Fresno City College intends to implement new and effective counselor and advisor engagement strategies targeted for full-time and adjunct to enhance quality instruction and student access.

Tabitha Villalba, Coordinator of the Writing and Reading Center spoke about the matter.

“We know from the data we’ve collected over the last five years that students who utilize our services and take our courses perform better than those students who don’t use our services,”  said Villalba. “They are also more likely to persist, meaning move on to the next semester.”

Counselors and faculty plan to collaborate, making sure that students are given the proper pathway to achieve their academic goals at Fresno City College. They also intend to encourage the campus’ participation in community events, boards committees and industry associations.

In terms of changes in recent years, the system found in libraries has experienced a shift from physical resources to more electronic resources.

Villalba states that there is an increase of students visiting the Research Assistance Program, even citing it as one of the best programs offered.

“A student can have a one-on-one session with a librarian on a research project,” Villalba said. “I wish they had that when I was in college. I would have saved so much time.”

Villalba states that student services will have space and location reviewed to make sure students align with their needs.

“The library is one of the oldest buildings and it’s so beautiful, but we need space for students to study.”

Villalba and the librarians at Fresno City College hope that these changes will benefit students in the future.

“With additional space and continual funding, the possibilities are endless,” said Villalba. “The ultimate goal is to evolve with our students. This means students have to be using the services and communicating with us about what their needs are.”