In conjunction with National Tutoring Week, the grand opening of the Tutoring Center in Grant Towers South took place Friday.

Since the new tutoring center opened, about 150 students have used the facility, said Hillard Hebda, ACCESS assistant director for peer assisted learning. Last year, about 1,150 students used the program.

In the last few years, about 1,100 students used the program, with numbers increasing each year, he said. This semester there are between 60 and 70 tutors, he said.

NIU President John Peters and Vice Provost Earl Seaver presented speeches at the opening.

“The key to success is to help students identify their academic, educational and other [issues] as early in their career as possible,” Peters said. “The existence of such a beautiful, modern tutoring facility speaks volumes about our dedication to the academic accomplishments of our students. Everyone here – staff, administration and faculty have to be committed to one thing and that’s student success.”

Seaver said it is a beautiful facility.

“I think it will be a place that students will be very happy to use and very proud to have,” Seaver said. “The transformation from where it was to what it is now – and I had seen it a couple months ago when it wasn’t completely finished – it’s even more stunning now. It’s something I think we can be very proud of as a university of what we’ve done for students.”

The new center, which combines the Grant South and Grant North tutoring programs, was fully renovated over the spring and summer. The new facility includes a smart room for training and presentations, a technology-based tutoring room and several rooms and spaces available for individual and group tutoring.

The entire facility is also wireless.

In 2004, Student Housing and Dining made an administrative decision to renovate the weight room located in the lower level of the building, said Shevawn Eaton, director of ACCESS. With funding from the project coming from Student and Academic Affairs, ACCESS was given first priority to move part of its tutoring operation into the 8,000 square-foot space, she said.

Charles Ogundipe, assistant director of the CHANCE program and financial aid, said the Center is a marvelous new facility that will provide a better environment for students.

“I think it is what is needed for students,” Ogundipe said. “I’ve talked with a lot of students who are very excited about it and think it’s a good addition. We believe over time a lot of students will benefit from this.”

There also are group tutoring sessions where tutors go to classes with the students and hold group sessions outside of class, Eaton said. Students can check online to see which courses are being tutored. There also is a one-on-one tutoring program offered for courses that are not currently being tutored, she said.

“Sometimes, it’s just a matter of taking the effort and the time to find what you need,” Eaton said.

For more information on tutoring, go to www.tutoring.niu.edu, call 753-0203, or the main ACCESS number, 753-1141.