Running Head: ORIENTATION, TRANSITION, AND RETENTION 1

Orientation, Transition, and Retention

Bobby Lith and Mais Omar

Miami University
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History of Orientation

The first official orientation program for new students in higher education was held at

Boston University. By 1925, over twenty-five colleges throughout the United States and

Directors of Orientation began to emerge on various campuses (“History of NODA,” 2019). As

responsibilities of professionals in this area of programming known as Orientation, Transition,

and Retention (OTR) programming increased, correspondence and sharing of ideas to create

better cohesion with staff and institutions became a necessity.

In the 1940s, Directors of Orientation saw a need to share ideas in a structured setting. In

early December 1948, twenty-four delegates from six states met in Columbus, Ohio to discuss

the theme, "Aims and Objectives of Orientation Week." (“History of NODA,” 2019). This

started the annual gathering and soon, conferences began including student leaders, recognizing

their critical role orientation programs.

In the early 1970s, a structure began to emerge and the beginning of the National

Orientation Directors Association (NODA). Western Michigan became the first headquarters and

in 1976, the Board of Directors began functioning formally. February 1, 1977, marked the

official "birth" of NODA when a Charter of incorporation was given to the organization by the

Secretary of State of Mississippi (“History of NODA,” 2019).

Purpose of the Functional Area

Most programming is based on the needs of students and is developed to build

community, disseminate key information, and introduce, clarify and in some instances, change

campus culture (Greenfield, Keup, & Gardner, 2013). The overall purpose and function of OTR

programming includes but is not limited to: facilitating academic advisement, course selection,
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and registration, creating an atmosphere that minimizes anxiety, promotes positive attitudes, and

stimulates an excitement for learning, providing a welcoming atmosphere for students and

families to meet faculty, staff, and new and continuing students as they transition to their

institution of higher education.

OTR programs serve a wide range of students who include: undergraduate and graduate,

domestic and international, traditional and nontraditional, face-to-face and distance-learning,

first-generation and legacy, LGBTQIA+ and multicultural students. Some institutions expand

their services to include Parent and Family Programs multilingual programs as well. Summer

bridge programs are also constructed to support programs for historically underrepresented and

potentially at-risk students (Greenfield et al., 2013).

As OTR programming is contingent upon students’ needs, geographic location, and

institutional identity, common components of an institution’s mission statement generally consist

of: introducing new (or first-semester) students to campus resources that will support their

educational and professional goals, facilitating their academic and social transition to the

institution and its culture, contributing to the appropriate retention of students, and promoting

awareness and respect for diversity among students, professional staff, and the campus

community (Schreiner, Louis, & Nelson, 2012).

Staffing Models

Staffing models specific to OTR programs vary greatly by the institution, availability of

financial and human resources, and collaboration with academic and administrative staff.

Generally, an orientation team will include: Director of Programming, Associate or Assistant

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Director of Programming, and administrative staff who provide logistical support and student

leaders.

The position of Director typically embodies a greater scope and complexity and has more

responsibility for strategic planning, policymaking, and maintaining organizational effectiveness

whereas the Associate or Assistant Director helps with day-to-day operations. The role of student

leaders is critical to cement relationships and serve as liaisons for professional staff and newer

students (Ward-Roof, 2010). They are students at the institutions themselves and can provide

additional insight into the student experience and campus culture. Their primary roles are to

share campus history and traditions, familiarize students with the physical layout of the campus,

and convey information to new students about the institution’s programs and services.

The roles of Director, Assistant/Associate, and has different names like (SOUL, PROWL,

SOAR). SOUL is the acronym for Student Orientation Undergraduate Leader and SOAR stands

for Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration. Some institutions also have NODA interns

as part of their office staff.

Evolution of the Functional Area

When orientation first began, it started for a small population and demographics for a

group of people. Orientation was limited to the institute's population however, students began

visiting campus and started making their choices depending on orientation including

marginalized groups. Orientation started welcoming diverse students, adult learners, international

students, and transfer students which meant that changes needed to be made with OTR

programming to accommodate.
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Elizabeth Walsh, Assistant Director of Orientation and Transition Programs at Miami

University, mentioned “The Office of Orientation and Transition partners with but does not run

International Students Orientation and orientation is taken care of by the office of International

Students and Scholar Services.” International students attend separate orientations from domestic

students for the reason that international students' needs are different. For example, international

students orientation focus a lot on immigration and I-20, because international students fly

overseas and have long flights they have different dates for their orientation than domestic

students while also the Office of International Students and Scholars work with first-year

international students, international transfer students, international graduate students, and

American culture and English program who are students that have not been fully admitted to

Miami rather they take English their first semester before starting with their major.

In addition to an in-person orientation, OTR programs are now looking to incorporate

technology in the orientation experience, as technology can be seen as the first thing the students

reach out and have accessibility to. At Miami University, OTR programs developed an

application where students and their parents can download to stay up to date with Orientation

events known as the First 50 days, class registration as well as organizations and clubs they can

be involved in.

Student Affairs professionals may consider having conversations about mental health on

Orientation days. It may be best for student affairs to start thinking of taking counseling classes

as part of professional development. This generation is now more open to talk about their mental

health, their concerns as they start their academic journey and how to best take care of their

mental health during their transition to college and throughout college.

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Anticipated Changes in Functional Area

As the demographic of students attending institutions of higher education continues to

change, so does OTR programming. Newer students with more involved technological habits and

access have shaped OTR programming such that they, along with their parents and guardians,

have greater access to information and quantitative, qualitative, and anecdotal data surrounding

the university, its programs, and rankings (e.g. Business Insider, Forbes, Money Magazine, US

News, collegeconfidential.com, collegefactual.com, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube

etc.). Although they may not contain accurate data, the formation of perception, decision to

apply, accept, and attend an institution of higher education can be greatly influenced by these

resources. When students arrive at their institution, “many students have already formed an

opinion about its culture and climate through internet searches without ever having stepped foot

on the campus” (B. Turton, personal communication, September 16, 2019).

Professional Organizations and Significant Publications

National and Professional Organizations whose focus on research, assessment, and

evaluation of OTR programs include: The Orientation, Transition, and Retention Knowledge

Community (OTRKC) within the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators

(NASPA), the Commission for Admissions, Orientation, and First-Year Experience (AOFYE) in

American College Personnel Association (ACPA), and the National Resource Center for the

First-Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina. In this

area, we found two useful online resources: Orientation publications

(https://www.nodaweb.org/page/Publications) & University of South Carolina (Resource Center)

(https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/national_resource_center/about/index.php).
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References

Greenfield, G.M., Keup, J.R., & Gardner, J. N. (2013). Developing and sustaining successful

first-year programs: A guide for practitioners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

History of NODA. (n.d.). NODA - The Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in

Higher Education. Retrieved from www.nodaweb.org/page/history.

NODA: The Association for Orientation, Transition & Retention in Higher Education (2014).

Orientation planning manual. Minneapolis, MN: NODA.

Schreiner, L. A., Louis, M. C., & Nelson, D. D. (2012). Thriving in transitions: a research-based

approach to college student success. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina,

National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Ward-Roof, J.A. (2010). Designing successful transitions: A guide for orienting students to

college (Monograph No. 13, 3rd ed.). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina,

National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.