Connect with our supportive community by joining the Engage Program.
Dean’s Engage Program offers academically strong students additional social support during their transition to college - allowing these students to thrive and succeed in a traditional college community.
The Engage Program offers tailored social support and skill-building opportunities for incoming students. The program welcomes both students with self-reported support needs and those who are neurodivergent and may be living with a diagnosis such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Executive Function Disorder, non-verbal learning disorder, and social-pragmatic communication disorder (including those with coexisting diagnoses of anxiety and depression).
Incoming Dean students can apply to join the Engage Program. With limited spots available, Engage Program applicants are encouraged to complete this form as soon as they are admitted to Dean College. The Engage staff will follow up to schedule a virtual meeting to learn more and discuss next steps. The Engage Program priority deadline is May 1, 2025.
Prospective applicants to Dean College can request more information via this short form.
OUR EVIDENCE-BASED SKILLS PROGRAM INCLUDES
- Effective verbal and nonverbal communication
- Reading and reacting to social cues
- Emotional regulation
- Making and nurturing relationships
- Peer socialization
- Self-care and balance
- Effective academic planning and organization
Engage Program Services
Cultivating Skills and Creating Connections:
- Weekly social skills groups
- Planned social events
- Peer mentoring program
- One-on-one academic coaching tailored to individual learning styles
- Study labs with monitoring
- Health and wellness initiatives in collaboration with campus partners
Transitional Success and Support:
- Early campus move-in opportunity
- Prep for Success Orientation program
- Access to Living and Learning Community specialized housing and residential staff
- Low sensory group meeting space
- Staff certification in social skills training and neurodivergence expertise
Our proven success: Fall 2023 program results
- At a 100% retention rate from fall to spring, the program effectively fostered students' engagement and commitment
- With an average GPA of 3.2, students demonstrated academic excellence alongside personal growth
- Over 50% of participants were named to the Dean’s List underscoring the program’s positive impact on academic achievement
Cost and Fees
Engage Program Costs: $6500 per year.
Dean College offers a bundle with Engage and the Arch Learning Community for students who would benefit from both academic and social skills support for $9500 per year.
Additional Services
In addition to the fee-based Engage Program, free support services are available to all students at Dean.
Our free support services include discipline-specific tutoring with faculty and trained peer tutors, Math Center, Writing Center, Accessibility Services and Counseling and Health Services. Our assistive technology includes Read & Write, Smartpens, FM Systems, Bookshare, Dictation software.
If you have any questions or concerns about the Engage Program, please contact Lynne Dasilva.
