Academic Belonging & Learning Excellence Finds Home at Merrill-Cazier Library

LOGAN, Utah — This semester, Utah State University’s Merrill-Cazier Library welcomed the newly designated Center for Academic Belonging & Learning Excellence. ABLE, which has recently been named a center by the Utah System of Higher Education, is committed to guiding undergraduate students to take responsibility for their own success at USU and to provide resources and support to all students.

“A recent survey found that most high school seniors fear struggling academically in college,” said Heidi Kesler, executive director of the Center for ABLE. “In fact, 78% worry about bad grades and 56% aren’t sure how to ask for help. Additionally, a sense of academic belonging is increasingly recognized as a significant element of student success. That’s why the Center for Academic Belonging & Learning Excellence was created, to help students gain the skills and confidence they need to succeed at USU.”

The ABLE center is one of the departments within the Division for Student Success inside the Academic Enterprise. It is located in the northeast corner of the library’s second floor (Suite 242). The center provides a variety of programs and services designed to foster student achievement, including:

• Habits of Mind Courses: Designed to cultivate essential skills for academic and professional success, these classes help students work more productively and purposefully.
• Academic Success Coaches: Offering personalized, one-on-one support to help students set goals, develop effective learning habits and navigate university resources.
• Aggie First Scholars: A program celebrating first-generation college students through mentorship, networking opportunities and special events.
• Supplemental Instruction: Free peer-to-peer academic support for selected breadth education courses.
• Classroom Instruction Support: Faculty can invite ABLE learning specialists to deliver in-person or virtual presentations on key academic skills to enhance student learning.

Students as well as faculty and staff are encouraged to visit the Center for ABLE and to learn more about how the center can help students learn and develop the tools they need to find academic success.

For more information, visit www.usu.edu/able or contact ABLE at able@usu.edu or (435) 797-1128.