 to recognize the family of the late Floyd Younkin of Columbus, which contributed a $2 million naming gift to the project. Media are welcome at the event (Roger Addleman is checking on this for sure).

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(LO)