In an effort to bolster first year retention, student affairs and academic affairs came together to form a committee charged with creating a three-hour-credit seminar for first-year students. Robert Clark, vice president of administration and institutional effectiveness, will chair the task force that is made up of men and women in many different positions including professors, counselors, staff members and four students.

Betty Stewart, provost and vice president for academic affairs, hopes the diverse group will be able to create a course to help incoming students acclimate to the college environment. The course will be mandatory for all incoming freshmen.

“We wanted people from all around who have helped first-year students and know what could be improved,” Stewart said. “We also wanted the voice of the students in the committee, to know how better to serve them while they transition from high school to college.”

One goal of the committee is to design a course that will encourage students to engage in on-campus activities, both in and out of class.

“It’s been shown that students who do engage with school activities stay more often than not,” Stewart said

Although the committee has only met once, there is already a rudimentary idea in place, revived from a similar plan administrators made nine years ago.

“A goal right now is to cover all of the many resources we have across the camps, from the Wellness Center to the library, subject labs and tutoring,” she said. “There is a lot for first-year students to take advantage of if they are informed. Information is powerful. It helps you to become more confident and comfortable early in your college career.”

The committee’s planning period was put on hold after their first meeting in February, as the presidential campaigns took precedent in everyone’s schedules. Now that it is out of the way, Stewart said that the committee can get back into action.

“We were all very focused on the campaigns,” Stewart said. “With that out of the way we can turn our attention to this committee and take steps forward. The thing to focus on moving forward is student success.”

Angie Reay, associate director of housing and dining services, helps represent student affairs’ part in planning the seminar. Reay said that there is a planned focus group where they will brainstorm ways for the organization to influence the program, and that their main focus will be helping solve problems that arise when students transition from home life to life on a college campus.

“Some [struggles] for incoming students are transitional situations,” Reay said. “The freedom of being on your own for the first time, getting ready for class, going to class, making friends, adjusting to new classes, and getting connected and engaged to the campus community. They don’t have someone to tell them, ‘Hey, you have to get up.’ ”

Reay said housing staff and RAs will play a sizable role in helping new students get engaged with campus activities given the rise in resident students.

“Our staff and RAs are focused on making sure that the residents are committed to the campus in at least one way,” Reay said. “That could be through the programming we do in the resident halls, student organizations, academic groups, athletics, or any other part of campus that would make them feel connected and at home to the university.”

Rachel Smith, a business sophomore, was invited to be a part of the committee to help bring a students’ perspective to the planning.

“They wanted input from people from different areas from the college, especially us students,” Smith said.

With expierence in tutoring fellow students, Smith has her own ideas she plans to pitch to the committee, such as certain study habits, or planning a small research paper to ease students into the college experience.

“I know from tutoring other students that there are skills that need to be retaught,” Smith said. “They don’t realize how much time college takes. It takes so much more time to study for a test or do homework. It is much more rigorous.”

names and titles in the box

Members of the first-year seminar committee:

Cammie Dean, Director of Student Development

Deidre Frazier, Academic Counselor Coordinator

Tyler Garcia, political science sophomore

Todd Giles, Assistant English Professor

Jennifer Anderson, Assistant Respiratory Care Professor

Suzanne Lindt, Assistant Proffessor

Michael Mills, Director of Housing and Dining Services

Ruth Morrow, Music Professor

Pam Moss, Assistant Professor

Angie Reay, Associate Director of Housing and Dining Services

Rachel Smith, business sophomore

Chris Stovall, Business Office Controller

Tim Torres, chemistry freshman

Lind Veazey, Assistant Professor

Charles Watson, Assistant Professor

Newman Wong, Institutional Research Analyst