Student Support Resources

A variety of academic support is available for Montclair students, including advising, tutoring, accommodations, and research help.

Academic Advising

Academic Advising is available for all students, with success centers in every college and school:

 is available for all students, with success centers in every college and school:

• College of Science and Mathematics
• College for Education and Engaged Learning (students should see their department)
• College for Community Health
• College of the Arts
• College of Humanities and Social Sciences
• The Feliciano School of Business
• The School of Nursing
• University College Academic Advising
• Graduate Students: Consult your Program Coordinator/Director, Department Chair, or the Graduate School.

Navigate

Navigate is an essential tool in the University’s efforts to support student success. Managed by the Office for Undergraduate Education, Navigate is used by every advisor to track, check on, and support undergraduate students. 

Every semester you will receive periodic requests from the Provost’s office to use the Navigate platform to report on students’ progress. The University advisors depend on instructors to follow through with these requests.

In addition, outside of required reporting periods, you can use Navigate to:

• Issue a warning 
• Message students directly 
• Reach out to students’ advisors — most students have a few advisors, including potentially an academic major advisor, a college or school advisor, and possibly a special program (EOF, health careers, athletic, etc.) advisor. 

Through Navigate instructors can review the progress of students in their class and, if they serve as advisors, their advisees.

Note: Navigate is not the tool if go to if there is a classroom emergency or you are concerned about a student’s well-being. For concerns about safety or a classroom emergency, call the Campus Police at 973-655-5222.

Center for Academic Success and Tutoring (CAST)

CAST is the primary source of academic support for students. CAST hires student and professional tutors who have expertise in most disciplines offered on campus. Instructors interact with CAST through three primary means:

• Send students to support from CAST informally, through class-wide communications, or by making recommendations to students individually.
• Refer students to CAST by a Navigate referral that prompts CAST to reach out to students directly.
• Collaborate with CAST on providing an organized program of supplemental instruction to students who are enrolled in courses that are especially hard for students. If your course does not include supplemental instruction and you think it should, discuss the matter with department leaders and then set up an appointment with CAST leadership to see what can be arranged.

See more of what CAST does by reviewing the CAST website.

Center for Writing Excellence (CWE)

The Center for Writing Excellence (CWE) is the main support service  on campus to help students develop and improve as writers. The CWE supports faculty and students through consultations, open workshops, and in-class presentations.

Consultations generally last 25 minutes and are available online and in-person (schedule an appointment). Longer appointments are available for graduate students, multilingual writers, students with disabilities, and faculty.  All sessions are confidential.

Specifically, writing consultants can help students:

• Get started: Understanding the writing task and generating ideas
• Draft: Developing a focus and an argument, selecting appropriate evidence, and organizing their ideas
• Revise: Choosing strategies to improve drafts
• Polish: Learning to edit their own writing

The CWE also serves faculty, staff, and alumni with their writing needs.

The Disability Resource Center (DRC)

The DRC assists students in receiving the accommodations and services necessary to equalize access. The DRC provides assistance to students with physical, sensory, learning, psychological, neurological, and chronic medical disabilities. The mission of the DRC is to provide students with disabilities the excellence and equity in education to which they are legally entitled.

Instructors will interact with the DRC in a few ways:

• Students will provide instructors a letter from the DRC documenting accommodations.       
• The DRC provides faculty resources offering advice on providing accommodations. The DRC staff can consult with instructors who want help in providing accommodations or thinking about how to talk with a student an instructor believes may benefit from DRC services.  

Public Speaking Resource Center (PSRC)

Assistance and coaching for individual or group presentations. and job interviewing.

Reference and Research Librarians

Our research librarians are partners in instruction, offering:

• Research consultations for students. The Reference Desk is open for drop-ins, chats, and appointments. If a student is struggling with an assignment or wants guidance on a research task, recommend or require your student to have a 1-1 appointment, online or in-person.
• Library instruction for your whole class. A research librarian can lead a workshop on general topics (such as general introduction to research) or one tailored to your course and/or assignment.
• Research assignment design help for faculty. Get help in developing research assignments and building out the content of their course by meeting with a research librarian. Consult with a librarian on a research guide for your course.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

CAPS services are free, voluntary, confidential and available to all Montclair State students, faculty, and staff. CAPS offers a range of services from online resources to informal sessions to individual therapy options. For information about making an appointment, click here.

In addition to individual therapy options, CAPS offers:

• Let’s Talk — informal, confidential one-on-one consultations with CAPS counselors both in person and via Zoom
• Uwill — offers students an immediate, secure and convenient way to receive teletherapy counseling services should the need arise.
• Therapy Groups — groups focused on populations, concerns, and interests
• TAO Connect — Therapy Assistance Online
• Self-Help Screenings –to see if you might benefit from CAPS help

Instructors can also reach out to CAPS to discuss concerns they may have about individual students.  CAPS counselors recognize the critical role that faculty play in observing students in distress and helping students take the first steps toward getting help. Find more resources about referrals, see “Faculty/Staff Resources” on this page.

In case of a mental health emergency during business hours: Call CAPS at 973-655-5211 and tell the receptionist that you have an emergency. The student will be seen as soon as possible.

In case of a mental health emergency during non-business hours: Call University Police at 973-655-5222 and they will contact the on-call psychologist. You may also call the CAPS front desk at 973-655-5211 and select option “2” to be immediately connected to a licensed mental health clinician.

Student Health Center

The Student Health Center provides outpatient medical care to all enrolled students so they will remain healthy and succeed academically at Montclair State University, by offering comprehensive, high-quality care. The Health Center is a first-stop destination for students with a variety of health concerns, offering preventive care as well as general health care, covering all the areas you would expect of a university health center:

• Diagnosis and treatment of illness and injuries
• Gynecological care
• STI and HIV screening
• Specialist referrals
• Men’s health
• LGBT health
• Laboratories and testing services
• Contraception
• On-site prescription medication
• Immunizations,
• Sexual assault services
• Medical advisement for travel abroad.

See more at the SHC website

Office of Health Promotion

The OHP understands the impact of student health on academic performance and personal success, providing services designed to enhance social, physical, and emotional well-being.

Services include:

• Weekly Workshops (Mindfulness Meditation, Recovery Room, Fireside Chats)
• Educational outreach and programs
• Peer Health Advocate Program
• Safer sex supplies & abstinence kits
• Alcohol and other drug program
• Health information resource center
• One-on-One peer conversation, information, and referrals

Dean of Students

The Dean of Students Office offers a variety of support for students, including:

• Bias and inclusivity education: the Office for Social Justice and Equity offers class-based workshops, resources, and consultations. Home to the Women’s Center, LGBTQ Center, Multicultural Center, and the Center for Faith and Spirituality.
• Housing, food, or life concerns: Student Social Services Case Manager.
• Professional clothing: Rocky’s Closet.
• Food security: Red Hawk Pantry.
• Administrative and financial questions: Red Hawk Central, home to Student Accounts, Financial Aid, and the Registrar.
• Questions and concerns regarding student conduct: Student Conduct.
• Public Incident Report Form – to report alleged violations of University policy including academic dishonesty concerns and bias incidents
• Title IX Form – includes all forms of sexual violence, including but not limited to, sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, and intimate partner violence.

Career Services

In conjunction with each college an school’s success centers, the Career Services office offers a variety of help for students from choosing a major to job search strategies.

Office of Global Engagement

The Office is the university’s primary resource of services to all incoming and current F-1 and J-1 students.

Office of Student Belonging

The Office provides engaging and supportive opportunities through programming for all students.

Dean of Students (DOS)

The DOS provides support for all students through interventions and guidance. When faculty have concerns about students, and none of the resources below seem quite right, a recommendation to visit the DOS is a good option. In addition:

• Students who have prolonged health issues that cause extended absence should be referred to the DOS. For students with a few absences, direct them to your absentee policy and guidance on making up missed work rather than the DOS. The DOS only gets involved with more impactful health-related absences.

The Care Team

The CARE Team, managed by the Dean of Students, pulls together support offices from across domains to address problems for individual students that faculty and others report to the CARE team.

When you don’t know whom to contact, and you are not concerned about anyone’s safety (which is when you call the police) you can contact the CARE team via a student of concern form regarding any concerns you have about students. The digital form lists a wide range of ways in which you might be concerned about students, including academic issues, bias, behavior, family well-being, finances, food insecurity, mental health, social adjustment, and well-being.