First Year Programs is dedicated to providing comprehensive transitional programming from the moment that the prospective student selects the UW. Efforts focus on providing entering students, both freshmen and transfer, with sound academic counseling and registration, student service resources, and transitional support resulting in a successful personal and curricular adjustment. The philosophy surrounding these efforts is that transition is an individualized process and that students transition most successfully when they have continuing contact with knowledgeable campus faculty, staff, and upper division peer advisers. The underlying goal is to build relationships and create experiences that promote the value of every entering student and a small campus feeling within the larger UW community.

Three phases of transition: Pre-matriculation Advising and Orientation occurs during the pre-matriculation phase and includes academic goal setting, academic advising, and course registration as well as an introduction to key student services and common transitional challenges. Efforts focus on encouraging students to seek answers to questions as they arise and to continue conversations with FYP staff and other campus resources as necessary throughout the transitional experience.

Three phases of transition: Pre-matriculation Arrival Upon arrival students experience Dawg Daze, a series of academic, resource, and social events that connect students to the campus community. Dawg Daze goes beyond the introduction of topics that is accomplished prior to matriculation, it is designed to engage students and facilitate connections between and among faculty, staff, and continuing students.

Three phases of transition: Pre-matriculation Arrival Matriculation During the first year of matriculation, FYP provides students with a series of academic programs that promote and support continued engagement in small, focused, relationship-building experiences. Freshmen Interest Groups (FIGs), Transfer and Returning Interest Groups (TRIGs), and Freshmen Seminars utilize a more academic environment to facilitate relationships between transitioning students and faculty, administrators, or peer leaders. Students who arrive in Winter, Spring, or Summer quarters participate in smaller transitional programs, but there is no change in program goals or content.

First Year Programs underwent a campus evaluation in 2002 and 2003 as a result of perceptions that planning and implementation of transitional programming was too centralized and did not reflect broader institutional goals. There were several changes that resulted from this evaluation: 1.Creation of the New Student Enrollment and Orientation Fee (NSEOF) which funds a broad range of transitional and academic success programs for students 2.Greater collaboration and support with regard to transitional efforts between the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE), the Division of Student Affairs, and the Office of Minority Affairs. 3.Creation of Faculty Connections - a large-scale, multifaceted effort to bring entering students together with UW faculty 4.Expansion and centralization of Dawg Daze Welcome Week programming 5.Greater emphasis on academic planning throughout transitional programming including expansion of the Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment (CLUE) 2002 – 2003 Institutional Review

Establishment of the NSEOF meant that transitional services would be provided to all entering students without regard to financial ability, unlike the previous “fee for service” programming Fees become eligible for payment through financial aid funding. Evaluation Consequences: New Student Enrollment and Confirmation Fee

Greater interaction between the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE), the Division of Student Affairs (SA), and the Office of Minority Affairs (OMA) throughout campus transitional efforts Dawg Daze incorporates programming that had been individually promoted individually by OUE, SA, and OMA. NSEOF contributions to Fall Fling events (sponsored by SA) and OMA Welcome Daze events. Evaluation Consequences: Divisional Relationships

Creation of Faculty Connections, a program that “kicks off” the college experience by brining together campus faculty with small groups of entering students. Conversations focus on the UW academic experience and academic success. Creation of Husky Adventures – interactive, small, off-campus daytrips for students hosted by campus faculty and staff. Trip themes are a personal pursuit of the host. While the stated goal is simply an enjoyable day trip, the more valued and subtle consequence is the breaking down of students’ perceptions of faculty; they see that instructors are responsive, interesting, and approachable. Evaluation Consequences: Emphasis On Faculty-Student Interaction Support for a Faculty Liaison with FYP to generate campus interest in Faculty Connections programs, and to help facilitate faculty-student programming.

Creation of Advising and Orientation program that incorporates a greater focus on academics Fiscal support to OMA and the Gateway Center for additional advising staff Expansion of the Center for Learning and Undergraduate Enrichment (CLUE), a free, late night, multidisciplinary study center designed to provide supplementary educational opportunities for and enhance the academic achievement of all UW undergraduates. approachable. Evaluation Consequences: Emphasis On Academic Resources

Institutional coordination of programs for students as they arrive to begin classes. Programming precedes commencement of classes and continues several days into the quarter bridging the arrival experience for new students. The expansion of Dawg Daze coincided with the movement of the first day of classes from Monday to Wednesday to incorporate transitional programming. Infusion of significant funding to broaden the scope of events. Events fall into daily themes (involvement, academics, exploring, etc.) to promote the scope of events offered. Evaluation Consequences: Dawg Daze

A well-designed, comprehensive, institutional approach to student transition A successful effort to create connections between entering students and the people and resources that they need to reach their full potential Balance between the academic, co-curricular, and personal integration into the UW community Strengths of the Undergraduate Experience In Terms Of Transitional Programming

To continue to strengthen relationships across departments and divisions to create a seamless transition for entering students. To create a set of positive institutional traditions that mark the beginning of the college experience and communicate to entering students that they are included in the UW academic community To further develop the FIG and TRIG programs so that high levels of peer leader interaction is maintained while incorporating greater academic content and institutional involvement. Future Endeavors In Terms Of Transitional Programming

191 Mary Gates Hall (206)