New counseling students often have strong reactions to the concept of privilege and become anxious when expected to address issues of multiculturalism personally and professionally. In this article, the authors describe a new student orientation model that focuses on addressing privilege and offer steps toward embracing multiculturalism and social…

The transition into college remains one of the most formative and complex phases in an individual's life. Institutions of higher learning have responded to the challenges facing first-year students in myriad ways, most often by offering summer orientation programs, dynamic living-learning environments, tailored academic and psychological support…

Planning programs with learning outcomes that address diversity issues on campus can become fairly routine--a "plug and play" task--for a director of multicultural student affairs at a private, religious, predominantly white liberal arts university. However, connecting with African American and other minority students when they arrived on campus…

The Biology Intensive Orientation for Students (BIOS) Program at Louisiana State University was designed to increase the success of incoming freshman biology majors in the first course in their major. The program combined content lectures and examinations for BIOL 1201-Introductory Biology for Science Majors, the first course in their major, as…

Over the years researchers have attempted to gather information on outdoor orientation programs. Past researchers used different sampling techniques to locate programs, but all concluded more outdoor orientation programs probably existed than they were able to find. In the fall of 2005, a research group for the present study set out to create a…

Freshmen Pre-Orientation Programs (FPOPs) can be powerful outreach tools for incoming college students and provide an exciting introduction to the field of engineering. The benefits reach not only the first year students, but also the upperclassmen who help to run the programs and the departments that sponsor them. A family of three engineering…

Presents a play that gives elementary school students a lighthearted but informative overview of middle school life. The play presents information about curriculum, lockers, physical education, materials, and classwork. Notes student reactions to the presentation. (RC)

Describes the design and application of the Student Affairs Program Evaluation Process at the University of Nebraska. An evaluation team including students and faculty was set up to study counseling, recreation and orientation programs. Weaknesses and strengths of the process were discussed and suggestions made for appropriate followup activities.…

A telephone registration system for first year students implemented at Alma College (Michigan), involves having freshmen confer with advisors during orientation week, then having the registrar's office contact the advisors. Despite limitations, the low-tech solution works well at extremely low cost. (MSE)

Describes a program for more effective academic advising called "Freshman Dialogue" where small groups of freshmen meet weekly with a trained faculty advisor for an intensive orientation to the university. Provides various rewards for both students and faculty. Results indicate the program was enthusiastically received and retention improved.…

The goal of Queensborough Community College's College Discovery Pre-Freshman Summer Program (PFSP) is to ease the transition from high school into college for entering College Discovery freshmen, and thereby improve their academic performance and increase their chances for retention at the college. An evaluation of the PFSP was conducted in 1987…

Presented in case study form is the advising and orientation plan developed for a National Science Foundation grant to prepare future science and mathematics teachers. Comprehensive recruitment strategies, an orientation course, off-campus retreats and field experiences, and academic advising and career counseling elements are described.…

The "revolving door syndrome" refers to the ease with which students are able to enroll in community colleges and the equal ease with which they can drop out. In addition to traditional retention strategies, such as assessment, placement, orientation and advising, innovative approaches have been implemented at five community colleges…

A catalog of 205 descriptions of college programs to recruit and retain adult learners is presented, based on a national survey, "Attracting and Retaining Adult Learners" (ARAL), conducted in 1980 by the American College Testing Program. In addition to a brief program description, each program form provides information on the type of program, the…

Results of a national survey, "Attracting and Retaining Adult Learners" (ARAL), by the American College Testing Program are summarized. Attention is focused on programs and services that have been successful with adult learners. ARAL respondents were from three types of institutions: (1) those for whom adult learners represent a primary thrust of…