Cierra LundySince N.C. Central University’s Academic Success Center opened in January, the tutoring center’s attendance has steadily increased as more students have learned about its services and location in the Farrison-Newton Communications Building, according to Teah Smith, the director of the center.
In just the areas of chemistry, accounting and decision sciences, and math, 77 students have taken advantage of its tutoring services since the Fall 2025 semester, she said. She’s still calculating figures in other fields.
“We make tutoring seem like it’s a bad thing, and it has a stigma that you can’t do it, so you need help,” Smith said. “But we like to tell people you would rather be proactive instead of reactive.”
On average, students who visit the center return at least twice a week for tutoring, she said. At the end of each session, students are asked to complete a satisfaction survey. They rate the quality of the support they received and suggest possible improvements for the tutoring center overall.
Many students say that after visiting the tutoring center for academic support their test scores improved, and they continue to return for additional help and study time with writing, math and more, Smith said.
While students most commonly visit the center for science support, Smith has added tutors for history and humanities classes, as well. The center also has opportunities for students who want to be peer tutors.
The positions open at the end of each semester. Students looking to be a tutor must have a high A or B in the class they wish to tutor to be eligible to apply for the position.
Smith began her position when the center opened. She added academic mentoring to the program, which includes two student workers who help other students keep themselves organized and teach them effective scheduling methods. She also shared that the center will be expanding its online tutoring hours soon.
NCCU student Charity Crawford uses the tutoring center as a study space. She says she goes to the tutoring center at least twice a week.
“I just started using the tutoring center this semester,” Crawford said, “but I got an A on my last quiz after studying in the tutoring center.”
Smith emphasized that the tutoring center’s door is always open to students, and even when it’s not physically open, they can still schedule an appointment.
Students can schedule tutoring appointments by visiting the center in Room 128 of the Farrison-Newton Communications Building, using Navigate in MyEOL and selecting “tutoring,” or contacting the center directly at tsi@mail.nccu.edu or 919-530-7043.
