Outreach Efforts

Outreach Efforts
3/8/07 at 3:40:27 PM

— Julie Ann Edin, Community Coordinator
Psychological Sciences Student Community

Our office traffic remained heavy even through the end of January. Although in many of our offices, February and early March bring a slow-down as students get settled into their spring semester routines. Fall and the next registration period seem ages away. Of course, we need to fill our appointment schedules if we expect to meet with all of our students at least once each year. So, early last month I conducted a variety of outreach efforts to bring students in early before the high-demand period that starts just after spring break.

One outreach effort went to approximately 300 fall 2006 NHS students. They were invited to schedule a planning appointment to consider courses and co-curricular activities for all of the sophomore year. The email emphasized the importance of an adviser contact to discuss interests, establish a plan, and prepare for major declaration in order to remain on track for timely graduation.

Sophomores and juniors with specified sub-plans but who have not yet formally declared got an email with precise instructions on how to declare their proposed major and how to find departmental contact information for other majors. Those who were pre-College of Education and Human Development were given a web link to learn how to transfer. These emails also included an invitation to schedule an appointment if students were still unsure about a major.

Sophomores without any sub-plan indication were invited to schedule an appointment but were also referred to "Exploring Majors & Interests," the "More Than a Major" fair, and directed to the Choosing Your Major interactive web site.

Student athletes who had not scheduled year-long planning appointments as of mid February got a reminder to schedule an appointment, along with suggestions on to how to best prepare for that appointment. Approximately one-third of our assigned athletes got this reminder.

We sent students on probation information about Student Academic Success Service workshops and their mid-term LASk course. They were also reminded of Smart Learning Commons resources. Students were informed, as well, about the need for an advising contact prior to fall 2007 registration and of the course withdrawal deadlines for the term.

As Kathie Peterson mentioned in her newsletter entry last week, she did an individual review of some approximately 40 undecided students’ records and sent them individualized emails regarding resources available to them.

So, how many emails was that, I wonder. In monitoring uLook booking, it is clear that these efforts got a response. We are fully booked or nearly fully booked each day and for February, that is better than normal. Certainly, I don’t anticipate that these efforts will mean no one will need to come in later. But at least fewer students will need to be calling for appointments in April and May.

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