Academic Services

Mission Statement and Objectives

Academic advising is a student-driven, collaborative partnership. It is a teaching and learning process that focuses on multiple aspects of your growth and development. Your advisor guides, supports, and empowers you to independently learn, self-advocate, and consistently pursue your unique academic, career, and personal goals. The advising relationship fosters an environment in which the dignity and characteristics of each individual are recognized and respected.

Through connection with an academic advisor, you will be better able to:

• Identify clear academic, life, and career goals
• Understand the nature and purpose of your higher education
• Effectively gain information about educational options, requirements, policies and procedures
• Access appropriate university resources
• Select a program of study consistent with your interests and abilities
• Schedule appropriate courses

The Act 101 Program, partially funded by the Pennsylvania ACT 101 Program state grant, assists students whose educational and economic backgrounds impair their initial ability to pursue higher education successfully. The faculty and staff of the ACT 101 Program provide ongoing professional and peer counseling, study skills instruction, and tutorial services.

If you are part of the ACT 101 Program, you meet ACT 101 Program guidelines established by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), which include residency requirements, income guidelines, and academic criteria. The academic guidelines are met through high school rank, high school grade point average, and an average score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or its equivalent.

Tutoring is provided at no charge and is available in most basic subject areas. In your first two years of study, if you anticipate or encounter difficulty with course work, you are encouraged to arrange tutorial assistance during the early part of each semester. Act 101 Program students may be required to use tutorial services to remain in the program.

Counseling services provided by the Act 101 Program render professional support to you, particularly in your first two years at the University. These services help you deal with academic and personal concerns, such as time management, stress management, and conflict resolution. Peer counselors provided to first-year students will help facilitate your adjustment to college life and the university environment.

We put the YOU in Professional U. The team in Career and Professional Development is ready to assist you every step of the way as you earn your degree and launch into life after graduation! We provide personalized support and coaching as well as employer and alumni connections so you can build toward a meaningful career consistent with your interests, abilities, aspirations, and values.

Career and professional development are a lifelong process. We encourage you to develop your own career journey, connect with your career coach, and engage with career and professional development resources starting your first semester on campus.

Not sure where to start? Meet with your coach to take the FOCUS2, a web-based career planning and guidance experience.

To help every student achieve their goals, group and individual instruction are offered on career topics such as self-assessment, career exploration, leadership and career readiness skills, interviewing, graduate school preparation, internship and job search strategies, and resume writing. Job and internship opportunities are posted electronically through Handshake, an online career management system available to every student free of charge.

A career library of websites, printed, and software-based information covering career options, professional associations, employment trends and salaries, internships, job listings, and graduate/professional schools is available on our web pages 24/7.

Alumni & Professional Engagement

The Offices of Disability Services provide accommodations and accessibility resources to members of the university community. We are committed to serving a diverse student body, and want all students to achieve academic success through equitable access to University programs, services, activities, and facilities. Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis through an interactive process with disability professionals. Additional resources are available for all students within our campus-wide support system. 

The Frederick Douglass Institute for Academic Excellence, under the inspiration of Frederick Douglass and other distinguished leaders of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, promotes academic excellence among students and enhances their understanding and appreciation of human diversity.

The institute is part of the PA State System of Higher Education collaborative established to enhance the academic life of participating universities and to enrich their campus climate. It enables all members of the university community to identify with a man whose life and work embodied American democratic ideals and educational excellence.

The Commonwealth University Libraries are well-respected and uniquely integrated academic libraries with a common goal of providing for your information needs in your individual academic and professional studies. 

Our high-quality services and guidance support our academic programs by focusing on you, the student, and your individual needs. Each library has a unique history and energy, but all have talented librarians and staff to help you find, evaluate, and effectively use all kinds of information sources: print and electronic books, journals, newspapers, databases, websites, and more. Your ID card and your name are all you need to access the library’s electronic resources – day or night, on or off campus. Each has comfortable spaces that are available for studying alone or in groups.

Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM, Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM., and Sunday 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM.

Materials, resources, and all other information are available on the Library Office page.

The Office of Testing Programs and Services supports the University’s educational mission by providing national, graduate, professional certification, distance education examinations, state civil service exams, and University assessments to students and other examinees in a professional, secure, and accessible environment. University test centers adhere to the National College Testing Association (NCTA)’s Professional Standards and Guidelines, as well as the American Association of University Administrators (AAUA) Ethical Principles for College and University Administrators. Bloomsburg’s Test Center was nationally certified by the NCTA in 2016 and earned re-certification in 2021 for five more years.

University Assessments administered at the test centers include:

• ALEKS Math Placement
• American Sign Language Placement test
• Kaplan and ATI Nursing assessments

Additional exams available at the test centers:

• English Proficiency (TOEFL)
• Graduate School Entrance Exams (GRE General Test, GMAT)
• Nursing School Entrance Exam (ATI TEAS)
• PA and NY State Police Exams
• PA State Civil Service Exams
• Prior Learning Assessment for College Credit (CLEP, DSST)
• Proctoring Exams from Other Colleges (Test Proctoring Services)
• Workforce Development Exams
• Professional Certification and Licensure
  (PRAXIS, PAPA/PECT, APICS, PA Notary, CASLI Interpreting, CompTIA, NCE, EMT and Paramedic, IT Certifications - Microsoft/Cisco/CompTIA/GIAC, Pharmacy Technician, etc.)

Each campus operates a Professional Testing Center onsite, and for additional information and online registration, visit the test centers’ websites.

The U.S. Department of Education provides grant funding for the TRIO Student Support Services (TRIO SSS) program to provide eligible students with additional resources for success in higher education from enrollment through graduation. Participants are EITHER first-generation college students, income-eligible, OR students with disabilities AND demonstrate an academic need for services.

SSS provides opportunities for academic development, assists students with basic college requirements, and motivates students to successfully complete their postsecondary education. The goal of SSS is to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants. Services include academic support (e.g., tutoring, advising, success workshops), career exploration, personal development resources, financial aid counseling, financial literacy programs, scholarship opportunities, graduate school readiness, social and cultural events, and may offer a first-year summer bridge program.

Student assistance is provided by TRIO SSS staff, faculty, Peer Mentors, Tutors, educational technologies, and learning communities.

Academic Support

For the 2022-23 academic year, subject and writing tutoring is being coordinated and supported across the three campuses of Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield with the goal to work together to provide you the best and most complete support. If you are having difficulty accessing services, contact the director at your home campus to connect you with the appropriate services.

The University Learning Center

The University Learning Center (Tutoring Services) offers peer tutoring, supplemental learning, and academic coaching at no charge to Bloomsburg University students.

• Peer tutoring can be scheduled through Husky Success and can be in person or via Zoom. If a peer tutor is unavailable for your course, they also offer NetTutor, which is an online tutoring service that can be accessed via your BOLT main page.
• Supplemental Learning (SL) is offered for certain courses each semester. Supplemental Learning Leaders attend the class with you and offer study sessions each week.
• Academic coaching is offered by graduate student coaches, who will work with you to help develop academic skills such as organization, study strategies, time management, etc. Appointments for academic coaching can be made through Husky Success.

The Writing and Literacy Engagement Studio (WALES) Support for Writing and Reading

The Writing and Literacy Engagement Studio (WALES) supports your growth as a writer and reader. We enjoy easing the writing process for all students from any background working in any major. We also enjoy helping you develop strategies for reading and making sense of research and course material. You set the agenda for each appointment – whether you’re concerned about reading material; getting started on a writing project; improving clarity, grammar, organization, or citations; or about any other aspect of reading, writing, or the English language.

Our diverse group of undergraduate WALES Consultants represent a variety of majors and share the common goal of working with you to develop skills and strategies. Email wales@commonwealthu.edu to request an appointment. Additional information is available at their website.

The Office of Workforce Development is laser-focused on career and workforce education. We want to make sure you have options that help you take the next step in achieving your goals. Our education solutions — in the classroom and online — are ready to serve all learners for today and in the future.

Whether you are looking to expand your skill set, earn professional credits, or leverage past experiences into college credit, we welcome you. Our courses and certificates are configured to pair perfectly with your busy schedule. If you need to learn and work, these options will fit nicely into education and career pathways, and stackable credentials to degrees. Earn ACE Credit®, HRCI Credits, IACET CEUs, PMI PDUs, SHRM PDCs.

Campus-Based Programming

Bloomsburg

Train to become a professional truck driver through Bloomsburg University's certified CDL Driver Training program. The CDL programs include CDL Class A training in both full-time day classes, and part-time evening and weekend classes. Our Computer Based Training (CBT) assists you in obtaining your Commercial Driver Permit with all endorsements. We offer lifetime job placement assistance to all graduates at no additional charge.

Mansfield

Mansfield’s Public Safety Training Institute (MUPSTI) is a regional training center providing initial and continuing professional education for criminal justice practitioners, first responders, public safety professionals, and the public. MUPSTI also provides initial training for municipal police officers through the Act 120 Police Academy at Mansfield.

Contact Us

Hope E. Lineman
Strategic Advisor to the Chancellor on Workforce Innovation, PASSHE Executive Director Workforce Development, Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
hlineman@commonwealthu.edu

MaryJo C. Campana
Director of Prior Learning Assessment
mcc831@commonwealthu.edu

Angelic Hardy
Director of Workforce Development and Continuing Education
570-484-3131
angelic.hardy@commonwealthu.edu

Jennifer Williams
Program Administrator
Corporate and Continuing Education, CDL Program
570-389-4004
jwilliam@commonwealthu.edu

Tammie Allen
Administrative Assistant
Workforce Development and Continuing Education
tallen@commonwealthu.edu