New Campus Programs

STUDENT SUCCESS COACH ROLE/NEW OFFICES IN AAC

Students now have an even greater opportunity for success at Waldorf with the introduction of three new faculty positions in the Academic Achievement Center/Retention office. The Student Success Coach role was developed specifically to have faculty doing intentional and intrusive outreach to the students as part of new retention efforts. Three student success coaches are now housed in the AAC (Academic Achievement Center) as a resource for on campus students. Currently two coaches, Jason Gabriel and Shannon Gassman, have split the student body between them with each assigned around 250 students. Jason and Shannon started their initial outreach for spring semester during the winter break. The third coach, Sabrina Parcher, has recently returned from maternity leave.

The coaches assist students with various items to promote their individual success here at Waldorf including planning class schedules, monitoring grades, and resourcing for students which may include referring students to counseling and tutoring services, assisting students with basic tasks such as ordering books, finding ways to get materials to students in quarantine, and paying down account balances. Kristin Wempen, the Director of Retention and Academic Achievement Center, states: “The goal of this new position is to be proactive and to catch the students before they are in crisis. We want the students to know they are supported and the success coaches are there to point students in the right direction.” Jason Gabriel was raised in Weedsport, NY a small town outside of Syracuse. He graduated from SUNY Oswego with a B.S. in Business Administration and from Canisius College with an M.S. in Sports Administration. Jason was drawn to a seasonal coaching position in July of 2014 at Waldorf and met his now wife during that time. Jason worked in admissions at Waldorf starting again in 2017 and was an assistant football coach for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Jason fully transitioned to the student success coach role this past January.

Jason is excited to be working directly with the students’ one on one and enjoys the ability to give advice and see what he can do to help them succeed.

Shannon Gassman grew up in Illinois about two hours south of Chicago. Shannon is married and has three children. Shannon completed her undergrad in History at the University of Tulsa and a Master’s Degree in Teaching from Olivet Nazarene University. Before taking on the Student Success Coach position in November of 2020, Shannon was a teaching assistant at Forest City Elementary School. Shannon was also an assistant volleyball coach and adjunct instructor at Waldorf about 10 years ago.

Shannon enjoys working on college campuses due to the energy and excitement the students bring and feels it is a big privilege to work with the students at a university level.

NEW ATHLETIC PROGRAM

Waldorf University is excited to announce the addition of a new Trapshooting program. The idea for a trapshooting program came about much like the recent Esports program in an attempt to create niche opportunities for students looking for items outside of the traditional athletic realm. Niche programs allow Waldorf to provide students with an opportunity to continue their activity, sport or hobby while they also pursue their college education. Waldorf continues to explore ways to help service more students with more options outside the traditional NAIA athletic realm. One of the unique things about the trapshooting program is the focus on more of a local and regional level providing an opportunity for individuals here in Iowa and Minnesota. Minnesota and Iowa combined currently have around 14,000 trapshooting athletes. Recruiting efforts are underway in anticipation of the initial season starting Fall of 2021.