Who We Are

Mission

As LSU’s central learning center, the Center for Academic Success cultivates academic resilience through metacognitive development. We promote life-long learning by providing innovative services and transformational experiences that support student persistence and achievement.

Vision

As a pioneer in the field of learning support, the CAS aspires to inform practice, and shape policy and pedagogy to further advance student learning and academic success.

Center History

With the help of Frank L. Christ, the Center was established in 1989 led by Dr. Rhonda Atkinson, who established many of the key program offerings and key strategies that the Center still teaches today.

In 1999 Dr. Saundra McGuire, formerly the Learning Center Director at Cornell University, became the director. Under her leadership, the Learning Assistance Center changed its name to the Center for Academic Success, reflecting its emphasis on improving the learning strategies of all students – not just those experiencing academic difficulty. With this change in 2001, the CAS role with faculty was expanded, and the CAS was awarded the National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA) Outstanding Learning Center Award in 2004.

With the Center since 1999, Melissa Brocato assumed the director role in 2009, during which time programming was expanded to further serve students, the Center's impact was demonstrated through data and assessment, and in 2016 the CAS was certified as one of the first NCLCA Learning Centers of Excellence in the country.

Since its inception, the Center has shifted from being solely an academic support center for students and faculty at LSU to an internationally recognized center, dedicated to addressing the improvement of student learning at the local, regional, and national levels. Since that time, CAS has been the recipient of national and international awards.

Today, the Center is organizationally located in Enrollment Management & Student Success and is composed of two major areas: (1) Academic Support and (2) Academic Engagement and Achievement. Designated an NCLCA, now called International College Learning Center Association (ICLCA), Learning Center of Excellence in 2016, 2019, and again in 2024, the staff continue to strive to fulfill the Center’s mission.