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 pupil is usually jam-packed with totally different social occasions, info periods and educational 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 educational 12 months.
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 every little thing out there to them in school and promotes emotions of belonging.
What’s the necessity: Larger training practitioners have discovered incoming school college students have a hesitancy to interact 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 Larger Ed’s 2024 Scholar Voice survey with Era Lab.
Regardless of orientation week being primarily targeted on creating pupil connections, one other 2023 Scholar Voice survey by Inside Larger Ed, performed by Faculty Pulse, discovered 29 p.c of scholars say their orientation didn’t assist them make pals (the extra in style response than the 25 p.c of scholars who mentioned it did assist them make pals).
The way it works: The First 50 Days is led by Karen Parkes, director of pupil actions for the workplace of pupil life. Nevertheless it has the help of varied campus departments—from athletics, educational providers, help providers, the library and counseling providers to monetary assist—to host occasions.
Among the occasions are campus traditions, such because the new pupil convocation and medallion ceremony and the welcome week avenue truthful. Others encourage college students to discover campus, akin to a ribbon-cutting occasion within the pupil union and “Popsicles and instructions,” hosted by Fraternity and Sorority Life. Additionally included are athletics video games, worship periods, profession growth workshops and plenty of alternatives at no cost 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 positioned web site, with instances, places and host teams supplied.
The purpose 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 essential—however we additionally need them to affix golf equipment, play intramurals and discover their neighborhood.”
Programming for right now’s pupil: 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 pupil affairs created a weekly advertising marketing campaign, Howdy FSU!, that highlights occasions occurring on campus, upcoming deadlines and different key info. College students have interaction with Howdy FSU! content material by means of a daily e-newsletter and Instagram content material and may dig deeper into campus programming with a universitywide calendar.
In 2021, Utah State College launched a pupil engagement portal that highlights occasions going down and a campuswide calendar as nicely. That is rising as a technique amongst establishments to democratize occasion info and spotlight pupil 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.
Quite than coaxing college students to interact in college traditions, Bellarmine College’s pupil 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’ve got a campus engagement tip that may assist others encourage pupil success? Tell us about it.
