The Science Learning Center (SLC) has been designated a Learning Center of Excellence by the International College Learning Center Association (ICLCA), the highest level of recognition in the association's Learning Center Certification program. ICLCA honored the SLC at its 2026 annual conference in Salt Lake City in September.
To earn the designation, a center must score 90% or higher on a peer review covering seven areas, from programs and services to assessment and evaluation. The SLC scored 92.25%, with full marks in academic integrity and learning environment and in promotion and public relations. The SLC is one of 13 learning centers to earn the designation since ICLCA first awarded it in 2016, and one of two to receive it this year. The initial designation runs for three years, and the SLC will apply for a five-year renewal in 2029.
Reviewers pointed to the SLC's use of metacognitive strategies that ask students to explain how they arrived at an answer, not only whether it was correct. They also cited the five learning theories built into the SLC's peer educator training, its mentoring program for new study group facilitators, the new First-Gen STEM Scholars program, and the learning outcomes the SLC has defined for its tutors as well as for the students they serve. The review committee noted that the designation "is not often awarded to a subject-specific learning center" and said the SLC offers programs that are "pushing innovation in the field of learning assistance."
"Our staff invested hours documenting the work we do, earning certifications, and writing professional development plans and philosophy statements," said SLC Director Joe Salvatore. "This designation is a testament to our teamwork, our investment in continuous improvement, and our commitment to students. Most importantly, it reflects the difference our student staff make in the lives of the students they support."
The designation builds on the SLC's selection as the 2024 recipient of ICLCA's Frank L. Christ Outstanding Learning Center Award.
At the same conference, Salvatore was honored at the ICLCA Awards Luncheon for earning Level 4 Lifetime Learning Center Leadership Certification, the highest level of ICLCA's leadership certification program. Level 4 candidates must document more than a decade of professional experience in learning assistance and show sustained contributions to the field through conference presentations, publications, and leadership in professional organizations. Salvatore was one of eight professionals to earn Level 4 certification in 2026, and one of 51 since ICLCA awarded the first in 2006. He has directed the SLC since 2004 and also serves as special advisor for undergraduate academic support in the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.
Salvatore is one of several SLC staff members who hold ICLCA leadership certification, and the review committee named the professional staff's certifications, along with the College Reading and Learning Association certification of the SLC's tutor training program, as "major pluses for the SLC." This year, Study Group Program Manager Jillian Cordial earned Level 2 certification, and Matthew Ungar, the tutoring program's administrative assistant, earned Level 1. Tutoring Program Manager Amelia Parnis, who first earned Level 2 certification in 2020, renewed it in 2025.
Students can experience the work behind the designation by joining a study group or visiting tutoring. Interested in joining the team? Learn how to become a study group facilitator or become a tutor.
