Project Phoenix

Eligibility

Virginia Tech undergraduates who are currently suspended are invited to participate in this program.

Description

Project Phoenix provides information and support to students suspended from Virginia Tech. The program is designed to help students make the most of their time away from campus so they will be in a better position to do well when they return to campus. In addition to helping students prepare for their return, Project Phoenix endeavors to encourage students to obtain services and utilize available resources to help them during their first semester back at the university. Finally, the program wants to help students stay connected to VT because suspended students are still members of the Virginia Tech community. The CAEE and Virginia Tech want our students to be successful. Project Phoenix is about helping students do just that!

What to do while on suspension...

TIP #1: Stay academically active by taking a course at your local community college.

The course may not be transferable to Tech, but it will give you a chance to work on identifying what works and doesn't work when it comes to being a successful student. You can closely monitor your time with the books – are you having any difficulty getting assignments done in a timely manner? Do you have trouble remembering what you study? Do you procrastinate" Etc., etc. By taking one course at this time, you can honestly evaluate your skills, your effort, your strengths, and your weaknesses and start working on a a plan that will take all of that into account. If you can figure out how to be successful in that one class, then you can build from there for when you return to campus.

TIP #2: Take time to evaluate what went wrong during your last semester at Virginia Tech that resulted in your academic suspension. Be honest with yourself and don't look for excuses. Now is the time to accept responsibility and take control of your future. To assist you in this process, consider each of the following questions:

1. What factors likely contributed to your poor academic performance, including academic behaviors (class attendance, study skills, etc.), family or roommate issues, homesickness, sleep and dietary habits, and so on.
2. Compare your recent behavior to earlier behaviors that facilitated your academic success in the past, e.g. previous high school or early college behaviors that enabled you to be successful.
3. Based on your analysis, what changes do you need to make to improve your academic performance when your return to Virginia Tech? How will you make these changes?

TIP #3: Start now to develop a plan to be successful upon your return to the university.

After you have achieved a greater awareness and understanding of the factors that contributed to your poor academic performance develop a plan to help you prepare and develop the necessary skills to be successful upon your return to VT. A good plan will include:

1. The changes to your personal behavior you need to make.
2. Develop personal and academic goals for making these changes.
3. Develop a plan detailing steps as to how you will achieve your goals.
4. Identify possible obstacles and develop a plan for handling obstacles that might impede your progress.
5. Establish a time line for your plan, including when to evaluate your progress and revise your goals and plan as necessary.

If you do not know how to set goals or outline the necessary steps, please refer to the information under developing a plan for your academic recovery.

TIP #4: When you return to TEch, make sue of the many resources available to you through CAEE or elsewhere on campus. Some of the suggested resources include:

Project Success: A number of students returning from suspension have participated in our program their first semester back and reported that the program was a great help.

UNIV 1004 (College Success Strategies): This is a three credit hour class designed to help student develop the personal and academic skills necessary to achieve college success. The class offers students the opportunity to learn about and try many new strategies from which they can identify those that work best for them.

CAEE Tutoring Program: Free individual and small group tutoring is available for most 1000 and 2000 level courses. Check the Tutoring web page for information on how to schedule an appointment and to access the current schedule for the math help sessions.

Seminar Series on Academic Success: Attend the seminars on various topics such as time management and effective reading techniques that are offered weekly through CAEE.

Consider utilizing other university resources as well including your professors and peers. Take time to talk to your professors to identify how to be successful in his or her class. Use a study partner or study group.

Finally, schedule an appointment with a CAEE staff member to discuss and develop a plan for your academic recovery. This is a wonderful way to obtain individual feedback on what might work for you as you strive to improve your academic performance .

Contact

For more information contact caee@vt.edu or call 231-5499.