Press Release

The University of New Haven's pilot coaching program met with great success starting in February 2007.

UNH Tests Waters of Student Success Methods with Life Coaching Pilot Program

by Timothy Falotico, former Editor-in-Chief of UNH's The Charger Bulletin

Coaching beyond the realm of athletics seems foreign to some, and perhaps that is why a pilot program for students and coaches addressing their academics and overall success has been initiated at UNH. After contacting the Connecticut chapter of the International Coaches Federation, the University of New Haven’s Assistant Provost for Experiential Education, Christie Boronico, decided to test a pilot coaching program for UNH students. Boronico, in conjunction with coaches Maureen Cullen and Jerry Sinnamon, designed a pilot program that began this past February.

On the morning of Feb. 24, Cullen, Sinnamon and six other volunteer coaches met with 17 UNH students to offer their services while testing the program. The purpose of utilizing a coaching program, according to Sinnamon, is “to [help] students (who would be interested in receiving coaching assistance)…identify and overcome those things that might be interfering with their college experience.” Sinnamon, whose New London company, Be On Purpose, provides executive coaching and consulting for small businesses and nonprofit organizations, added that coaches can specifically address concerns such as “identification of majors, knowing what additional resources [students] might pursue to be prepared to enter field of work once they completed college, [etc.]”

Participating students were recruited through the Career Services Office. After the initial Feb. 24 meeting, coaches communicated with their students by phone in March and April. According to Virginia Rizzo, one of the coaches in attendance whose job normally involves life coaching teens and young adults, having follow-up sessions via phone is a norm for coaches. February’s in-person meeting consisted of introducing the students to their coaches and a session of approximately an hour to an hour and a half for each student. On April 28, Christie Boronico and Kathy Forkin (Career Services Office) met with the coaches and students for an open forum discussion and for an evaluation of the experience.

Coaching, while very specific in its purpose and often beneficial, can be far from what students expect. Rizzo mentioned that “The students…are responsible and held accountable for the assigned ‘work’ between sessions (i.e., the work that needs to be done to move toward their goals). I think most people would expect the coach to provide the answers and offer advice, and possibly to do some or most of the work for them. However, that's not the case. Consequently, I think some students might find coaching to be not what they expected. Some may be disappointed while others may be fine with it.”

The students also shared their experiences and expectations of the pilot program. “When I walked in the room I wasn't really sure what to expect. I have heard of life coaches before in my leadership class but I had never experienced it first hand. She asked me what I hoped to get from this experience and then we talked from there…We made goals then listed the things I was going to do in order to achieve these goals and resources I could use. I completed both of my goals early so we set up a new goal for me,” said one coached student, Sarah Toomey. Ellen Moriarty, a life coach and owner of her own coaching business called Calrion Life & Career Coaching, said after her first meeting with her student that she thought the student really enjoyed it and that the student seemed surprised that it was not therapy. Ms. Rizzo summed up her coaching work with UNH students by saying, “I have had a wonderful experience at UNH! I hope that I will have the opportunity to continue coaching students at UNH.”

Come evaluation time in April, the students offered such feedback as: “I learned that it’s important for me to allow other people to help me and even seek for help to get things done” and “The greatest benefit was having someone to help me realize what resources I had available to me to help me accomplish my goals.” Another student stated “The greatest benefit that the coaching has brought me is that since I began this program and learned to manage my time and was able to change my study habits, I have been passing all my tests.”

The coaches had different reasons for volunteering in the program, ranging from personal experience to the desire to help young students, yet the outcome for each of the coaches was quite similar. With the pilot program having ended (however, some of the students are still communicating with their coaches!) with mounds of positive feedback from both the students and the coaches, the future of the program is bright. The coaches who participated in the pilot program have offered to come back in the fall. The Career Services Office is pleased with the success of this pilot program and looks forward to continuing and expanding this beneficial program.

Published May 2007