Susan Backofen

Chris-- That is certainly the goal...sounds like you have a great plan. Do you have specific tactics you use to accomplish this? Susan

Dolly-- Small campuses have their benefits and drawbacks. You have stated one of the challenges in that having every department represented is difficult. I do like your idea of 'exchanging' the speakers to give a quick overview of their department then allowing someone else to come in and do the same. That allows everyone to introduce themselves to the new students and still have adequate coverage. Susan

Madeline-- Your program sounds great...putting a face with particular departments and functions is important. Also, explaining what types of tasks each department does is helpful to students. Do you include any faculty in your orientation? Susan

Hernando-- You are absolutely correct that allowing students to get to know us and their classmates is important. Do you do any other activities to help keep those connections with other students going? Susan

Raul-- I am a big believer in audio-visual materials and other things that help 'bring to life' what the institution is about. Great! Susan

Isva-- It sounds like you do a great job of acclimating the students to their resources. Do you have some type of activities that encourage students to get to know each other as well? Susan

Enrique-- They certainly do! In fact, Financial Aid probably knows more about the students' obstacles and challenges than anyone else. They can play a key role in student retention by providing access to resources beyond paying tuition. Susan

Pablo-- That's great that you keep the end goal in front of them...preparing them for their profession is what brought them to our door. The fact we get to play a part in that and provide them with some support is a plus! Susan

Karen-- It certainly sounds like it is an 'all hands on deck' environment, which I am certain the students appreciate. Susan

Richard-- It sounds like you have your 'orientation' built in to the first two days of class, which is an excellent idea and probably helps with a number of factors such as 'late' enrollments, etc. It also provides them with a longer time to acclimate and build relationships with each other, faculty and staff. Susan