Academic Resource Center

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) is the University's hub of academic support. We offer the following services:

Other Helpful Information:

Tutoring 

The goal of tutoring is to encourage independent and intentional learning by fostering a supportive and open academic atmosphere, not to be a quick-fix service. 

Tutorials vary depending on the assignment and your needs. We schedule tutorials for half-hour or hour sessions. If an assignment is particularly long (more than 8 pages), please make several appointments in advance. If your time is limited, please indicate that to your tutor when your session begins.

You may schedule regular tutoring appointments (e.g. weekly, biweekly, etc.) for a specific subject with a particular tutor. However, if you miss two appointments in a row, your session will be removed from the schedule. 

Writing 

Writing tutoring is available to help students learn or advance their writing skills for any course. 

We will help you:

  • Improve your punctuation 
  • Learn strategies for overcoming poor spelling
  • Get started on a particular paragraph, essay or response you are working on
  • Get started on rough drafts, including writing topic sentences and thesis statements, and beginning your research paper or thesis
  • Strengthen the focus of your paragraph or essay
  • Revise a paragraph or essay according to your professor's suggestions
  • Master APA (PDF) or MLA formatting (PDF) procedures

What we don’t do:

  • Write any sentence or any part of your paragraph or essay for you (or tell you what to write)
  • Format your papers or sources for you
  • Offer our most helpful support if you come to the ARC the day (or even the day before) your paper is due
  • Proofread your paragraph or essay for you
  • Guarantee that you will get good grades

There are also numerous handouts and resources available to you on the Academic Resource Center's portal page. For more information on common grammar mistakes, tips on how to write and proofread papers, and how to write in APA format, take a look at the Writing Information Resources on the portal.

Academic Workshops

Workshops on APA format, study skills, test-taking, and note-taking are offered to assist you with these foundational skills.  Additional workshops also are offered throughout the year based on student and faculty needs.

Our workshops are generally hour-long sessions. Documentation on workshop subject matter is provided to all attendees.

Register for a workshop

To register for an advertised workshop, email us at arc@gmercyu.edu, visit our office, or call 267-448-1370. Due to limited space, you should reserve a seat at least one day in advance of each session you plan to attend.

The ARC offers these workshops and other academic services to all students, faculty and staff free of charge. To request a workshop for a class or peer study group, please call the ARC.

Some workshop topics include:

  • Organizing a paper in APA format 
  • Annotated bibliographies 
  • Writing a paper in MLA format 
  • Basic writing skills 
  • Writing a lesson plan 
  • Learning skills
  • Career Services workshops
  • Resume building
  • Interview skills
  • Job search

Hours

During the academic year:
Monday–Thursday, 8:30 a.m.–8 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m. –3:30 p.m.
Saturday by appointment only
Sunday: 1 p.m. –6 p.m

Summer hours:
Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Contact the ARC

We are located on the first floor of Keiss Library. While walk-in support is available, we recommend making an appointment (30 or 60 minutes).

Phone: 267-448-1370
Email: arc@gmercyu.edu

Staff

Meredith J. Hoch-Oescher, Dean of Student Success 
EdD, Higher Education, Immaculata University
MA, English, The College of New Jersey
BA, English, East Stroudsburg University
267-448-1449
hoch-oescher.m@gmercyu.edu

Stephanie Alderfer, Associate Director ARC and Testing Services
MS, Education, Gwynedd Mercy University
BS, Business Administration and Elementary Education Certification, Gwynedd Mercy University
267-448-1347
alderfer.s@gmercyu.edu 

Chris Black, Math Specialist 
BS, Mathematics, Gwynedd Mercy University
215-646-7300, ext. 463
black.c@gmercyu.edu

Tami Nosal, Writing Specialist
MA, Writing Studies, St. Joseph's University
BA, English, Rutgers University
215-646-7300, ext. 108
nosal.t@gmercyu.edu

Kim A. Logan, Academic Advisor and Academic Coach
MA, English, Arcadia University
BBA, Finance, Temple University
215-641-5544
logan.k@gmercyu.edu

Allyson Lucien, Academic Advisor and Academic Coach
MS, Higher Education Counseling and Student Affairs, West Chester University
BA, Psychology, Temple University
267-448-1323
lucien.a@gmercyu.edu

Joseph Azzarano, Testing Coordinator
BS, Mathematics, Gwynedd Mercy University
215-646-7300 ext. 21828
azzarano.j1@gmercyu.edu