CSP faculty and staff are dedicated to supporting all students who have the desire and willingness to work hard toward achieving their academic and career goals. The program operates by increasing the intensity of instruction and counseling.

CSP intensive sections are smaller than routine course sections of the same subject. The CSP instructional model is rooted in the philosophy that we must recognize where students "are" before we can help them move to where they should be. We do this through diagnostic testing, individual consultations with students and no small amount of prodding students to ever higher achievements. Thus, some aspects of our instructional efforts function as a transitional bridge between the skills students bring with them and the skills they need to be successful at Michigan. CSP instructors are adept at keeping their eyes on two things: the level of student preparation upon entry and the demanding expectations of a world-class research-oriented university. Both are addressed in CSP courses as appropriate.

CSP also provides tutoring in a wide variety of subjects for those students who need it, but are not enrolled in CSP intensive sections. This comprehensive approach assumes that the capacity to do high-level work is distributed over the population as a whole and is to be found in students from all backgrounds.

CSP's vision is genuinely challenging and future-oriented. Courses are enriched, not watered down. Students are not passive recipients of extra help, but are responsible for applying extra effort. CSP resources are available to ensure that the extra effort pays off; it provides the support system students need to succeed in an environment full of new demands and challenges.

CSP has also expanded its offerings to include Freshman Seminars designed for first and second year students. CSP students participate in and contribute to many other programs and units of the University, such as the Honors Program, the Residential College, the Alice Lloyd Scholars Program, the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and the Community Scholars Program.