Located in the Iadorola building at Cabrini is the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). The place offers students and faculty the support they need in order to succeed. The center is available in order to tutor and provide students with essential skills.
The CTL is made up of four different centers: The writing center, the peer tutoring center, the math resource center and the academic counseling program. All programs are available to students free of charge. The tutoring programs are either drop in or by appointment.
Lisa Ratmansky is the director of the center and also the founder. Ratmansky founded the place in January 2007 and says that the place is a learning commons. “When i started here there was no center and I felt that it was my duty to help create that,” Ratmansky said “and now I cant remember a time without the center.”
According to the CTL brochure, The CTL supported 81 percent of Cabrini’s undergraduate students, and had a total of 92 students working for the CTL providing writing, math and subject-area tutoring as well as partnering with faculty to provide in-class and out-of class support through the classroom coach program.
Tutors at the writing center work with every kind of writing, and any kind of curriculum. There are both professional and peer tutors available. Tutors are able to help with academic and other work such as writing a resume. Ratmansky believes the peer tutoring program helps both the tutors and the tutees grow and learn from each other.
The math resource center offers tutoring to students as well. Both math professionals and peer tutors work hand-in-hand with the math department and are able to help with all aspects of math.
The academic counseling center helps provide skills that help strengthen students. The program also offers workshops and is available for all to attend.
The student probationary support network is also a very important section of the CTL. Eight to 10 other professors join counselors to help students on academic probation succeed, and said that it has become a very successful program with the participating students.
Ratmansky said that she loves making the center more friendly and welcoming. There is always tea and candy available to help give students “energy support” and to start up conversations. She said that the CTL is about helping people be a community and that she personally believes that is what Cabrini’s mission is all about.
