History of The Academic Link

In 1976, The Academic Link, formerly known as The Learning Lab, first opened its doors in The Mueller House when Stevenson University, then Villa Julie College, received a two-year grant from the Goldseker Foundation to help fifteen disadvantaged and developmental students to succeed at the college, with the condition that the lab continue beyond the grant’s end.  Although the grant specified help for fifteen students, a  limited staff of  two faculty helped many more students at the college. 

 In 1986, as the student population grew, the lab, supervised by co-directors and staffed by 10 peer tutors, moved to a single classroom location in Knott Hall.  However, the center’s greatest transformation took place in 2003 when the college welcomed its new President, Dr. Kevin J. Manning and Academic Vice President and Dean, Dr. Paul Lack, who quickly recognized the need for further expansion of the tutoring center. In 2003, the center changed its name to The Academic Link, Supporting the Advancement of Learning,  and expanded its environs to a beautiful student-oriented tutoring center.

The Link is currently staffed by a Director, a Coordinator of Tutorial Services, an Evening-Weekend Supervisor, seven desk receptionists, and over fifty peer tutors. Through the years, the tutoring center has gone from helping fifteen students to thousands pass their courses and succeed in college and in life.