The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ CALS Advantage slogan has cultivated an environment that helps students prepare for, navigate and succeed in the diverse industry they plan to enter.

The CALS Advantage has become the motto for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in recent years. It encompasses Student Services’ determination to make sure students succeed in college and throughout their careers.

From animal ecology, diet and exercise to genetics and industrial technology, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is a truly diverse entity that prepares students for a variety of constantly changing industries.

No two students follow the same path toward success, yet the faculty and staff work diligently to ensure that each of those paths are suitably supported.

One CALS Advantage given to students by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Services is the SMART Steps program. SMART, an acronym for Student Management and Academic Response Team, is a remedial program that was put into effect in an effort to increase retention rates within the college.

Students in the SMART program attend weekly meetings where they learn more about goal setting and financial support, as well as receive academic coaching, tutoring and counseling.

Audrey Kennis, graduate student in community and regional planning, is the retention coordinator for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Services and a student services specialist for the Agriculture and Life Sciences Administration.

According to an article written by Kennis, students who participated in the program saw, on average, a 0.8 percent increase in their GPA, with 75 percent of original participants completing the program in good academic standing.

“Oftentimes, we see students struggling with non-cognitive issues such as mental health, managing work and school, navigating campus and utilizing resources,” Kennis said in her article on the college’s website. “These factors tend to be a stronger predictor of academic performance than cognitive factors alone.”

This all-inclusive approach, which helps students overcome the obstacles they face, has caused an increase in confidence in student’s academic and professional skill sets.

Beyond building the retention of students, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Services wants to give students the CALS Advantage by building relationships with them and providing them with the tools they will need for success throughout higher education and in their professional careers.

In addition to resume assistance and mock interviews, students are encouraged to engage in learning communities, study abroad programs, research opportunities and clubs to broaden their horizons socially and relationally.

The college values experiential knowledge and creates programs that forge long-lasting connections, whether those connections are student to student, student to professor or student to industry professional.

Daniel Robison, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said in his Dean’s Message published in February 2019 that “We are both local and global, broad and deep — and determined to give you the ‘CALS Advantage’ to find your voice to advocate, to develop the creative and entrepreneurial mindset you need to innovate, to master your discipline and to lead.”

This cornerstone statement encapsulates the motivations of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and is put into action each day by the college’s campus faculty and staff.