Submitted by: Lesley Graybeal, lgraybeal@uca.edu on 01/15/2025
ASCEND (Autism Support Center for Executive Functioning and Neurodiversity) is a program at UCA for students with autism and other neurodivergences to connect with one another in their mutual goals of a successful and enjoyable college experience. Our ASCEND program will launch in Fall 2025 within the RISE@Hughes Living Learning Community and incorporate sensory-friendly facilities, a dedicated faculty coordinator to facilitate appropriate programming, and a community board that will provide reminders, tips, and tricks to help students succeed in their college experience. While ASCEND is physically located within the RISE@Hughes Living Learning Community, participation is open to students living outside of RISE@Hughes and beyond the first year.
In each learning community, with a reduced teaching load and a $3,500 summer stipend for self-paced planning, it is the Academic Coordinator’s job:
- to partner with the RISE@Hughes Academic Coordinator to develop programming in cooperation with the Academic College(s), Student Affairs, Student Success, and the Director of Living Learning Communities (LLC) (i.e. career development, co-curricular, leadership development, diversity education, community service & experiential learning)
- to facilitate early arrival for ASCEND students in collaboration with Student Success Services
- to provide individualized support for ASCEND students to meet their academic and developmental needs throughout their transition to college and beyond
- to assess and report on the effectiveness of co-curricular programming in meeting programmatic goals
- to help establish and maintain the tone and theme of the Living Learning Community
- to build awareness of UCA’s Living Learning Communities and to promote the assigned LLC’s identity to prospective students
- to promote student/faculty interaction inside/outside the classroom, i.e. seminars, lectures, workshops
- to serve as an intellectual and personal role model for a diverse body of students
- to attend and help facilitate annual professional development seminars
- to understand and utilize software tools relevant to carrying out the duties of the position
- to maintain a regular presence within the LLC space through office hours, meetings, and programs, etc.
- to meet regularly with the staff in the residence hall hosting the Learning Community
- to be an active member of the Living Learning Communities team and participate in regular team meetings
UCA’s Living Learning Communities have been providing students with communities of support designed around their needs and interests since the first “residential college” was introduced in 1997. Since Fall 2024, all entering freshmen are part of one of UCA’s vibrant learning communities.
Designed to engage students in specialized environments to fit their interests, UCA’s Living Learning Communities promote academic performance and offer developmental support – all under one roof.
For more information or to apply for this role please contact Lesley Graybeal at lgrayabeal@uca.edu.