Specialized Services
Alma College provides a wide range of services designed to enhance the ability of students to successfully transition through their total college experience.
Academic and Career Planning (ACP) Services
Academic Support. ACP offers a variety of resources to assist students with the transition to academic life at Alma College. Students can meet one-on-one with the Academic Support Coordinator to discuss difficulties, identify needs, find resources and develop a plan for improvement. Peer tutoring, individual and group, is available for most classes at no cost to the student. In addition, ACP conducts workshops and classes to provide information on study skills, time management, note taking, learning style and test taking strategies.
Disability Services. Alma College is committed to ensuring that all students have access to the educational, social and cultural opportunities that are a part of the Alma experience. One function of ACP is to provide support services and resources so that the presence of a disability does not limit a student's participation in campus life. It is up to each student to decide whether or not to disclose the disability. However, if a student would like to receive accommodations, that person needs to register with the Disability Services Coordinator in the ACP office and provide the appropriate documentation. Students who are not satisfied with accommodations provided by Alma College may follow the Grievance Policy procedures outlined in the Student Life Handbook.
Career Services. The College provides extensive career services for students both individually and in group settings. Staff members are available to assist students in forming a career development plan, creating effective cover letters and resumes, developing effective interview techniques, writing graduate school essays, and conducting job and internship searches. Online resources are also available to provide career interest assessments, job/internship postings and resume building assistance. Alma College also has a strong network of alumni who are willing to assist students with their career exploration process. In particular, the ACP office has partnered with Chicago alumni to develop a Chicago In-City-Interview program. Alumni assist staff members to generate both informational and actual interviews with various organizations throughout Chicago.
Experiential Learning Assistance: Internships and Research Opportunities. All students are encouraged to consider a practicum, internship or research experience during their years at Alma. Paid or unpaid, credit-bearing or not, such opportunities provide students with valuable experience to help them clarify career interests as well as making contacts for employment after graduation. While some academic departments assist students with identifying practicum sites, many opportunities are obtained with the assistance of the ACP staff.
In order to receive credit for an experiential learning opportunity, students must obtain sponsorship from an academic department, demonstrate proficiency in the appropriate field and have a sound academic background. The student and the sponsoring faculty member establish learning objectives related to the experience. Supplemental reading, research and journal writing are some of the activities students engage in while in the position.
Off-Campus Study Programs. The ACP office provides assistance for students who would like to participate in an off-campus study experience. See the Off-Campus Study Programs section of the catalog for more details.
Counseling, Health and Wellness Center
Counseling and Psychiatric Services. Alma College Counseling and Wellness Center offers counseling and psychiatric services that facilitate students' personal development to participate more successfully in the Alma living and learning community.
Some of the common issues that students bring to counseling are depressed and anxious feelings, family difficulties, personal crises, coping with loss, and other impediments to personal and academic functioning. We also aid with self-esteem, self-acceptance, identity and sexuality difficulties, as well as healing from the effects of sexual assault/abuse, suicidal thoughts and other destabilizing experiences.
Our licensed professional counselors provide focused individual, relationship and group counseling. In addition, walk-in emergency services are available daily for students who feel in urgent need of help or crisis intervention. Students may also arrange for psychiatric evaluations and medication management with our psychiatrist.
Health Care Services. The Wilcox Health Center staff provides a variety of health related services to the campus community in a clinic setting. The staff welcomes the opportunity to consult with students wishing to take personal responsibility for their own health and wellness. The Center offers a wide variety of services, similar to those offered by a family doctor including diagnosis and treatment of illness and injury, routine physical examinations, medical consultation and referrals, vaccines, allergy shots, and women's and men's health issues.
We employ a registered nurse and a physician's assistant, and also have a supervising physician on staff. The city of Alma also has an Urgent Care and MidMichigan Medical Center-Gratiot close by for emergency and after-hour care. We accept most insurance health plans and offer a student health plan for students who need to purchase a plan. As a courtesy, we will submit a claim to your insurance company.