What a fantastic start to the Fall semester! This time of year is packed with excitement. So much goes into moving students into residence halls, welcoming back student leaders and transitioning them into their roles, educating new faculty on Student Affairs services, resuming programs and services, and preparing our facilities for the return of students. Our team accomplished this with such positivity and optimism. Everywhere I turned I saw smiles as we engaged with and welcomed the new freshman class as well as returning students.
A-Week and Welcome Weeks continue to be an energetic welcome for new students, with new efforts this year tailored specifically to first-gen and transfer students. Freshman commuters, Academic Enrichment Program students, and veterans and military-affiliated students also had opportunities to be oriented and make connections. A rescheduled New Student Pep Rally did not deter attendees and the tradition of forming the A on the football field continued. And shout out to Greek Life for facilitating the second largest Panhellenic recruitment in UofA history (2,052 bids)!
A new feature we are starting in this issue is something that was asked for in our readership survey conducted this past spring – a Department Spotlight. This regular story will feature profiles of the different departments in the Division, highlighting their work, their people and their contributions to student success and the division’s strategic plan initiatives. In our first spotlight we connect with the Office of Student Accountability.
Our staff Q&A feature this issue is Jess Claire, Case Manager in the Office of Student Accountability. She has been with the division for almost one year. Claire said she loves getting to work 1 on 1 with students, knowing that there are many factors and challenging life circumstances that may bring them to her office.
This past spring we created an Innovation Fund with $34,500 received from private donations. A call for departments to create proposals for programs or services that will help propel the Advancing Student Affairs Strategic Plan was made in Spring 2024. Directors answered the call with ideas that will help students succeed and advance our goals and objectives, from initiating a Career Readiness Badge, to creating a Women’s Leadership Experience. In this issue we have an overall story about the 7 submissions that received funding, and we will take a deeper dive into them in future issues of the Student Affairs Bulletin.
I would love to hear from you! If you have questions about the stories you have read here, or if you have ideas on stories you would like to see in this space, please email me at jbattje@uark.edu or give me a call at 479-575-5007.