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New Fall NSO
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November 4, 2010
Dear Faculty and Staff,
We write to inform you of a new campus initiative and to request your participation. Research on higher education has demonstrated that the first year of college is critical to student success because it sets the stage for the rest of the undergraduate experience. Over the past year, the Transformational Transitions Team (TTT), a group composed of representatives from both Academic Affairs and Student Affairs and Campus Life, has developed a campus-wide plan for providing our incoming freshmen with a holistic and integrated first-year experience under the banner name of FYI (First Year Intelligence). The purposes of our FYI program are to:
- Increase student-to-student interaction
- Increase faculty-to-student interaction
- Increase student involvement and time on campus
- Link the curriculum and co-curriculum
- Increase academic expectations and levels of academic engagement
The launching point for FYI is New Student Orientation (NSO). NSO programs represent key elements in charting an institutional course for student success. We are very pleased to announce that, in response to the findings of the TT Team and the best practices of national research on first-year students, our New Student Orientation program will undergo an exciting change for the 2011-12 academic year. Building on successful Summer NSO, we are introducing the Fall NSO program that requires all first-year students to arrive on campus on Thursday, Sept. 1. Early freshman move-in will allow us to program the fall orientation from Sept. 1-4. This orientation period will give the class of 2015 a head start on acclimating to campus and collegiate life, forge a greater sense of connection to their classmates and class identity, and provide a solid introduction to the UMass experience. There will be many events happening during this time – each one a wonderful opportunity to meet and engage with our newest students. These events will include a New Student Convocation on Friday, Sept. 2, activities for individual colleges and schools, discussion groups focused on the common reading, a variety of skill-building sessions, social and cultural events, and more.
Each year our graduating seniors tell us about the faculty that changed their lives. With this in mind, as part of the Fall NSO we hope to connect our tenure-stream faculty immediately with our newest students, so that they too may benefit from one of the true strengths of UMass.
Of course, all such opportunities will be voluntary, but we trust that many of you will respond. Our commitment and engagement as administrators, staff and faculty form the building blocks of campus spirit, student success and maintaining a positive total learning community.
In recognition of the significant impact of the new Fall Orientation on future student success, we extend a special invitation to the campus community to support the planning, collaboration, and coordination of this important new initiative. For more information or to get involved, please contact Jeanne Horrigan, the TTT subcommittee chair of NSO, jhorrigan@acad.umass.edu. Thank you.
Robert C. Holub, Chancellor
Jean Kim, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life
