Dennis Millan, the associate director of the Chaiken Center for Student Success at Penn State Abington, right, initiated a training program for student tutors through the College Reading and Learning Association.
ABINGTON, Pa. — If Dennis Millan won the lottery today, he said he would still show up for work tomorrow at the Chaiken Center for Student Success at Penn State Abington. His more than 30 years of experience in higher education fuels his drive to support students who are struggling or want to move the needle on their grades and study skills from good to great.
He arrived on campus last summer as the associate director of the newly renovated, reimagined and renamed Chaiken Center and quickly implemented plans to take its services to a higher level with collaborators across campus.
“Learning happens more easily within a community, and learning is everyone's job. At the Chaiken Center, it’s a very complex job, and we collaborate with faculty and departments across campus. Student success is the output of our collaboration,” Millan said.
The team includes Chris Walters, senior coordinator for student success; Meredith Tariditi, academic and career success coach; and professional and trained student tutors, writing consultants, and peer coaches. Millan has also broadened and deepened ties with faculty, staff, and administrators by appearing in classes and at events to raise awareness of the Chaiken Center's services.
Millan said there are three prongs to the Chaiken Center’s offerings:
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Tutoring in specific subjects.
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Writing consultations, which are available for any type of writing and any course.
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Success coaching including developing and improving note taking, organizing, and associated skills necessary to succeed in any class.
One of Milllan's first undertakings was to strengthen the center’s structure and staff. With support from Gene and Roz Chaiken's gift, he is working toward having the center and its tutors certified by the College Reading and Learning Association, which is the gold standard in the field. Student tutors must complete 10 hours of training.
“It’s also important for our student staff to go through the training because they can add it to their resumes,” Millan said.
He is a believer in evidence-based, data-driven decision making, and he spent a great deal of time poring over information specific to Abington, he said.
“I've developed a good sense of our needs by looking at the data from courses and grades over the last few semesters. The big questions are what courses are students struggling with and why? But we also can’t forget individual stories,” Millan said.
“We have a strong assessment piece, and we dove deeper into specific student populations that struggle at a higher rate. For example, students of color, young men, first generation college students, undecided students, and intersections of those categories are important for us to recognize,” he continued.
Millan said he is also interested in understanding how specific groups may have different academic challenges and how to best mitigate such vulnerabilities. He said he is examining external research that has demonstrated that students who are LatinX and first-generation are more vulnerable to academic challenges.
Millan came to Abington in the summer of 2024, attracted by the University’s vast resources and global reputation and Abington’s small size and diversity.
“As a person of color, our truths are the same for the most part, and I wanted to use my skills to benefit a more diverse student population,” he said.
Millan previously served as the director of Holy Family University's tutoring center where he initiated and completed the center's international tutor training program certification from the College Reading and Learning Association. He also created a classroom coaching program that embedded peer tutors in classes and an affinity coaching program for student athletes while also facilitating academic skills workshops.
“I’m fortunate and blessed to help people. I’m out here helping people in very tangible ways, and when students tell us they passed the course with our assistance, it validates what we do,” Millan said.
About Penn State Abington
Penn State Abington provides an affordable, accessible and high-impact education resulting in the success of a diverse student body. It is committed to student success through innovative approaches to 21st-century public higher education within a world-class research university. With more than 3,100 students, Penn State Abington is a residential campus that offers baccalaureate degrees in 25 majors, accelerated master's degrees, undergraduate research, the Schreyer Honors College, NCAA Division III athletics and more.
