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Capstone Scholars Faculty Director uses lessons from her own experience to guide the learning and life community
Posted on: September 1, 2021; Updated on: September 1, 2021
By Chris Horn, [email protected], 803-777-3687
As a freshman at college, Elise Lewis learned first-hand what happens when a student gets lost in a major university reshuffle.
“It was terrible – I was absolutely unprepared for the reality of college,” says Lewis, who began her undergraduate studies at a large land grant school, found herself on academic probation at the end of its first year and was finally transferred to a small college and changed specialization several times. She went on to earn a Masters and PhD and embarked on a career in higher education, but this difficult experience as an undergraduate student indelibly shaped her philosophy as an educator.
Today, as the director of the Capstone Scholars Program, one of the University of South Carolina’s best-known living and learning communities, Lewis is keen to ensure that students are connected to each other and to academic resources that can help them thrive.
“At first, I didn’t realize all the resources this campus has to offer students, be it mental health, undergraduate research or study abroad,” says Lewis, professor at the School of Information Science. “So it’s great fun connecting students to these resources and encouraging them to take advantage of them. You can grow outside the classroom as much as you can grow inside the classroom.
Lewis began his tenure last year as the third Faculty Principal of the Capstone Scholars Program, which was launched 15 years ago to recruit a cohort of excellent students from across South Carolina and across the country. . This year, 1,400 incoming freshmen will be Capstone Fellows, living at Capstone House, Columbia Hall and other residences around campus.
You can grow outside the classroom as much as you can grow inside the classroom.
Elise Lewis, Director of the Capstone Scholars Program
Starting as a director at the start of the pandemic last year was tough, Lewis says, but it also hit the reset expectations button and gave him time to think about what’s most important to go. forward.
“I like the things the first two faculty directors started – Hot Cookie Friday and the personal challenge. It’s part of our culture and of course we have funds to support study abroad and research opportunities for students, ”said Lewis. “I want to make sure our students have access to Capstone Scholar alumni who can help them with career preparation. And we have an incredible alumni network.
“A lot of employers are looking for new graduates to come up with ideas for making a difference, so they can shake things up a bit and challenge the status quo.”
Even with a small, dedicated staff, engaging individually with this year’s cohort of Capstone Fellows and the approximately 1,500 returning sophomores is a challenge. Lewis’s goal is to make sure that students are aware of the resources offered by the program and how to access them.
“Some students – they come to an event or read the emails, and they’re doing fine. They connect right away, ”says Lewis. “These are not the ones that worry me. These are the ones who come here and sit in their residence wondering what they got into. These are the ones we need to be very strategic with and make sure they know we’re there for them, so they feel engaged and have a community here.
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The subjects:
Faculty, Experimental learning
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