Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Student Success
Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Student Success
Our Story
In 2015, the College of Health adopted a centralized professional advising model for undergraduate education. This advising center was designed to provide a consistently excellent advising service to students, professional development opportunities for advisors, and allowance for faculty to concentrate solely on mentoring their undergraduates. With funding from the University President’s Office, the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, and the College of Health, the Center for Student Success (CSS) opened its doors to undergraduate students interested in a Health degree.
Our Mission, Vision, and Values
Mission Statement
The Center for Student Success empowers undergraduate students to take ownership of their education using collaborative partnerships and informed decision-making. We inspire, mentor, and challenge each unique student to achieve success.
Vision
Our goal is for every health student to thrive academically, graduate with confidence, and take the next step towards their future, fully prepared.
Values
- Accountability
- Accessability
- Belonging
- Growth
- Well-Being
- Student Success
Advisor Acknowledgement & Awards
Advising Highlights of 2024
4,556
Appointments Taken
12,006
Emails Answered
55
Letters of Recommendation & Support
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College of Health: Staff Excellence Award
Johnny Rivera
NACADA's Outstanding Advisor Award
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Award Recipients of 2023
NACADA Outstanding Advising Administrator Award
Shari Lindsey
NACADA Outstanding Advising Award: Certificate of Merit
Maddie Miller
College of Health: Staff Excellence Award
Elirissa Hui
Appointments Taken
4,241Emails Answered
12,726Letters of Recommendation & Support
55
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Award Recipients of 2022
UAAC Outstanding Experienced Academic Advisor Reward
Maddie Miller
UAAC Outstanding New Academic Advisor Reward
Elirissa Hui
Highlights of 2022
Appointments Taken
3,826Emails Answered
11,913Letters of Recommendation & Support
79
What Students Are Saying About Our Advisors
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"Dave is super on top of reaching out to the right people or departments to ensure students receive the assistance they need. He does as much as he can in the limited time he's given."
"Everything went well! Dave is super helpful and supportive. I left our meeting feeling confident, accomplished, supported, and happy. Thank you so much!"
" He was very fast and efficient, got to the point. He gave me multiple options and even opened me up to a minor. Was a great appointment!"
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" My advisor was welcoming and very interested in my plans. I was not a usual student, so I was so appreciative of the willingness to listen and provide usable and solid information. I think she sincerely provided me with extra attention.
I think I could ask for her assistance for my particular needs and she would welcome it. She understood quickly my concerns and questions. Many thanks.""My advising appointment was excellent and met expectations. Elirissa was very supportive and answered all my questions regarding my course requirement and options to take. I was also given resources that will be helpful in my academic progression. She was very detailed with her responses, personalized and tailored according to the needs and concerns of students.."
" Elirissa Hui has been the best advisor I had in my four years of college. She has been the most helpful advisor I have ever had, and I finally don't have to worry about having a new counselor every semester. I was a nursing major previously and was never satisfied with my advisors and was always left with many questions. When I had my first and second meeting with her, she was super helpful and helped me with everything imaginable such as helping me with signing up for classes, creating a plan for my next semesters, etc.
she is a great counselor."
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"Eric is amazing and talked me through my next steps and gave me some great reassurance that returning to school at 47 is possible! we went through a what if audit as well that he explained and walked me through. I have a clear understanding of my next steps. I can't wait to start my journey again at the U!"
"I sincerely appreciate all of the great advice that Eric has given me. He is very helpful and answers all of my academic questions with great answers. He went above and beyond in helping me with my project as well. I really appreciate his help."
"My meeting with Eric completely exceeded expectations. I had a lot of questions and Eric had detailed and informative answers for each. He asked me about myself, spoke clearly about the PRT degree, what to expect in the first semester, and was very detailed about what the capstone internship requires. Of the advisors I've met with over the years at the U, Eric is at the very top. Friendly, clear, and actually provided value about how the degree and the U's programs work. My regular experience with advisors is leaving more confused than when I went into them and dreading any other conversations needed with them. One suggestion would be that at times I felt like I had to interrupt to be heard or didn't have enough space to speak at my pace. Overall, Eric is a 10/10 experience and is an advisor I would look forward to seeing regularly and being supported by."
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"I really enjoyed how Johnny initiated a more personal conversation about my classes that I took as we reviewed my audit before applying for graduation. I understood that this meeting would be more of him telling me a lot of information rather than me asking a lot of questions so when he wanted to talk about my specific experiences as a double major and about how certain classes were, I was left with a great impression of him that he actually cared about my hard work."
"I had the pleasure of working with Johnny since I enrolled at the U. He made sure I was taking all the necessary classes for my major and goals. He even created different course plans in case I wanted to take summer classes. I have no complaints about Johnny as I have never come across any issues. Keep up the great work! Thanks to Johnny, I am on track to graduate in 2026."
"I have had exposure to a variety of advisors in my academic journey, but none quite as enthusiastic, relatable, caring, and warm as Johnny. When opening up about overwhelming courses, anticipated workloads, and support, I find that I am supported, my feelings are validated, and I am related to in a way that is constructive to me personally and academically. I can relate to him because he is non-judgmental and always finds a way to help me with my unique needs, ranging from creating a graduation plan to relating to his journey in kinesiology to addressing academic struggles."
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"Kelly was so attentive and informative with my questions and concerns. She got back to me promptly with the questions she wasn't sure about. I felt very seen and taken care of. Thanks, Kelly!"
"What went well was the information that was provided that I wasn't previously aware of. She was very patient, kind, and supportive of my concerns and encouraged me to give Utah a chance. This part has nothing to do with her, but my own mind: I can't seem to remember some of answers she provided. She did encourage me to email her if I have any questions or concerns. I do hope to meet with her again. Because of my interaction with her, I do think I will apply to my prospective program and make Utah my future home."
" Kelly is a ray of sunshine in the dark world of education. It can be scary to take a leap of faith into grad school, and Kelly made it so that it is not so scary. I really appreciated the help!"
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" Laura is the best! I have met with several of the counselors on staff, and Laura by far has been the most helpful. She answers my questions clearly and gives great direction with options with planning classes. She is resourceful and problem solves effectively with my best interest at heart. I am grateful for her work and guidance over the last year and a half."
" She's very friendly and answered all of my questions. I was stressed about my classes and my degree requirements before the appointment but I left feeling much better and more confident about everything I needed to do."
" I LOVE LAURA! She is so kind, funny, and helpful. Despite not technically being my advisor, she's always willing to meet with me and help me form a plan. I leave my appointments feeling much better- armed with resources and solid steps to take forward. Laura is the best advisor I've met with at the U and I'm so grateful for her wisdom, patience, and warmth. She is everything a good advisor should be and is so easy to talk to. Thank you for everything Laura! "
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" Loved the clarity and efficiency Maddie had during our meeting. She knew exactly what she was talking about and gave me solid steps to rearrage my schedule so that I know what classes to take and when. "
" She is the best advisor out of all of them. She has made me feel supported, wanted, and like I have a chance at graduating. She is very very helpful and is receptive to questions."
" My advisor was very quick and to the point with everything I asked her. She provided me with tons of information about how to navigate picking classes and prerequisites for PA school and the kinesiology major. Also, she was so quick with everything, our meeting only lasted around 20 minutes!"