Getting Ready for Welcome Week
Regent University’s College of Arts & Sciences is gearing up to welcome on-campus college students to their residence halls. Ahead of the start of fall classes, the Center for Student Happiness (CSH) is ready to make the transition from summer time to the school year an easy one for students and their families.
“Welcome Week is a significant transition point in which we are intentional about connecting students to the people, information and resources they will need to not just survive, but thrive here at Regent,” said Kyle Graham, CSH director.
The fall 2016 session marks Regent’s largest residential undergraduate class ever – 830 students. And on Monday, August 15, resident assistants and Welcome Week volunteers will be moving freshmen and first-time transfer students into their rooms.
Move-in day kicks off a week full of orientation activities. Regent’s Advising, Business Office, Financial Aid, Student Services and The Ordinary will all be open to assist students. Events include informational meetings and social gatherings. Each activity is designed to help students acclimate to their new environment, connect and build critical relationships, and become active in the life of the university.
“We cover the event in prayer, and we want students to know that this is their home and their family,” said Hannah Stratton, student orientation & engagement coordinator.
The CSH places special importance on Welcome Week. The activities are designed to ensure student success and continue a track record of promoting achievement. Staff members estimate that freshmen who attend the orientations see a 20-percent higher success rate in their first year at Regent.
“The CSH takes a John 10:3 focus so that students can say ‘I am known’ for my unique attributes, and those who know me this way celebrate rather than just tolerate me,” said Dr. Joseph Umidi, executive vice president for student life. “To be known is to be loved and, as our Chancellor frequently reminds us, the love that we have for our students is one of our biggest assets.”
Campus Ministries, Residence Life teams, Student Services, Student Activities & Leadership, Career Services, the College of Arts & Sciences, and many other organizations across Regent’s campus all pitch-in to make sure things start smoothly for students. The week officially wraps up with Life Group meetings Sunday evening before classes start Monday morning, August 22.