Extending enjoyable faculty orientation actions by means of October

Orientation for a residential faculty scholar is often jam-packed with completely different social occasions, data periods and tutorial help efforts. At Campbell College, the enjoyable of orientation week doesn’t finish after move-in day however continues for the primary 50 days of the tutorial yr.

The First 50 is a brand new initiative on the college, designed to introduce college students to school life and enhance first-year retention charges. Campus leaders hope the initiative exposes learners to all the things out there to them in faculty and promotes emotions of belonging.

What’s the necessity: Larger schooling practitioners have discovered incoming faculty college students have a hesitancy to have interaction on campus, requiring intentional and strategic outreach to learners.

One in 4 faculty college students has by no means attended an on-campus occasion, together with co-curricular, social, athletic and speaker occasions, in keeping with Inside Larger Ed’s 2024 Pupil Voice survey with Technology Lab.

Regardless of orientation week being primarily centered on creating scholar connections, one other 2023 Pupil Voice survey by Inside Larger Ed, carried out by Faculty Pulse, discovered 29 % of scholars say their orientation didn’t assist them make pals (the extra in style response than the 25 % of scholars who stated it did assist them make pals).

The way it works: The First 50 Days is led by Karen Parkes, director of scholar actions for the workplace of scholar life. However it has the help of assorted campus departments—from athletics, tutorial providers, help providers, the library and counseling providers to monetary assist—to host occasions.

A number of the occasions are campus traditions, such because the new scholar convocation and medallion ceremony and the welcome week avenue truthful. Others encourage college students to discover campus, corresponding to a ribbon-cutting occasion within the scholar union and “Popsicles and instructions,” hosted by Fraternity and Sorority Life. Additionally included are athletics video games, worship periods, profession growth workshops and lots of alternatives free of charge meals.

The 50 days conclude with the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi and a ceremonial pet blessing.

All occasions are discovered on one centrally situated web site, with instances, areas and host teams offered.

The aim is to get college students out of their dorms and see what Campbell has to supply, and to get them concerned in these choices, Parkes stated in a assertion. “Campbell is greater than finding out and going to class—which, in fact, is necessary—however we additionally need them to affix golf equipment, play intramurals and discover their neighborhood.”

Programming for at the moment’s scholar: Campbell isn’t the one establishment working to fulfill college students the place they’re with campus occasions and programming.

At Florida State College, the division of scholar affairs created a weekly advertising and marketing marketing campaign, Hiya FSU!, that highlights occasions taking place on campus, upcoming deadlines and different key data. College students have interaction with Hiya FSU! content material by means of an everyday e-newsletter and Instagram content material and might dig deeper into campus programming with a universitywide calendar.

In 2021, Utah State College launched a scholar engagement portal that highlights occasions happening and a campuswide calendar as properly. That is rising as a technique amongst establishments to democratize occasion data and spotlight scholar actions throughout teams.

For college kids with government dysfunction, the College of St. Joseph makes certain they don’t miss out on the social parts of faculty by offering them an upper-level peer mentor who can eat meals with them and accompany them to campus occasions. The Xenia program hopes to develop college students’ self-efficacy and confidence to navigate campus on their very own.

Somewhat than coaxing college students to have interaction in college traditions, Bellarmine College’s scholar leaders created their very own new campus icon, Penny the Pineapple. The chaotic mascot prompted different college students to make memes about her and hold a watch out for Penny at campus occasions.

Do you might have a campus engagement tip that may assist others encourage scholar success? Tell us about it.