Center for Academic and Career Services (CACS)
The mission of the Center for Academic & Career Services (CACS) at MSMC is to empower every student with the academic tools, professional guidance, and personalized support they need to reach their full potential. Through academic and career counseling, degree program advisement, peer tutoring and experiential networking opportunities, CACS is here to help students succeed – every step of the way.
Services
The Center for Academic and Career Services is located in Aquinas Hall 105 and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. If students need to meet with a CACS staff member outside of those hours, exceptions can be made.
Academic & Career Counseling
All incoming first-year students are assigned to an Academic & Career Counselor within the CACS, whose focus is to support students throughout their time at Mount Saint Mary College. This includes assisting them in their transition from high school to college, helping them develop academic, professional and interpersonal skills that are integral to their personal success and encouraging them as they navigate their journey. The CACS counselors work individually with students on building academic skills (such as time management, organization, study strategies, etc.), drafting a resumé and cover letter, job search strategies, communication and interview skills, resource referrals and more! The CACS counselors are always available to be a listening ear for all MSMC students.
The CACS counselors also serve as academic advisors for students exploring their interests within the Interdisciplinary and Undeclared majors as well as transfer students pursing a Nursing degree. As academic advisors, the CACS counselors assist students in degree mapping and selecting courses for the following semester(s).
Internship & Networking Opportunities
In addition to career counseling, students are able to build their career network through relevant and applicable internship experiences, group workshops and career fairs designed to help students prepare for their professional lives. These programs help students enhance their professional image and develop skills that will serve them throughout their lives. Job seekers may search for job opportunities on the CACS Knight Network at www.msmc.edu/knightnetwork.
Tutoring Services & Writing Center
The CACS Tutoring Services & Writing Center offers free, one-on-one or small group tutoring for content-specific courses and writing-related guidance. Students can schedule a 45-minute appointment with one of CACS’s specially trained tutors in order to discuss their course content, writing and writing assignments. During a tutoring appointment, students will work with a tutor to discuss any concerns about their writing or questions they have within their course content. The tutor will provide assistance and identify strategies for improvement that they can apply to their future coursework. Students can schedule a tutoring or Writing Center appointment by visiting the Center for Academic & Career Services site on the my.msmc.edu portal.
Values
The Mount’s Center for Academic and Career Services foregrounds the following values in all our work.
1. We Value Student Experiences & Success. Students are at the core of everything the CACS does, and we are intentional and compassionate about empowering students with the individualized skills they need to increase their self-confidence as independent members of our campus community.
2. We Value Education & Learning. The CACS is committed to lifelong learning and cultivating a sense of curiosity within our students. This curiosity extends beyond the classroom, and we help students apply it through self-reflection about their individual goals, values, interests, and experiences as well as through transferring their learning across contexts (e.g. from involvement in campus life to a job interview).
3. We Value Equity & Access. We want all students to feel like they belong in the CACS. This means we acknowledge that institutions such as colleges and workplaces can be oppressive, especially for individuals on the margins. It also means we provide tools to navigate biases in these settings and use our institutional influence to ask questions and challenge policies and procedures that exclude students.
4. We Value Professionalism. Ethical behavior, integrity, and striving to achieve high standards are expectations we hold ourselves accountable to in the CACS – and we aim to instill these professional dispositions within our students as well.
For more information about the Center for Academic & Career Services, please visit them in Aquinas Hall 105, call (845) 569-3175 or send an email to cacs@msmc.edu.