Many academic resources available to students

Barbara Oertel
Director of Advising and Retention
507-457-5600

I am writing to you regarding the article published in the February 6 Winonan, “Personal and Academic Coach on Campus.” In the article, the reporter identifies Nancy Harms as “a personal and academic coach at Winona State University,” an “asset to Winona State University,” and “the only personal and academic coach on campus.” The reader might be left with the impression that Ms. Harms is employed by Winona State, when in fact she is not employed by or, to my knowledge, affiliated with Winona State in any way. While I am sure that Ms. Harms can be a great asset to her clients, the fact is that her services must be paid for – according to her website her fee for academic coaching is $50 per hour.
I think it is important for WSU students to know that while we do not have anyone on campus that has the title of academic and personal coach, we do have many similar resources available to WSU students. We have faculty and staff in Advising and Retention (which includes Disability Resources and Tutoring Services), Student Support Services, and Counseling Center who help many students who are experiencing academic and/or personal problems. All of these resources, along with many others such as Health Services, Inclusion and Diversity, and Career Services to name just a few, are dedicated to helping students reach their personal and academic goals, and all of these resources areas offer programs and services to WSU students free of charge.