Neves Hall is getting a face lift: what you need to know
Kaitlyn Lundy, News Editor
Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com.
At the beginning of each semester, it can be quite common for students to find themselves raking in their steps for the day as they wander all over campus to get all the pieces of the puzzle put together as far as finding answers to financial aid questions, getting finalizations done to their schedule, etc. However, this will soon be a thing of the past with the new plans for a space housing all of the student care facilities on Neves Hall.
Starting the first week of February, renovations began on Neves Hall to produce a space that will allow students access to the Office of Student Services, NGU Central, the Registrar, Financial Aid and Student Accounts all under the same roof. Neves was chosen because of its perfect space for the job as well as central location. The renovations are expected to be finished by July in preparation for the returning of students in the fall.
For the time-being, academic administrators have relocated to a campus house near the President’s house and athletic facilities, Student Accounts and Academic Records is now located on the second floor of the Donnan Administration Building and Student Services can currently be found in the Craft-Hemphill building.
Rachael Russiaky, Vice President of Student Services, spoke on the plans for Neves, saying, “Our vision is creating a space that’s welcoming, warm and inviting. When it comes to these areas within Student Services, sometimes the steps related to each of these areas and getting yourself set up each semester can either be intimidating or confusing. What we’re trying to accomplish is to make that process easier for students and bringing together staff that are ready, willing and capable to help the student from A to Z regardless of where they’re at in the process.”
Russiaky actually created a similar model at previous universities she has worked for and is very excited to see the results unfold at North Greenville.
With the two departments, Student Accounts and Academic Records together in one space already, the staff has been enjoying the ease of being able to collaborate in close proximity and seeing the benefit that this model is going to bring already.
“Student Services is a new division, we’ve brought together Student Accounts, Academic Records and Financial Aid and then NGU Central. We’re calling it our ‘pop-up shop’ or temporary location for our front-facing student care team. In the end, the idea is to bring those three main departments and NGU Central under one roof. We’ve pulled them together already organizationally, we’re starting to work as one team, but really for students to see the benefit of this is bringing us all under one roof,” said Russiaky.
Most of the main floor of Neves, where Academic Records and administrative faculty used to be will be completely renovated to the point where it looks completely different than it does now.
“Walking to the main door, students will be greeted by a large open space with a good seating area and a large front counter which will be staffed with NGU Central staff members who will be cross-trained so any general questions students have can be answered by that staff. If a student has more specific questions, the faculty in the respective specialized departments will be located directly behind them,” said Russiaky.
In addition, in the larger area of Neves, there will be kiosks set up for students to complete any required steps for paperwork such as FAFSA right there within the space. This is super helpful for when the need arises to ask further questions of a staff member or find more general direction about something that a student may be unsure of how to complete on their own.
Essentially, through this model, the overall experience of attending to all of the technicalities of registering as a student will become more simple and enjoyable for both the student and staff members involved in the process. So be on the lookout for the renovated space and test it out in August.
