Student Learning Center

Mission Statement 

The Student Learning Center aims to foster a collaborative community of learning among faculty, staff, and students, centered in the St. Patrick’s Seminary Library and grounded in the Catholic faith. The Student Learning Center provides easily accessible academic support across the seminary curriculum to all students, with particular attention to developing written and oral communication skills and serving non-native English speakers and those overcoming learning challenges or remedial needs. 

Student Learning Outcomes

Through the work of the Student Learning Center, students will:  

• Reach General Professional Proficiency in written English, as described on the St. Patrick’s Seminary Institutional Writing Rubric, before graduation from the seminary and/or ordination;
• Learn strategies for all stages of the writing process: researching, reading, organizing, drafting, receiving feedback, and revising;
• Gain knowledge of linguistic structures including grammar, punctuation, and sentence syntax;
• Learn to apply the formatting and citation conventions of the St. Patrick’s Seminary Style Guide in their work;
• Become aware of diocesan guidelines and best practices for digital communication; 
• Have opportunities to practice and be coached on public speaking;
• Improve oral fluency and comprehensibility in the languages of their future ministries;
• Have access to resources and referrals for one-on-one academic support in content areas specific to seminary studies, including support for work on MA thesis and other advanced research and writing projects.

Programs and Services

The Student Learning Center conducts assessments of written and oral English communication skills during the admissions process. For students whose proficiency is lower than the minimum standard set by the seminary, we develop individualized learning plans.  

The Student Learning Center offers workshops on a variety of topics and oversees peer tutoring and paper consultation services. Weekly groups meet for pronunciation and public speaking practice in English and Spanish. For the semester schedule, an appointment with a peer tutor for academic support, or a paper consultation, students are invited to stop by the Student Learning Center office in L1, or contact Dr. Kearns at kristen.kearns@stpsu.edu or Mrs. Shiffman at cristina.shiffman@stpsu.edu.