November 19, 2018
As an outgrowth of initial discussions two years ago, Admissions and Financial Aid and Student Life have been reexamining, with the guidance of a task force working with Vice Provosts Marc Harding and Kenyon Bonner, the framework and delivery for onboarding new undergraduates—from the approach to academic orientation to the transition to campus life. I am pleased to share that I have approved the task force’s recommendations, including the establishment of the Office of New Student Programs to oversee:
- Online Orientation: Students and parents will have access to online modules with content, videos, and quizzes. We will be contracting with Advantage Design Group, a company that has partnered with other universities for successful and fantastic online orientations.
- Advising: Schools and colleges now have ownership and control over advising. A personalized model is in place but does not require a campus visit. Advising can take place on the phone, via conference call, or in-person.
- Course Registration: This will continue to be online and required but will be driven by decisions made by advising.
- Retreats: Six overnight social retreats will be offered to incoming students who would like to connect to campus and stay in a residence hall. This is primarily for students to get acclimated to campus, make friends, and explore campus and the city.
- Welcome Week: This will remain as is, for the most part, but with additional academic information.
The New Student Programs fee will remain at $200 for this year as we transition. There are, of course, more details to come, but I look forward to this new set of programs and processes for the Fall 2019 class.
Sincerely,
Ann
Ann E. Cudd
Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor