Academic success today requires not only studying. It requires knowing how to study.

That’s why the Intercultural and Diversity Affairs Center and the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students are sponsoring MTSU’s third Student Success Summit from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, in the Student Union ballroom.

“One of our goals is to continue to empower and connect students through involvement opportunities,” said Jonell Hinsey, assistant director of the Intercultural and Diversity Affairs Center.

Jonell Hinsey

Hinsey said learning how to adapt to the college environment could involve anything from finding out how to communicate with professors to cellphone and texting etiquette in the classroom.

For this year’s gathering, MTSU is partnering with Guaranteed 4.0, a Dallas-based consulting firm. The company says at its website, www.guaranteed4.com, that its “comprehensive learning enhancement system employs the latest research in cognitive science and ensures academic excellence — both in and out of the formal educational system.”

If a student follows the Guaranteed 4.0 program precisely and does not achieve a 4.0 grade-point average, the company promises to pay the student $100.

“We want them to have strategies and skills that they sometimes are not able to obtain in the classroom,” Hinsey said.

The first workshop, which is open to all students, is slated for 10 a.m. to noon. It will include lessons on brain-based learning techniques, stress management, hidden secrets of the classroom, benefits of teacher interaction and systematic organization for critical thinking.

The second workshop, which is limited to 100 students recruited at CUSTOMS and the Scholars Academy during the summer, is scheduled for 12 to 2 p.m. It will be a simulated interactive experience that will enable students to practice the Guaranteed 4.0 plan in real time.

“Every year the success summit will probably look different based on the needs that we’re seeing,” Hinsey said. 

Students interested in attending the first workshop are requested to register by logging into MyMT. However, registration is not required.

For more information, contact Hinsey at 615-898-5812 or jonell.hinsey@mtsu.edu.

–Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)