Braden Center for Student Success

Welcome to the Jean Braden Center for Student Success

The Jean Braden Center for Student Success on the Alexandria Campus, is an important and vibrant part of the college whose mission is to encourage inclusiveness and a sense of belonging for all, with the goal to educate, empower, support, and provide leadership opportunities for all students. The Center provides a safe psychological and physical space for training and events, gaining access to support resources at the college and in the community, and leadership opportunities through our mentoring program.

The Center addresses the most pressing needs of our students, staff, and faculty in creating an inclusive experience for all at NOVA through education, empowerment, and support for students across all genders and sexual identities regardless of race, sex (including pregnancy), color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, political affiliation and social, economic and cultural background. It houses groups such as the Retention Mentoring Program and provides a space for student groups, individuals to do quiet reflection, converse with other students, and participate in discussion groups.

  • Educate, Empower, and Support students regarding issues of gender and inclusiveness
  • Providing resources and services to promote educational success, emphasizing gender inclusiveness
  • Developing programs to address gender and cultural barriers and creating opportunities for leadership and community service for all students
  • Establishing referral systems to ensure that students get the services they need on or off campus to achieve success.

The Jean Braden Center for Student Success (formerly the Jean Braden Center for Women, Gender and Social Equity) of the Alexandria Campus was established in the Fall of 2008 through the efforts and contributions of a group of volunteer faculty, staff and student leaders. The Center was started based on the belief that NOVA was in need of a program that focused on building a sense of community through support, education, empowerment, and opportunities to assist students in pursuing their educational goals.

The focus groups, co-facilitated by student leaders, surveyed international students, parents, non-traditional aged students and student leaders on campus and determined there was a need for co-op childcare opportunities, workshops on various topics related to health and wellbeing, and space designated for conversations among women or for quiet reflection between classes.

Since its beginning, the Center has been a place that grows and addresses the most pressing needs of our students, staff and faculty in creating an inclusive experience for all at NOVA. In 2017, the Center was renamed the Jean Braden Center for Women, Gender, and Social Equity. In keeping with this value of inclusivity, the Center has been renamed the Jean Braden Center for Student Success, continuing to support women and all students across all gender and sexual identities regardless of race, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation. This change honors the original commitments and concerns of the founders of the Center while also reflecting the dynamic cultural changes within the field of gender studies and needs of our student and community populations.

The Jean Braden Center for Student Success is home to various events and activities, including weekly activities and discussion groups to provide experiences that educate our communities about issues of special importance to all students, such as women, gender and equity issues.

The Jean Braden Center for Student Success has established an emergency fund for students through annual fundraising initiatives to assist with emergency needs related to tuition, books, housing, childcare, transportation, and other one-time emergency needs. Applications are available in the LASS and MSTB Academic Divisions and Student Success Division offices for currently enrolled students (6 credits or more) at NOVA.

Information about Additional Aid for Students through the NOVA Foundation, may be accessed on the Student Success Funds page.

The Center provides a safe psychological and physical space for all students across all genders and sexual identities regardless of race, sex (including pregnancy), color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, political affiliation and social, economic and cultural background. This space can be used as a quiet place to study, reflect, converse with other students, or participate in discussion groups.

    • Resource Library - created through generous donations of books and DVDs on subjects of interest with a focus on inclusion, including women and gender diversity
    • Information - campus and community resources, scholarships, internships, and community support groups
    • Referrals - community services

    Under Development.

    Braden Center for Student Success
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