The goal of Queensborough Community College's College Discovery Pre-Freshman Summer Program (PFSP) is to ease the transition from high school into college for entering College Discovery freshmen, and thereby improve their academic performance and increase their chances for retention at the college. An evaluation of the PFSP was conducted in 1987…

Based in part on a study at Towson State University, Maryland, retention was found to be linked to advising. In response to this defined linkage, a freshman advising program was developed which emphasized mandatory participation, increased faculty awareness of the complexities of advising, self-assessment, the merger of Academic Affairs with…

This paper describes a preadmission orientation program for older nontraditional students at Murray State University, Kentucky. Included is a description of the university, a description of the orientation for traditional-age freshmen and an explanation of why this program was not appropriate for adult freshmen. A step-by-step description of the…

The distance teaching counseling program for mature students at Deakin University, Australia, is discussed, along with the extent to which adequate counseling is provided for the distance student in Australia and other countries. Completion of admission and enrollment procedures for new off-campus students between June and December in the year…

In this experimental orientation program, peer groups work with potential high school freshmen while they are still in the eighth grade, so that transition to high school will be easier. Groups consisting of two student leaders, and 10 to 15 eighth graders, meet for three 45-minute sessions, and engage in various orientation, visiting day, and…

This sourcebook is the result of a week-long conference of about 50 "Study Abroad Advisors" held in 1974. The workshop and the sourcebook are the first steps toward professionalizing the field of advising U.S. students who wish an overseas experience. The sourcebook is designed as a complement to the Council on International Educational Exchange's…

Ottawa University's (Arizona) Proseminar is an eight-week course that orients adult students to university policies and procedures; engages them in issues of adult development, self- assessment, and goals; emphasizes the value of advisement; enables them to identify prior learning; and helps them take responsibility for planning their college…

Describes ways to instill in elementary school students a sense of ownership of the library media center and self-confidence in its use. Topics include signage; student "licenses" for completion of training on library equipment; individual rewards; "footprints" or similar pathfinders on the floor; maps; and browsing and…

First year students perceive their transition to college in a variety of ways. They may look at their first year as a new beginning or chapter in their lives; as either gaining or losing status; as confusing, challenging, or enlightening; or as a pleasant or unpleasant experience. Because these students are "simultaneously trying to adapt to…

Many universities and colleges are moving from traditional on-campus teaching to also teaching online courses to distant students. Institutions face many challenges in supporting their distant students and need a holistic view of the support that distant students require. This paper proposes ways that institutions could meet these needs of online…

Components of a student retention program at Eastern Michigan University are examined; for each effort to improve retention, project objectives and design, results, and recommendations are presented. Retention initiatives, decided upon as a result of a campus-wide mobilization of effort, include: a student-focused orientation system, a fast track…

Foothill College's matriculation plan is composed of seven components, each with its own goals, staffing, hardware, planning activities, outcomes, and timelines. Though the college began to implement the plan in 1987, a number of the goals and activities will be only partially fulfilled in 1988-89. The goals of the admissions component are…

Social isolation and loneliness, cultural shock, and lack of commitment to minority students have been suggested as barriers to educational attainment for many minority college students. Blacks are severely underrepresented in the sciences and in mathematics, and these issues and concerns are not uncommon to black students enrolled in the School…

This paper addresses two important aspects involved in orienting an ex-offender to college. The first aspect is the selection of students for admission; the second is the structuring of individual counseling and class orientation to examine important psychological and social changes that the student must make to be successful in college and…

Among the activities at Colorado College in late-summer preparation for the coming academic year are organization of the freshman orientation program focusing on the topic of prejudice, residence hall adviser training, and faculty research. (MSE)