At the beginning of the first year, student affairs staff members serve as educators through special programs and activities that have an impact on students' success in college.

Defines socialization and its three stages. Looks closely at the process of organizational socialization, focusing on the reciprocal nature of socialization, the process of cultural learning, factors influencing institutional identification, and research needs. Considers ways in which organizational socialization can benefit Catholic educators.…

Assesses whether faculty members and students consider specific behaviors cheating. This study differs from previous research in that it allows students and faculty to indicate conditions that may influence their opinions regarding the integrity of academic practices. Argues that it is imperative that faculty members, advisors, and counselors…

Describes components of an academic learning center's program to help nontraditional college students adjust to the demands of university life. (SR)

The thirteen CAS standards and guidelines for student orientation were applied to the results of a nationwide study on orientation practices by graduate schools. Results indicate that most of the practices adhere, in varying degrees, to the standards. Two of the standards were not applicable to graduate student orientation programs.

To understand factors affecting the academic and social integration of community college transfer students, we interviewed 19 students who transferred to one state's large Research-Extensive university. We inquired about the transfer process, efforts of the university to orient and assist them, and perceptions of the university versus the…

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) offers student workshops that range from Cool New Web Stuff (what is on the web that can help make research or just plain life easier) and How To Use Google Scholar. These workshops are brilliant fodder for podcasting. In fact, the initial idea for its podcast project came from a student plagiarism…

The orientation program for new students at the University of Maryland, College Park, provides sessions for students who have secured on-campus housing, students who have secured off-campus housing, and students who are seeking housing. Topics covered in the latter session (the "housing hunters" session) include: (1) prioritizing…

Outlines areas for principals to cover in developing new teacher orientation programs. These include overview of the school and community, policies and procedures, benefits, compensation, and physical facilities. (MD)

Describes a prototype for the delivery of orientation programs in large complex universities. The model applies specific managerial prinicples to the needs present at the University of Southern California. The dental school orientation presented here is one example of how programs were tailored to the department and student population. (Author/BEF)

Intramural sports activities are used as an integral part of the freshman orientation program at Belmont Abbey College. The program organization and success are briefly described. (JMF)

Studied patterns of student declarations of major at a university at which one-third of incoming freshmen are undeclared. Findings for 449 students show that in the study period, 248 students had declared majors, with more than half of these choosing by their second or third semester, and almost all declaring with fewer than 46 credits. (SLD)

Offers annotated citations that outline the structure of programs for incoming freshmen at some colleges, and discuss the outcomes related to participation by students. Asserts that these types of programs are more difficult to structure at community colleges because many students attend part-time or have outside obligations that limit the time…

To help transfer students adjust more readily to new schools, several activities are advised, including a guided buddy system, a counseling plan, and teacher introductions--all based on information gleaned from a new student checklist. (MLH)

Describes an interdisciplinary unit (in which students solve a crime) to begin the school year for seventh graders. Suggests that the unit serves to introduce students to science, math, social studies, and English courses while they get acquainted with the people and places in a large junior high school. (SR)