Extending fun college orientation activities through October

Orientation for a residential college student is typically jam-packed with different social events, information sessions and academic support efforts. At Campbell University, the fun of orientation week doesn’t end after move-in day but continues for the first 50 days of the academic year.

The First 50 is a new initiative at the university, designed to introduce students to college life and improve first-year retention rates. Campus leaders hope the initiative exposes learners to everything available to them in college and promotes feelings of belonging.

What’s the need: Higher education practitioners have found incoming college students have a hesitancy to engage on campus, requiring intentional and strategic outreach to learners.

One in four college students has never attended an on-campus event, including co-curricular, social, athletic and speaker events, according to Inside Higher Ed’s 2024 Student Voice survey with Generation Lab.

Despite orientation week being primarily focused on creating student connections, another 2023 Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed, conducted by College Pulse, found 29 percent of students say their orientation did not help them make friends (the more popular response than the 25 percent of students who said it did help them make friends).

How it works: The First 50 Days is led by Karen Parkes, director of student activities for the office of student life. But it has the support of various campus departments—from athletics, academic services, support services, the library and counseling services to financial aid—to host events.

Some of the events are campus traditions, such as the new student convocation and medallion ceremony and the welcome week street fair. Others encourage students to explore campus, such as a ribbon-cutting event in the student union and “Popsicles and directions,” hosted by Fraternity and Sorority Life. Also included are athletics games, worship sessions, career development workshops and many opportunities for free food.

The 50 days conclude with the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi and a ceremonial pet blessing.

All events are found on one centrally located website, with times, locations and host groups provided.

The goal is to get students out of their dorms and see what Campbell has to offer, and to get them involved in those offerings, Parkes said in a statement. “Campbell is more than studying and going to class—which, of course, is important—but we also want them to join clubs, play intramurals and find their community.”

Programming for today’s student: Campbell isn’t the only institution working to meet students where they are with campus events and programming.

At Florida State University, the division of student affairs created a weekly marketing campaign, Hello FSU!, that highlights events happening on campus, upcoming deadlines and other key information. Students engage with Hello FSU! content through a regular newsletter and Instagram content and can dig deeper into campus programming with a universitywide calendar.

In 2021, Utah State University launched a student engagement portal that highlights events taking place and a campuswide calendar as well. This is growing as a strategy among institutions to democratize event information and highlight student activities across groups.

For students with executive dysfunction, the University of St. Joseph makes sure they don’t miss out on the social elements of college by providing them an upper-level peer mentor who can eat meals with them and accompany them to campus events. The Xenia program hopes to develop students’ self-efficacy and confidence to navigate campus on their own.

Rather than coaxing students to engage in university traditions, Bellarmine University’s student leaders created their own new campus icon, Penny the Pineapple. The chaotic mascot prompted other students to make memes about her and keep an eye out for Penny at campus events.

Do you have a campus engagement tip that might help others encourage student success? Tell us about it.