Roanoke College
Mayday, Mayday MAy, 1970, COLUMBIA, SC—Protesting University of South Car- olina students stormed the administration building and locked pres- ident Thomas Jones in his office for hours. Presumably the protest was related to the Vietnam War, but war had also been declared between students and their institution. Jones mused “why does it have to be this way?” And the germ of a solution emerged. Two years later, the USC entering class was introduced to a new course called University 101, designed to create a bond between students and their school and, in some ways, to reshape how students were taught. The approach took hold and spread to other educators. In 1982,
175 of them joined USC’s John Gardner to hear a discussion of the first-year seminar concept. At the urging of participants, Gardner organized a second meeting with a focus on the entire first college year, resulting in the first Annual Conference on The Freshman year Experience. In 1986, USC formalized the National Center for the Study of The Freshman year Experience. Over time educators became familiar with other significant student
transitions. One such was the transition of community college grads to undergraduate juniors. The center’s mission expanded accordingly. After several name changes, the center is now called the National Resource Center for The First-year Experience and Students in Tran- sition in 1998. USC and the Center have hosted numerous annual conferences and fielded ongoing research studies ever since.
Making big seem smaller The sheer size and scale of a sprawling university, with its campus acreage or urban environment, and perhaps tens of thousands of
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sharon shields, Faculty Head of fresman experience Murray House at Vanderbilt university with students.
Today’sCampus 13
students is intimidating. The new environment, new roommates, new instructors, new curricula, new-found freedoms, new distractions, new temptations, and new expectations are likewise intimidating. The Freshman Experience is a tool to make big manageable and new familiar. All colleges have freshman orientations. They may involve a day
or two of information cramming. It may all go in one ear and out the other. Some campuses expanded them to week-long sessions with somewhat better results. More and more, they are being replaced with comprehensive, thoughtful programs that manage the transition and build relationships that last.
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