Academic Support Services and Programs

Academic Advising and Success Coaching

Academic Advising and Success Coaching

Academic Advising and Success Coaching are integral to a student’s academic journey. The Advising, Retention, and Academic Coaching department provides guidance in academic planning and the selection of majors and minors. Services provided by the department also include first-semester registration of all new students (freshmen and transfer), academic progress reporting, and assignment of advisors. Staff advisors are trained academic coaches and emphasize the coaching and advising relationship as a catalyst for developing strong academic and career goals. Staff advisors also provide advisement services in the absence of the primary advisor.

Upon entering Gardner-Webb University, the student is assigned an Advisor/Success Coach. Students are encouraged to view the advising and coaching relationship as a partnership for success, which continues throughout their studies at Gardner-Webb University. The  Success Coach remains a student’s primary advisor until the completion of at least 30 credit hours and registration for the following semester. Students may submit an official major declaration at any point after full admission to the university. Transfer students are encouraged to officially declare a major before or during their first semester of study at Gardner-Webb University. After an official declaration of major has been processed, the student will be assigned to a Faculty Major Advisor in the department/school of their chosen field of study. After completing 30 credit hours, the Faculty Major Advisor becomes the primary advisor, and the Success Coach becomes the secondary advisor.

Each student is required to meet with their primary advisor to review degree progression each semester prior to registration. However, students are encouraged to meet with their advisor during the semester as needed. The Success Coach and the Faculty Major Advisor collaborate to help each student toward graduation. Academic Advising offices are located in the Division of Student Success suite on the third floor of the Tucker Student Center.

New Student Orientation

New Student Orientation

Orientation provides students a glimpse into the upcoming college experience. Students are given information to assist them during the transition from home to their “new home away from home.” The Orientation Leaders (OLs) program allows new incoming students to meet with other Gardner-Webb students who can answer questions about life on campus. They will participate in activities that will provide an opportunity to meet other new students and become acquainted with the Gardner-Webb community.

Noel Center for Disability Resources

Noel Center for Disability Resources

The Noel Center for Disability Resources provides reasonable accommodations and services to qualifying students with disabilities. Upon acceptance to the university, the student should register with the center using the following link:

https://yukon.accessiblelearning.com/Gardnerwebb/staff/Default.aspx

Professional documentation of the disability and its functional limitations should be uploaded using the link above or sent directly to the Noel center at disabilityservices@gardnerwebb.edu.

Once eligibility has been determined, the student is assigned an Accessibility Advisor who will work collaboratively with the student to determine reasonable accommodations and services. The Accessibility Advisor will work with the student through his or her time at Gardner-Webb and can provide assistance with developing effective study skills as well as organizational, time management, and test taking strategies.

The Noel Center is located in Frank Nanney Hall and can be reached at 704-406-4271 or at disabilityservices@gardner-webb.edu.

Dover Memorial Library

Learning Resource Center

Learning Resource Center

The Learning Resource Center (LRC) offers academic support services within Gardner-Webb University’s Division of Student Success . Assistance is offered as course-specific tutoring services as well as writing support. Tutoring assistance is available for most general education courses as well as most major courses, and writing support is offered in every writing style. Tutoring is one of the many student resources Gardner-Webb University offers undergraduate students in need of academic assistance.

Students can schedule an individual tutoring appointment with a peer tutor who has previously excelled or is currently excelling in the requested course (students who live off campus can receive writing support via telephone or video conferencing). During the student’s tutoring session, the tutee will receive individual attention in a supportive environment in which he or she has the opportunity to discuss course-specific concepts, review course-specific material, and/or prepare for a course-specific exam or presentation. Tutoring is a free service.

Service Learning

Academic Service Learning empowers students and faculty to connect the work of the classroom with the needs and opportunities for serving the global community. At Gardner-Webb University, the discipline is formally defined as an integration of both service and student learning outcomes, which are intentionally designed to evoke life-giving change in both service recipients and service providers, thus fostering a commitment by all at the University to impactful, ongoing community engagement. Academic Service Learning is incorporated into classes throughout the University’s academic program and is under the direction of the IMPACT Center for Christian Ethics and Social Responsibility.

Study Abroad

The Gardner-Webb University curriculum provides students with a global perspective of the world so that they may gain the international understanding necessary to be informed citizens. The University also encourages students to explore the appropriateness of study abroad. This can be an integral part of a student's university experience, providing personal growth, cultural understanding, an international perspective, improved world-language skills, and a competitive edge in the eventual job search.

Semester and summer study abroad is currently possible at universities in Malta, Spain, Sweden, Germany, The Netherlands, Costa Rica, Greece, and Canada (French-speaking). Students can also participate in international mission experiences. Honors students may attend special Honors programs that take place abroad. Through the Office of International Programs, students may also arrange to study at foreign universities other than those mentioned above.

During the academic year as well as in the summer, Gardner-Webb sponsors short trips to various overseas destinations. With prior arrangement, credits may be earned for study/travel abroad. Some financial assistance for international study/travel is available to students who meet the necessary eligibility requirements.

Undergraduate Research

The Undergraduate Research program encourages scholarly research, including artistic endeavors, that come to fruition outside the boundaries of the classroom. Students in any discipline may receive funding to work with a faculty mentor/collaborator on a well-planned project that is then presented in a public venue such as a professional conference or published in a scholarly journal. Projects over the last few years have included a biology experiment on biodiesel fuel retrieved from algae; a collaborative article published in a professional psychology journal about counseling bereaved children and adolescents; and teams trained for two simulation conferences, Model Arab League and Model NATO. The Undergraduate Research program is a co-sponsor of the Life-of-the-Scholar Multidisciplinary Conference, which gives students the opportunity to showcase their scholarship on campus in February each year. The program also supports the Gardner-Webb Summer Research Scholars program, which funds students who live on campus for a summer term and work with a mentor/collaborator on an Undergraduate Research project.

Christian Life and Service

Christian Life and Service

The Office of Christian Life and Service advances the Christian and Baptist identity of the University and nurtures students, faculty, and staff in the development of a mature Christian faith. Varied opportunities are provided for expressing that faith through service to God and humanity. The major areas of focus which are part of the Office of Christian Life and Service include Student Ministries, Pastoral Care, Dimensions, Missions, Community Engagement, and the President’s Council on Christian Mission and Identity.

For additional information please refer to the Traditional Undergraduate Student Handbook.

Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)

Mr. Michael Meissner, Director

Instructor of Military Science

(704) 406-4427

109 Dover Chapel

In addition to the many opportunities available to an officer in the United States Army, ROTC provides world-class leadership training applicable to corporate, executive, and governmental leadership positions. Gardner-Webb offers Army ROTC in cooperation with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Freshman, sophomore, and junior military science coursework is offered on the Gardner-Webb campus. Senior level military science coursework, along with periodic training exercises, is offered on the UNC Charlotte campus. There are no additional tuition charges for those participating in the activities on the UNC Charlotte campus although students should provide their own transportation.

After successful completion of the first two years of military science coursework (in exceptional cases, only one year may be required), achieving a competitive GPA, and earning mandated physical training scores, Gardner-Webb students may compete for an Army ROTC Scholarship which will cover the recipient’s tuition and fees. In addition, Gardner-Webb will waive room and board charges for recipients of ROTC Scholarships. Other benefits, including monthly stipends and book allotments, also accrue to those attending Gardner-Webb on ROTC scholarships. Students who receive these scholarships contract with the Army for a specific term of military service as an officer. Any Gardner-Webb student may take ROTC courses without military obligation even if he/she does not contract with the Army for an ROTC scholarship. Students who successfully complete the specified junior- and senior-level military science courses may elect to receive a minor in military science. The Military Science minor is housed in the Department of Public Service.

Students interested in ROTC should contact Mr. Meissner at 704-406-4427 or Gardner-Webb’s Undergraduate Admissions Office at 704-406-4496.

Goals

1. To provide quality instruction and training that emphasizes and strengthens leadership, management, and organizational skills.
2. To provide quality instruction and training that develops and strengthens critical thinking, enhances problem solving skills, and fosters teamwork.
3. To promote and develop good written and oral communication skills.
4. To instill and foster the army values that support teamwork, loyalty, respect, and commitment.

Military Science Minor Courses

MSCI 311, MSCI 311L, MSCI 312, MSCI 312L, MSCI 330, MSCI 411, MSCI 411L, MSCI 412 (18 hours)

Proper credit for any of the following cross-listed courses can be used to satisfy the Military History requirement of the Military Science minor that is normally filled by MSCI 330: American Military History.

HIST 318/MSCI 318 Civil War and Reconstruction

HIST 383/MSCI 383 The Second World Ware

HIST 431/MSCI 431 Special Topics in American History - Vietnam

First-Year Programs

Description

University Life (UNIV 111) is an engaging course designed to help first-year students transition well to Gardner-Webb, flourish during their first semester, and be equipped with tools and resources to succeed throughout their educational journey. The course familiarizes students with campus supports, helps them develop meaningful relationships and a service-oriented disposition, provides them with strategies to thrive in college, and introduces them to thinking academically through a Christian worldview. First-year students must be enrolled in this course their first semester at the university. Students who fail the course must repeat it the following semester.

As a result of completing University Life 111, Gardner-Webb students will be able to:

• Demonstrate awareness of available campus support resources and services
• Determine appropriate success strategies and goals for excelling in college and beyond
• Understand the importance of relationship building and productive teamwork in academic settings
• Identify how serving others connects to the GWU mission
• Apply a Christian worldview to their unique educational journey

All first-year students are required to take University Life (UNIV 111/ 2-hour credit) in their first semester of enrollment at Gardner-Webb University regardless of AP credit or advanced first-year status. A traditional first-year student is one that is entering college within a one-to-three-year span after graduating from a high-school program. An advanced first-year student (i.e., early college high school) is one who has completed high school and college-level studies concurrently.

Students with more than 15 hours of transfer work (non-AP credit or dual-enrollment credit) are not required to take UNIV 111. For academic advising purposes, a transfer student is a student with 15 hours or more that is not considered dual-enrollment or AP credit.

University Honors Program

Gardner-Webb University provides a comprehensive Honors Program to nurture academically qualified students in all majors. Emphasis is placed on Honors classes, leadership through academic and co-curricular accomplishments, preparation for graduate school, and university activities. In addition to special honors and interdisciplinary classes, a variety of lectures, trips, and other events are planned for students. Application procedures are available through the Admissions Office.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Gardner-Webb University Honors Program is to nurture academically qualified students in all majors by providing a program of enriched learning experiences in courses taught by Honors faculty and to instill community pride in its members by encouraging students to become active in service-based projects.

Goals

To provide:

1. and encourage opportunities for student-centered learning in Honors core classes;
2. opportunities for cultural enrichment;
3. opportunities for and encourage student community involvement;
4. enhancing extra-curricular learning opportunities;
5. an opportunity for and encourage student research; and
6. an opportunity for and encourage student involvement and participation in the activities of the North Carolina, Southern Regional, and National Honors Organizations.

Honors Program Curriculum

A student may be identified as an “Honors Program Graduate” after meeting graduation requirements in an academic department/school of the University and meeting the requirements of the University Honors Program. The University Honors Program requires the completion of a minimum of twenty-four hours of coursework designated as “Honors.” Fifteen hours of coursework should be completed in the first two years of study. Honors courses in the first two years may be selected from Honors sections of General Education offerings, special courses which are offered on an occasional or “on-demand” basis for Honors students, or through “Honors Contracts” with faculty teaching regular sections of the college’s overall curriculum.

All Honors students are expected to complete HONR 395, HONR 400, and HONR 401 in their junior or senior year. University Honors Program students are expected to maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average.

To receive “Honors Program” recognition during Commencement exercises, a student must meet the following requirements.

1. Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA;
2. Successfully complete a minimum of 24 hours in Honors courses including HONR 395, HONR 400, and HONR 401;
3. Initiate, prepare, present, and defend a senior HONORS thesis of at least 40 pages in length. English majors intending to graduate with Honors recognition must complete a minimum of 27 hours in Honors courses in addition to ENGL 391/ENGL 491. ENGL 391/ENGL 491 substitutes for HONR 400/HONR 401.
4. Complete a minimum of 80 hours of community service which contributes to the welfare of the community; and
5. Receive the recommendation of the Honors Committee.