Bank Street College launched a one-stop Student Center on July 1, 2020, to provide you with high-level student service related to your enrollment. Now, you may be thinking… “That’s great, but what is a one-stop center anyway?” Great question!
Generally speaking, at our one-stop-shop, you’ll have access to a variety of services under one roof. While the concept of a one-stop Student Center is new to Bank Street, it’s not new to higher education. The idea first became popular on college and university campuses in the 70s, but over time, the concept fell away as institutions grew and additional office units were expanded or added to meet student needs. Over the last 10 years, one-stop student centers have made a comeback as institutions recognize that student needs and services impact a student’s overall experience and relationship with the institution.
Turns out… asking students to visit multiple offices to meet their enrollment needs can be a bit daunting at times, leading to confusion and stress for students. Most colleges with a centralized student services office, including ours, combine the registrar, financial aid, and billing into one centralized unit.
At Bank Street, we consolidated the registrar’s office, bursar’s office, and financial aid office into our one-stop center. Knowing that the needs of Bank Street graduate students are based upon their particular program, we took our one-stop model one step further by adding in a caseload model, which means that you have a dedicated staff member to assist you based on your specific program.
Our Student Services Advisors (SSA) are here for you every step of the way, starting with answering any questions you have in registering for your first semester of classes. Your SSA will assist you in knowing when and how to register for classes, accessing and accepting your financial aid, understanding your bill and knowing when payments are due, and more! They’ll connect with you throughout the semester to check in and see how you are doing from the moment you start at Bank Street until you graduate. They’ll provide you with a biweekly newsletter chock full of resources like upcoming events, deadline reminders, and tips and tricks for student success.
Lastly, the team will partner with their specific program director to provide reminders and updates on administrative processes so you’ll know exactly what items need to be completed in order for you to succeed as a graduate student. Our goal is to ensure that your experience with Bank Street is positive, seamless, and stress-free. We want you to be able to focus your attention on your academics, knowing that there is a support system in place to assist and guide you along the way.
We’re excited to offer this new service to you and welcome you to connect with your SSA at any time when you have questions. Or, feel free to reach out to Kristin Waters, Assistant Dean, Student Services, and author of this post, at kwaters@bankstreet.edu.