Campbell College is extending orientation actions past the primary few weeks of college into the primary 50 days of the autumn time period.
Orientation for a residential school scholar is often jam-packed with totally different social occasions, info classes and educational assist 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 educational yr.
The First 50 is a brand new initiative on the college, designed to introduce college students to varsity life and enhance first-year retention charges. Campus leaders hope the initiative exposes learners to the whole lot accessible to them in school and promotes emotions of belonging.
What’s the necessity: Increased schooling practitioners have discovered incoming school college students have a hesitancy to have interaction on campus, requiring intentional and strategic outreach to learners.
One in 4 school college students has by no means attended an on-campus occasion, together with co-curricular, social, athletic and speaker occasions, in accordance with Inside Increased Ed’s 2024 Pupil Voice survey with Era Lab.
Regardless of orientation week being primarily targeted on creating scholar connections, one other 2023 Pupil Voice survey by Inside Increased Ed, performed by Faculty Pulse, discovered 29 p.c of scholars say their orientation didn’t assist them make associates (the extra fashionable response than the 25 p.c of scholars who mentioned it did assist them make associates).
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 assist of assorted campus departments—from athletics, educational companies, assist companies, the library and counseling companies to monetary help—to host occasions.
A few 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, comparable 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 classes, profession improvement 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 objective 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 mentioned in a assertion. “Campbell is greater than finding out and going to class—which, after all, is vital—however we additionally need them to hitch golf equipment, play intramurals and discover their neighborhood.”
Programming for right now’s scholar: Campbell isn’t the one establishment working to satisfy college students the place they’re with campus occasions and programming.
At Florida State College, the division of scholar affairs created a weekly advertising marketing campaign, Good day FSU!, that highlights occasions occurring on campus, upcoming deadlines and different key info. College students interact with Good day FSU! content material by a daily publication and Instagram content material and may dig deeper into campus programming with a universitywide calendar.
In 2021, Utah State College launched a scholar engagement portal that highlights occasions going down and a campuswide calendar as effectively. That is rising as a method amongst establishments to democratize occasion info and spotlight scholar actions throughout teams.
For college students with govt 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 preserve a watch out for Penny at campus occasions.
Do you’ve a campus engagement tip that may assist others encourage scholar success? Tell us about it.
