The Animal Science Student Help Room is the recipient of the 2024 Team Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. Team members are Jennifer Bundy, associate professor and advising coordinator, and Lauren Pierce, student services coordinator.
The Animal Science Student Help Room opened in September 2023 and was created to make academic and professional development help more accessible to the more than 1,000 animal science and dairy science majors in the department. With little budget but a lot of determination, Bundy and Pierce literally rolled up their sleeves and went to work. They came in after hours to clean, reorganize and remodel the space themselves. They wrote grants and proposals for monetary support. They developed promotional material and even brought in snacks for the students to not only promote use of the new resource but to further assist students who may need the nourishment.
Bundy and Pierce also organized seven peer mentors, nine peer tutors and 16 undergraduate teaching assistants. Each week, the carefully crafted schedule includes: 34 hours of free peer tutoring for more than 12 different animal science courses; 13 hours of peer mentor office hours for assistance with resumes, freshman four-year plans and registration advice; and 33 hours of specific course teaching assistance. That’s 80 hours of free assistance to animal science and dairy science students that was previously not available.
Bundy and Pierce created a usable, bright, welcoming space where any student can receive free assistance with classwork, exam reviews or even their resume. While early in its development, the help room has been widely used and greatly appreciated by the students. “In its first semester, this dedicated group is making a significant impact on the academic success and wellbeing of students,” states one colleague. “It would not exist without their vision and determination to serve the students in the animal science department.”