Fair Made for an Eye-catching Introduction to New MyGPS Site

When students don’t know where to go for help with courses, finances or the job search, they need only look to College mascot Colonial Phil for direction.

On the new MyGPS (Goal Plan for Success) site the College launched on the MyCCP portal this fall, a variety of Colonial Phil photos demonstrate the range of help available.

For enrolled students, MyGPS provides access to courses; a directory of student support services; online tools to assist with financial management, career planning and job searches; and important messages regarding financial aid, College announcements and personal announcements.

Faculty and staff also can use the site, but it’s intended to give students one-stop access to the College’s many services. “The College provides resources, but students were not aware of what they were. We wanted to bring together all the key resources for students in one place,” said Dean of Students Ronald C. Jackson.

The Student Affairs Division held a MyGPS fair on Oct. 15 in the Bonnell Lobby to welcome students to the site. Bouquets of black and yellow balloons decorated the lobby, and easels placed near the main security desk held poster-sized screen shots of the MyGPS web pages that feature Colonial Phil. Staff members and student leaders handed out free popcorn and bookbags to those who visited table displays.

Support services represented at the fair included Student Success Initiatives, the Women’s Outreach and Advocacy Center, Keystone Education Yields Success program, Academic Advising, Scholarship programs, and the new Single Stop program, which offers benefit screening and other services.

Other student support services and resources at the College include the Center for Male Engagement, International Student Services, Reentry Support Project, the Library, Career Services Center, Center for Disability, the Counseling Center, Learning Labs, Veterans Resource Center and Student Academic Computer Centers.

Quaamir Trice, an Education major, said he entered the College through the Center for Male Engagement’s Summer Enrichment Program and credits the center with helping him. “It’s like an academic barber shop, where you can go and discuss what is on your mind,” Trice said. “It’s a positive program. I really think it should be a national program.”