The Power of Connection

How Marshall’s HELP Program brightens futures

By Dave Traube

Nestled in Myers Hall on Marshall University’s Huntington campus is a center where life-changing moments unfold daily. The Marshall University HELP Program is more than just another support service – it’s simultaneously a lifeline and launchpad, a place where students rewrite their stories and discover what they’re capable of achieving.

Founded in 1981 by Dr. Barbara Guyer, the HELP Program has grown from a basement tutoring program to a nationally recognized Center of Excellence, offering services to students as young as 6 and as advanced as medical school. From one-on-one coaching to diagnostic testing, HELP builds personalized plans that address issues in academics, while strengthening confidence, selfesteem and resilience. It remains one of only a few such programs in the entire country.

“Dr. Guyer saw what others missed,” said Hillary Adams, director of HELP. “She recognized the talents within students who learn differently. Her vision wasn’t about fixing students — it was about equipping them with the tools to thrive.” The program’s focus isn’t just on academics — it’s on connection. Every aspect is personalized, and every plan is individually tailored to the student. The relationships formed at HELP between students, tutors and life coaches are often the things that lead to transformational change. Just ask Isaac Singleton, a current business major who found his way and his motivation through the impact of his HELP support team.

“I was frozen,” Singleton said. “There were times I’d sit and stare at an assignment for an hour and still not start it. It wasn’t about understanding the work either. I just couldn’t find the motivation to start, and it was really affecting me emotionally. After I found and joined HELP, everything changed for me.” Singleton credits his tutor, Zach, for helping him stay accountable, and his skills coach, Beverly, for helping him stay grounded. “It wasn’t just about grades for me,” he said, “it was about having people in my corner. I didn’t want to let them down.” Since joining the program, Singleton has made the dean’s list and left academic probation behind. But more importantly, he’s gained confidence — the kind of confidence that doesn’t just change transcripts, but changes lives.

When Success on the Field Mirrors the Classroom

LV Colclough knows the power of that transformational change well. A successful Marshall football player in the 1990s, and now a returning student in the aviation program, Colclough credits HELP for not only getting him through his first college experience, but for building the foundation that carries him through life today.

“I was a student at the HELP Program before I was really a student of Marshall,” Colclough said. “I had a learning disability that was finally identified late in high school, and without the HELP program, I wouldn’t be here today. Those ladies gave me confidence, but more importantly, they didn’t make me feel broken for learning differently — they made me feel capable. I spent more time in the HELP Center than I did anywhere else — more than the library, my dorm or even the football facility.” A defining moment for Colclough came when his scholarship was revoked due to a technicality in the proctoring of his high school SAT. “I was devastated,” he recalls. “But the HELP staff showed up for me — they helped me retake the test, and I scored even higher the second time. My dad stepped up and paid my tuition out of pocket just so I could stay, and by January, I was back on full scholarship.” Now, decades later, Colclough has returned to pursue a second career in aviation. “Life after football is long,” he said. “The HELP Program showed me how to build a foundation that lasted.

That’s what I tell people: This program is a gem. It’s why Marshall stood out in the ’90s for me and why it still matters so much today.”

More Than a Program

What makes the HELP Program distinct isn’t just the services — it’s the soul. Staffed by a diverse team of full-time specialists and over 15 graduate assistants from across the globe, the center quickly becomes a second home for many students. It’s a place where different doesn’t mean broken, where accommodations don’t mean lowered expectations, and where success is measured by more than just GPA.

“We track everything from grades to entrance exams to attendance,” Adams said. “But the biggest win is when students start to see their own potential.

And as much as it hurts not to be ‘needed’ anymore, that’s the goal, right? When they start to do it all on their own and have the tools that they came for — that’s when we are successful.” The program’s reputation extends well beyond campus, too. National organizations like Peterson’s and College Consensus have recognized Marshall as a top institution for students with learning disabilities, and community outreach services — such as ACT/SAT prep, diagnostic testing, and early intervention — make the program a regional asset.

In many ways, HELP exemplifies the university’s broader vision of offering an affordable and transformational education, and being a place where moments matter and lives are changed.

“The real power is in forming meaningful relationships that come from having an open door for people and working to build trust,” Adams said. “I get to watch our students navigate some of the most shape-shifting years of their lives and then walk that graduation stage. Our team members often share in the highest highs and the lowest lows with students, but the highs make it all worth it.” A PROGRAM WITH PURPOSE As higher education confronts new challenges — everything from increasing mental health needs to the growing understanding of neurodivergence — the HELP Program is one example of how Marshall is leading the way in the evolution of higher education. HELP isn’t just a bonus resource, either — it’s a foundational part of how Marshall defines both achievement and opportunity.

And while some moments can feel big, like an LV Colclough touchdown in front of the Herd faithful, some of the most powerful begin in the quiet corners of Myers Hall, where a student meets a tutor, a plan begins to take shape and the future starts to feel possible.