Academic Support

Libraries

The David R. Grace Library (Kaletsch Campus) and the Fowler Library (Fowler Learning Commons, Lowerre Academic Center) provide students, faculty, and the community at Franklin University Switzerland with books, periodicals, DVDs, and electronic resources, as well as assistance in the use of these resources, and the physical space in which to study. The Grace Library holds an English-language collection of approximately 36,000 volumes, and print periodicals. The Fowler Library houses materials in French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish, as well as science, mathematics, technology, and health materials. The library service subscribes to many full-text databases covering the full range of disciplines. In addition, the library provides access to more than 200,000 electronic books.”

The libraries are open approximately 100 hours per week when classes are in session, and keep extended hours during midterm and final exam weeks. Students may also set up access and borrowing privileges at the local university library in Lugano.

Further details of library opening hours and resources can be found at www.fus.edu/services/library

The Writing and Learning Center

In accordance with the mission of the university, the Writing and Learning Center (WLC) provides an inclusive space for students of all levels and cultural backgrounds to learn how to make the most of their academic experience. It offers tutorials, workshops, class visits and resources that support students in developing lifelong skills in writing, languages, and quantitative literacy. The WLC fosters student success by helping students become active writers and engaged learners at every stage in their university career. The Academic Mentor program, supervised by the WLC, takes a holistic approach to academic support, facilitating learning opportunities among students, professors, advisors, librarians, and student life professionals, including helping students connect with peers about courses and academic life at Franklin. Specifically, WLC support is offered in the following areas:

Writing: As all writers benefit from sharing works-in-progress with an intelligent reader, the WLC organizes tutorials on a one-on-one basis at any moment of the writing process, from understanding an assignment to citing sources.

Learning: In addition to writing tutorials, students can also meet one-on-one with a trained tutor to work on a wide variety of university and study skills, including note taking techniques, time management skills, oral presentation strategies, and exam preparation.

Language Tutoring: Students meet with language tutors in groups to work on vocabulary, grammar, and conversation in Italian, French and German.

Academic Leadership Opportunities: The WLC supervises the Academic Mentor program for First Year Seminars and offers Life-Long Learning

Accessibility Services

Overview of Services

Franklin University Switzerland is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in its academic and co-curricular programs to students with disabilities. The Office of Accessibility Services helps foster success by coordinating need-specific accommodations and by offering additional support for students who qualify. In a small community of lifelong learners, Franklin University Switzerland routinely offers individualized, student-centered assistance in the spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act (Title III), and Section 504 of the United States Rehabilitation Act.

How to Request Accommodations

The process of obtaining accommodations at the university level is generally different from that typically found at secondary schools. At a university, it is the student’s responsibility to seek disability-related accommodations and services, and to disclose a disability in order for the university to make reasonable accommodations.

If you think you may need accommodations, or have had them in the past and would like to continue receiving them, start the process by contacting accessibility.services@fus.edu. The Office of Accessibility Services will set up a meeting with you to discuss your individual situation. Bring to this meeting any documentation that you have about your disability. Primary documentation is typically produced by a qualified evaluator, has been written within the past four years, and includes information about your challenges within an academic setting as well as recommendations for accommodations.

Accommodations at Franklin University Switzerland are determined on a case-by-case basis, depending on the nature of the disability, the student’s own concerns, and the content of the documentation provided. All information is handled with strict confidentiality. For further information or clarification of the process, contact accessibility.services@fus.edu