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At ²ÝÁñ³ÉÈËÉçÇø, student success goes beyond academics—your holistic wellness matters, too. Whether you're navigating your first-year transition, looking for academic support, or exploring strategies for overall well-being, the Student Success Office is here to help. In our latest blog post, Dean of Student Success Richie Gebauer shares insights into how the office supports Mawrters in thriving both in and out of the classroom.

Could you tell us a bit about the name and mission of your office?

Each class year has an assigned dean who is key to creating a support network that bridges academic and co-curricular experiences specific to each class year through their partnership with other members of the student success and student life teams and faculty. 

While all students are exposed to many areas across the institution and provided varied options to learn and grow, the model operates through a developmental framework: first-year students focus on experiential learning and campus integration, sophomores engage in academic exploration and major selection, juniors expand their community through study abroad and career preparation, and seniors concentrate on post-graduation planning and, when appropriate, thesis completion.  

In what ways does your office collaborate with faculty, staff, and other campus departments? 

The class deans are situated at the center of each academic year of a student’s ²ÝÁñ³ÉÈËÉçÇø experience. It assures that students not only have access to one class dean but a team of class deans - a network of support - committed to student success across all four years. Faculty can now more easily identify a student’s class dean based on their academic year. This model allows for the intentionality of not only connecting but also integrating advising with class year-specific programming across academic years. More specifically, identifying pivotal moments that students will experience in each academic year and scaffolding the design of each year in ways that intersect with both the class year that precedes it and the class year that will follow, elevates this advising approach and ensures a seamless experience for our students. 

What should incoming first-year students know about the Student Success Office or the Dean’s Office before they arrive on campus? 

A student’s first year at ²ÝÁñ³ÉÈËÉçÇø is experiential in nature. Under the leadership of the first-year class dean and the assistant director of the first-year experience (FYE), the FYE begins during the summer prior to the student joining ²ÝÁñ³ÉÈËÉçÇø with the summer academic advising and college preparation program. Students receive weekly communications from the end of May until mid-August, attend group and one-on-one academic advising sessions, webinars with faculty and staff, take placement tests, and pre-register for their courses. This preparation continues with Customs New Student Orientation which prepares students to live in community and prepare for their first-year seminar, Thrive, which is a course grounded in the Eight Dimensions of Wellness.  

"It’s during this first year that students are learning through an abundance of experiences, seeking to identify their curricular and co-curricular niche on and off-campus."

With a purposeful eye on the design of an integrative, collaborative, and comprehensive first-year experience that extends beyond the fall semester, the FYE includes an immersive spring semester that builds off of the Thrive curriculum, introduces students to the history, culture, and arts of Philadelphia, and continues to enhance student sense of belonging. It’s during this first year that students are learning through an abundance of experiences, seeking to identify their curricular and co-curricular niche on and off-campus. 

Who are the class deans, and how can students connect with them? 

Current students can schedule an appointment with their class dean at any time! Scroll down to meet the deans.