Empowering Every Falcon: The LEAD Center’s mission to support student success

Tucked away on the second floor of the Ruth Ann Musick Library, there is a place that many students describe as their “second home” on campus. The Learning Enrichment and Academic Development (LEAD) Center, under the leadership of Coordinator Bri DiBacco, is not just a tutoring space. It is a hub of support, encouragement, and transformation for students navigating the challenges of higher education.

With a mission to serve every Falcon, the LEAD Center provides comprehensive academic support through a wide array of services. From free planners and school supplies to one-on-one tutoring, study groups, peer mentoring, and workshops focused on study strategies and academic transitions, the LEAD Center is designed to meet students where they are.

“There are a million benefits to using our services,” says DiBacco, whose energy and passion for student success are contagious. “Of course, we provide academic support and help with course material, but we are also just a great place to be. There’s always going to be a smiling face and usually some snacks in the
LEAD Center.”

In an era when students are balancing coursework, jobs, family responsibilities, and more, spaces like the LEAD Center provide a lifeline. Beyond academic support, the Center offers a sense of belonging and encouragement, helping students persist when challenges arise. This approach is making a measurable difference. During the 2024/2025 academic year, the LEAD Center held over 4,000 tutoring and academic support appointments, serving more than 400 individual students – more than double the engagement from the prior year.

Much of the LEAD Center’s success is made possible through generous contributions from donors. DiBacco is candid about the critical role philanthropy plays in fueling the Center’s impact.

“These funds mean everything to my staff and me,” she says. “Dollars directly benefit the students we serve.”

The math is simple, and the effect, profound. A donation of $1,000 funds a tutor for an entire semester. A $10,000 gift funds five tutors for a year. These tutors are often students themselves, building their own skills while supporting their peers. In addition to personnel, donor dollars help provide academic planners, school supplies, and upgrades to the Center’s tutoring and study spaces, making the environment even more effective and welcoming.

This past year, a generous donation allowed the LEAD Center to refresh its resources and deepen its impact. The result was a visible, tangible improvement in the student experience. “Students now know that when they ask us for something, we’ll make it happen,” says DiBacco. “They trust us to be a supportive place that knows them by name and meets their needs.”

For alumni and friends of Fairmont State who are looking for meaningful ways to give back, the LEAD Center offers a clear and compelling opportunity. A gift to the Center is not an abstract investment; it is a direct contribution to student success. It’s a vote of confidence in the potential of today’s Falcons, and it fuels the kind of personal, one-on-one support that changes lives.

“If I could say one thing to our donors, it would be thank you,” says DiBacco. “Thank you for your support and your belief in us. Every dollar you send to us is a dollar given right back to all our Falcons.”

As the University continues to grow and adapt to meet the needs of an evolving student body, the LEAD Center stands as a beacon of what student-centered support can look like when it is powered by passion, grounded in community, and strengthened by the generosity of those who believe in the mission.