Lori Susi

Background

About Lori Susi

The Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) offers many services. As the Assistant Director of Enhanced Services and Special Projects, I collaboratively develop, implement, and manage the day-to-day activities for the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) Enhanced Services Program, which includes the well-established Beyond Access (BA) and UConn Getting Prepared for Success (GPS) programs. As part of these efforts, I foster and navigate creative ways to implement a comprehensive strategic marketing and outreach plan for these programs. The BA program is an individualized program that provides an opportunity for students to work smarter, not harder, in a competitive academic environment while also preparing for life beyond college. Students enrolled in BA work closely with a trained Strategy Instructor (SI) to design and customize their program based on their individual goals and learning profile, including learning strategies, social skills development strategies, and executive function-related strategies. UConn GPS is an online summer program that provides new UConn students (first year and transfer) an opportunity to learn about the University and facilitate a smooth transition by helping students create an individualized plan based on their needs and assisting them in identifying and navigating campus resources. Moreover, as the Assistant Director I oversee our CSD Special projects. By collaboratively working with our CSDTech Team, our Communications Intern and other staff we develop outreach efforts like our podcast series, a CSD YouTube channel, a CSD App and additional outreach efforts on and off campus. It is exciting to watch students grown and fine tune their leadership skills as they work on different projects. Building a strong social media presence is an additional goal of our special project efforts. It is rewarding to work with such a strong team of individuals at CSD. As a department we focus our efforts in ways to positively support students and put students' needs first. Overall, I consider the experience working with the students and families enrolled in our CSD department both a privilege and an exciting challenge. I also find myself committed to bringing my creativity and endless enthusiasm each day as I continue to support the educational excellence already found at UConn.