42 Days of Transition

Nicole Ponticorvo,
Community Director for a First Year Experience Community at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The First Year Transition within and beyond First Six Weeks
Academic
Social

Transitions

Integration/Peer Groups (Astin, 1993) opportunities Limits

Involvement/Leadership

Experimentation/Testing

Supporting Students in Transition: A Universal Model

Adapted

from In Over Our Heads (Kegan, 1994) Bridge metaphor

Supporting Students in Transition: A Universal Model

Opportunities for Growth (Active and Passive)

Graphic by Sarah Hoffarth, Coordinator for the First Year Experience at UNC Chapel Hill

The First Year Experience Movement

Origination: Established in 1970s; Closely linked with the University of South Carolina (Cutright, 2002)

General

new students (Cutright, 2002, p. 19).

Goal: reduce the university to human scale for

Motivations: retention & student success

increasing intellectualism & reducing behavior problems, i.e. binge drinking (Barefoot, 2000)

What is FYE?

Increasing student-to-student interaction, increasing faculty-tostudent interaction, especially out of class, increasing student involvement and time on campus, linking the curriculum and the cocurriculum, increasing academic expectations and levels of academic engagement, assisting student who have insufficient academic preparation for college (Barefoot, 2000, p. 14)

What does the first year experience on your campus look like?

Who are Carolina First Year students?

17-19 coming from High School First Generation International Exchange Study Abroad Student Veterans Students with families Transfers And more

Who are your First Year Students?

Elements of FYE

Technology/Social Media Leadership opportunities Theme Weeks Late Night/Alcohol Alternative Programs Intramurals Advising in the Halls 2.0 Peer leaders Assessing Student Trends Trends Informal Assessment

First Year Fridays

Late Night Alcohol Alternative Programming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV8s-6q-GTY

Carolinas Got Talent Teaser Video Roommate Trivia Teaser Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCHnKJt3Ijc

Meeting Students Where they are

Importance of Partnerships
Collaboration Space

usage Communication Avoiding duplication Complimentary initiatives

Forming

a network of support Seamless environments

How can Orientation and Housing contribute to the bridge?

Mapping the First 42 Days

Whats next?

Questions?
Contact Info: Nicole Ponticorvo nicole_ponticorvo@unc.edu

References

Astin, A. What Matters in College? Four Critical Years Revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993. Barefoot, B. O. (2000). The First-Year Experience. About Campus, 4(6), 12. Cutright, M. (2002). What are RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES doing for FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS. About Campus, 7(4), 16.

Kegan, R. In Over Our Heads. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1994.
Meilman, P.W. & Presley, C.A. (2005) in Barefoot, B.O., Gardner, J.N., & Upcraft, M.L. (2005). Challenging and supporting the first year student. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.