1

Putting the WoW back into Extended Orientation

Angelica Flores, Dulce Hernandez, & Natalie Dominguez

Department of Counseling and Higher Education, Northern Illinois University
HESA573: Applied Assessment Methods in Higher Education
Dr. Nichole M. Knutson
December 11, 2022
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Executive Summary

Introduction

The goal for this assessment project was to explore how successful Week of Welcome is

at Northern Illinois University in creating a sense of belonging, instilling self-advocacy, and

having students be able to identify resources on campus. In this summary, we will briefly

introduce each section of our project: Literature Review, Benchmark Study, Project Design,

Results & Discussion, and Recommendations.

Literature Review

In our literature review, we will bring up relevant literature to our topic: extended

orientations. We included literature such as the history of orientation programs, emerging

programs within extended orientation, the benefits, and outcomes of extended orientation, as

well as advancement for the functional area.

Benchmark Study

This portion of the report will focus on external research that we collected from extended

orientation programs at four public, 4-year universities. These universities include Illinois State

University, Southern Illinois University, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and University of

Wisconsin-Oshkosh. We will go in detail as to why we choose these specific institutions, as well

as common themes we discovered while researching.

Project Design
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In this section, we will be discussing which methodologies our group used to analyze

findings and recommendations for our client. We will also go in-depth of what each document

contains, its relevance to our project, and how we obtained such information.

Results & Discussion

Results and discussion will consist of an overview of common themes that we learned by

analyzing the data we used for this assessment report. This includes what was learned from

student feedback on Week of Welcome as well as feedback from a Presidential Scholars dinner

with first-year students. Common themes included more advertising, incentives and giveaways,

events centralized to campus, and laid-back events or spaces.

Recommendations

Our final section is a discussion of recommendations that we brainstormed for our client.

These suggestions stemmed from responses from the 2022 WoW Focus Group, the 2022

Presidential Scholars Dinner and Dialogue, 2021 WoW Survey, and common themes we found

from our benchmark study. We hope that these recommendations will help increase attendance

and participation for Week of Welcome.

Introduction 

Colleges are composed of a variety of programs and departments that each have their

own significant impact on their student population(s). As emerging student affairs professionals,

we have had our own experiences with these various departments as undergraduate students and

graduate students. Currently, as graduate students, we have been able to witness firsthand how

these departments impact students within our own departments of Housing and Residential
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Services, Social Justice Education, and the Office of Student Engagement and Experiential

Learning. However, we wanted to explore a department different than anything we have engaged

with before. For this assessment project, we chose to work with Orientation and First-Year

programs with a specific focus on Week of Welcome otherwise known as WOW.

We chose to assess Week of Welcome (WOW) because after learning about the various

programs and departments that colleges are composed of, we felt that orientation programs, more

specifically extended orientation programs, have and can have a significant impact on students.

WOW offers a wide variety of events, activities, and opportunities for self-exploration and self-

discovery. These aspects can have a long-lasting impact that can positively shape the journeys of

college students, which is something we really appreciated as new student affairs professionals.

The goal for this assessment project was to explore how successful Week of Welcome is

at Northern Illinois University in creating a sense of belonging, instilling self-advocacy, and

having students be able to identify resources on campus. In this assessment, we reviewed

previous literature, completed a benchmarking study, facilitated a focus group, and analyzed data

from previous surveys along with data provided by our professor in order to address our initial

goal. The proposal below gives an overview of our final processes and report.

Literature Review

History of orientation programs

As a part of extended orientation, it was necessary to do brief research on the history of

orientation programs in higher education. In their article, Johnson (1998) gives a brief, but

informative outline of the history of orientation programs as well as common definitions. In

1986, the Council for the Advancement of Standards published Guidelines for Student

Services/Development Programs. These guidelines outlined the goals of orientation, which are to
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“provide… services that will: aide new students in their transition to the institution, expose new

students to the broad educational opportunities of the institution, and integrate new students into

the life of the institution” (CAS, 1986). Other definitions shared common themes of student

sense of belonging and ensuring acclimation to campus (Johnson, 1998).

Orientation programs varied in length all throughout history as institutions began to

integrate their own needs and values for their given students. The first orientation program

occurred at Boston University in 1888 and was intended for incoming students. This program

centered on the “student’s acclimation to campus” while also providing a “stepping stone” for

institutions to take on more of a caregiver role for students (Johnson, 1998, p. 26). Soon

orientation programs transitioned from a day in length to a week. “Freshman week” was first

introduced at the University of Maine in 1923 and provided first-year students with a variety of

information ranging from “testing, counseling, social events, and campus tours” (Johnson, 1998,

p. 26).

Over the decades and as higher education continued to change in the student populations

it welcomed through its doors, orientation programs continued to transform. New organizations

were developed to aid in the process of developing general standards and goals. New

stakeholders were integrated into orientation such as dedicated staff and offices as well as the

utilization of students in various student leadership positions such as peer mentors or peer

advisors. According to Johnson, “a complete orientation program addresses both academic and

student development” (1998, p. 29). Current orientation programs, specifically extended

orientation programs, based on further research have showcased both elements.

Emerging Programs
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Adventure orientation programs have been on the rise for a few years now. Adventure

experiences are a form of orientation program that occurs outdoors and includes adventure

experiences and reflective activities afterward. Vlamis et al. (2011) examined the effects of

adventure orientation programs on student development behaviors for incoming first-year

students. Their results showed that students had positive significant gains in developmental tasks,

like developing autonomy and purpose, and developmental subtasks like emotional autonomy,

instrumental autonomy, and educational programming (Valmis et al., 2011). From these findings,

the authors concluded that it is important to create program activities based on the program's

intent, objectives, philosophy, experiences, and focus (Vlamis et al., 2011). This is to say that

adventure orientation programs are something that student affairs practitioners can consider

when planning orientation programming because of their positive gains to a student’s

development. It is also important to have learning outcomes or objectives to create intentional

programming to benefit students.

Another type of program that is becoming common nowadays is weekend-long

initiatives. A study occurred at a Southeastern university on their extended orientation program

in which they held two separate weekend-long programs where junior and senior standing

students served as peer mentors to incoming students (Gentry et al., 2006). This type of program

allowed for a holistic experience for first-year students as they can learn first-hand from students

who have college experiences and have previously participated in an orientation program. The

activities for incoming students ranged from relationship building, team building, and workshops

specific to campus resources (Gentry et al., 2006). Students were able to meet new people and

form meaningful relationships prior to the beginning of the school year with peers, staff, and

faculty members.
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According to Gentry et al., data collected from students who participated in the

orientation program compared to those who did not participate showed that program attendees

missed fewer classes, were more involved on and off campus and were more likely to become

friends with people who have different interests (Gentry et al., 2006). The authors acknowledged

some limitations in their study including a lack of participant response in their survey. They also

stated that “it cannot be concluded that attending the program caused students to become more

involved students, we can say there is a strong relationship between the weekend-long

orientation program and a first-year student’s involvement” (Gentry et al., 2006, p. 34). Despite

this and the limited availability of research, discussions continue to occur about the benefits of

participation in orientation programs among students.

Benefits/outcomes of orientation programs

The assessment of the impact of orientation programs has been studied in a limited way.

Mayhew et al. (2010) did a study to investigate the influence of orientation programs on student

academic and social learning. In this study, they concluded that the impact of orientation

programs varied by organizational characteristics, student entry characteristics, and student

experiences. For the purpose of this assessment project, we will focus on the student experiences.

Student experiences with orientation include academic, social, and functional experiences. In

this assessment, we will only talk about the social learning gained by students through

orientation programs. Social learning indicators include developing friendships with other

students, adjusting to the social environment of the college, and using different on-campus

services (Mayhew et al., 2010). The lack of research on the effectiveness of orientation programs

leaves these programs open to criticism. What we do know is that student affairs practitioners

need to find a balance between “...meeting the formative needs of their first-time students and
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equipping them with the tools needed to successfully negotiate their new educational

environment.” (Mayhew et al., 2010, p. 321). Student affairs practitioners in orientation

programs have an important role in a student’s successful transition to college. Finding a balance

between meeting the needs of students and equipping them with the necessary tools calls for a

continuous assessment of orientation programs. Mayhew et al. (2010) recommend that taking a

learning outcomes approach to assessing orientation programming is important. This will solidify

the importance of orientation programming in a student’s transition to college, and it supports

institutional accountability.

Advancement

Research this far has shown the growth and progression of orientation programs in

serving their student populations. It has also shown the benefits of participation and the benefits

of emerging programs such as outdoor, adventure, and week-long initiatives. The various studies

that have been done also discuss the importance of continued research as well as other

recommendations for advancement. According to Soria et al., in order for institutions and

orientation programs to continue to be successful, they need to identify desired outcomes and

create programs that map out these outcomes and goals (2013). There needs to be detailed and

intentional planning when it comes to serving first-year students. Orientation programs are often

the first opportunity students have to become engaged with their college and it is important for

these programs to acknowledge and understand the opportunity presented before them.

Benchmark Study

In combination with our literature review, we were required to do a benchmark study for

a portion of our assessment that turned out to be very insightful. For this benchmark study, we

decided to assess the following institutions: the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Illinois State
9

University, Southern Illinois University (Carbondale), and the University of Wisconsin

Whitewater. These institutions were chosen as they are all similar in enrollment size ranging

from 12K –19K students, they are all public four-year institutions, and they are all within the

Midwest region which tends to have similar demographics and similar cultures.

We utilized each university’s website in order to gain more information about their

orientation initiatives. Some websites were more user-friendly than others. For instance, the

University of Wisconsin Whitewater website had very vague information about its orientation

programs. There were brief descriptions of what students could expect, but it was mainly

targeted toward the advising piece of orientation. The website provided no mention of an

extended orientation either. However, the other university websites provided event information,

calendars, and mission statements specific to their extended orientations.

To narrow down what exactly we wanted to benchmark in this study we selected and

utilized the following metrics: mission statements, goals, number of events, and the time frame

of the extended orientation. Some metrics were easier to navigate and analyze than others. For

instance, discovering the time frame of each orientation was easy information to obtain. Most of

the extended orientations were week-long except for Southern Illinois University’s which

consisted of four days and the University of Wisconsin Whitewater which was about a day (see

Appendix B). However, for Whitewater, we were unsure of how accurate this was due to the lack

of information we were able to find.

As we continued gathering information about the universities, we began to reflect on

what data was crucial in measuring our goal. One metric that we decided that we did not want to

ponder on for long was the length of time of each extended orientation. We felt that this

information was not as significant in determining the success of a university’s extended

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orientation or the impact that it has on students. Instead, we focused heavily on the goals and

mission statements.

To gather and organize all the data we obtained we utilized an excel spreadsheet to lay

everything out which made it easier to compare the goals and mission statements. These were the

common themes we found within the statements and goals amongst all the extended orientation

programs: a sense of belonging, exposure to campus resources, relationship building, and

building community. Overall, we felt that these themes were very reflective of the ones we found

within Northern Illinois University’s WoW. In fact, two of the themes that were reflected

amongst all the universities were creating a sense of belonging and identifying campus resources.

Despite “instilling self-advocacy" not being explicitly stated in any of the mission statements or

goals of the universities we felt that this was an underlying message in all the other themes. For

students to be empowered to self-advocate they need to be aware of the resources that are

available to them to help them in this process. Students need to be able to build relationships

with peers to feel comfortable and feel that they are part of the campus community.

Overall, the benchmark was extremely helpful and insightful to see how NIU’s extended

orientation compares to other programs. After analyzing and comparing the institutions we were

able to conclude that Week of Welcome at NIU holds many of the same themes and values that

the others do, but this was just one piece of our assessment project. The benchmark study was

not enough for us to assess whether WoW is meeting this goal which is why we pursued other

methods of research that we will discuss in the project design.

Project Design:

To come to our results and conclusions, our group utilized notes from the 2022 Week of

Welcome/Orientation Focus Group, findings from the 2021 Week of Welcome survey, as well as
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notes provided to us by Dr. Nichole Knutson from the 2022 Presidential Scholars Dinner and

Dialogue.

In mid-October we had an initial meeting with our client, Jenna Pracht, director of

Orientation and First Year Programs (OFP) at NIU over Zoom. Our purpose for this meeting was

to discuss our project proposal and obtain any relevant data or information our client might have.

Jenna shared with our group the following documents: WoW 2022 Schedule with Descriptions,

OFP 2022 Focus Group Sample Questions, 2022 Focus Group Agenda, WoW 2021 Schedule

with Descriptions, WoW 2021 Survey Report, and the Welcome Days 2019 Schedule. As we

narrowed down the topic of our project, we used relevant documents as necessary.

During the initial meeting, our client mentioned the potential of hosting a focus group to

receive student feedback on the 2022 orientation and Week of Welcome events. After expressing

interest in participating, we discussed when the focus groups would occur and who might be able

to attend based on availability. Days leading up to the focus group, Jenna provided us with a

Focus Group Agenda, which gave a basic structure of the meeting. We utilized this document as

well as their sample questions document to help prepare for the session.

We [did the best we could] in assisting the client in sharing the focus group flier to

students to help recruit first-year participants. There were two dates set aside for the focus group

sessions: November 2 and November 3 of 2022. For the first date, Dulce was going to help co-

facilitate the focus group with Jenna and Mitch. Unfortunately, the focus group had to be

cancelled due to no students attending the event. Natalie was able to co-facilitate and take notes

on the second day of the focus group. On this day, one student was in attendance in-person.
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We did not believe that it would be effective to only provide results and

recommendations based off the opinion of one student. Based on this, we decided to utilize the

data obtained from [their most recent] 2021 Week of Welcome Survey Report. As mentioned

earlier, our group obtained this report from our initial meeting with Jenna. For some context,

students were asked to take this survey to reflect on their WoW experience. Questions such as

which events were attended, which events were most enjoyed, and what events students would

like to see. Further questions included whether students felt a part of the Huskie community,

whether they are aware of their resources, and whether they are aware of involvement

opportunities on campus.

The final piece of data we used were notes from the 2022 Presidential Scholars Dinner

and Dialogue. We were very fortunate to receive this document from Dr. Nichole Knutson at the

beginning of November. For some context, this dinner was hosted in Ellington’s restaurant in the

Holmes Student Center. There were approximately 40 undergraduate students in attendance.

They sat at tables and remained seated while administrators moved every 15-20 minutes to speak

with each table. Students answered questions such as what ideas or suggestions there are for

improving the undergraduate student experience at NIU, how can the university best welcome

students to campus during the first few weeks of the semester, and ideas for giveaways. This

document was very helpful in gaining more student feedback for our final report.

Results & Discussion

For the results of this assessment, we gathered data from three different sources, a focus

group, the 2021 WoW survey, and data provided by Dr. Knutson. For the focus group, initially,

the WoW team had planned for two focus groups to happen during the two weeks in November.
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No students for the first focus group showed up, so no data was collected. For the second focus

group, one student showed up. From this student, we gathered several themes from their answers.

The first theme we gathered was that the student enjoyed WoW events where they could meet

other students. The student mentioned that once they got to know new students, they were able to

learn about more events happening. The second theme we gathered was that the student liked

getting freebies and informational flyers from tables at the resource fair. The student described

being able to navigate campus from some of the flyers they received. A final theme we gathered

was that the student wanted to see more marketing for WoW events. They recommended posters

in the residence halls and marketing on NIU's official social media pages.

The second source of data was the WoW 2021 survey provided a few weeks after WoW

events in 2021. To see the full results of the survey, refer to appendix A for a link to the results.

From this survey we gathered that most of the events attended by students were events where

students learned how to get involved, were located in a centralized location, got to meet

administration, and showed school spirit. Students also enjoyed events that included activities

such as bingo, skating, painting, and karaoke. These events were the most selected when students

were asked which one they enjoyed the most. The survey also asked what events and activities

they’d like to see. For this, students wanted to meet more first year students, they wanted more

events providing free food, t-shirts, and bus tours to familiarize themselves with the Huskie Line.

Finally, the WoW 2021 survey asked students to provide feedback. Students stated that they

wanted events to last longer, so they could continue engaging with other students. They also

asked for more marketing around the residence halls. Students also shared that if they did not

participate in early move-in dates, then they had less opportunities of being a part of WoW

events, so they asked for more weekend events.

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For our third source of data, Dr. Knutson provided data from an informal focus group

during the Presidential Scholars event. For a full review of the Presidential Scholars event focus

group refer to appendix D. After looking at the data shared, we found four themes regarding

involvement at NIU, what students looked for the first few weeks of classes, and ideas for

giveaways. Students stated during the event that they preferred in-person events to help them

create friendships and connections with other students. Regarding holding in-person events,

students stated that not being able to connect with others got lonely for them. Along with this,

some students shared that they preferred smaller, more personal events to meet other students. A

third theme was that students enjoy the Holmes Student Center and the Huskie Den. This is

important when thinking about future programming. When asked to share their ideas about

giveaways, students suggested free food, Huskie gear, Starbucks, or Einstein Bros. Bagels gift

cards, and NIU bookstore gift cards or vouchers.

Recommendations
To end our report, we will be discussing recommendations for Week of Welcome and

focus groups. Utilizing what we learned from our benchmarking report and the analysis of our

results from both focus groups and the 2021 Week of Welcome survey, we came up with

(hopefully) small-scale recommendations that could potentially make an impact on participation,

attendance, and the amount of student feedback.

Focus Group Recommendations

For the focus groups, we first recommend holding these sessions earlier within the

semester. This would allow students to reflect on their experiences with Orientation and Week of

Welcome events while it is still fresh in their minds. However, we also discuss how an end-of-

semester focus group creates potential to learn how/if Orientation and Week of Welcome impact
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a student’s first year on campus. This gives the opportunity to ask questions like how their first

semester went, which events (or types of events) helped them create a sense of belonging or

community at NIU, which events (or types) aided in instilling self-advocacy by identifying

relevant resources on campus, and of course, opinions for future events that would help them

achieve these goals.

Having both types of focus groups, one at the beginning and one at the end of the

semester, captures both short-term and long-term impacts of Orientation and Week of Welcome.

Next, we also discussed the possibility of having a student committee that helps with both

WoW and the focus groups. As we have learned throughout our time in the HESA program,

students are constantly evolving. Having a student committee could help full-time staff come up

with events that the current student population will find relevant. We discussed that it would be

best to keep the student committee small (5-10 students) and as diverse as possible. It is

important that students feel represented in events and the process of event planning.

However, keeping the group small will help create a relationship with participants which

will create an environment where they are comfortable being honest. We do realize that the new

student committee adds more to the department, but we hope the small size of the group will not

add too much work. As for the focus groups, a small number of students volunteering to take part

could also ease anxiety for the participants. Many people could overwhelm students and

discourage them from speaking. A final benefit of the student committee is that having volunteer

co-facilitators around the same age or representative of the student population could encourage

students to participate and be honest.

Moving on from the focus groups, we also believe that [more] surveys could be very

beneficial in gaining student feedback. While focus groups help us gain more in-depth,
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qualitative answers, surveys are great for receiving quick feedback. Having a survey after most

events will give students the chance to reflect on their experience right after an event. If similar

events are being planned for later in the week or the semester, quick feedback will allow more

time to create any potential changes that would potentially increase attendance.

We also see the danger in that students could feel over-surveyed if they are faced with

one at the end of each WoW event. Keeping the survey short (3-5 questions) will help reduce

those feelings. As we learned from our data analysis, it is evident that students have a positive

response to incentives such huskie gear or the potential to win a gift card to a food location on

campus. Having similar incentives could encourage students to participate in these surveys. From

experience, having a QR code that leads to the survey encourages students to take a photo of the

code to take the survey at their own leisure.

Finally, as we are still living through a pandemic, it is important that virtual options for

events are still readily available for students. With that in mind, having the best audio and

internet connectivity possible is essential for those who choose to join virtually. Being able to

hear the discussion will help the student follow along and feel encouraged to participate. Testing

out the audio beforehand will create opportunities to fix any technical issue as soon as possible.

Week of Welcome Recommendations

Based on our results we gathered four recommendations for WoW events at NIU. The

first recommendation is to provide more incentives for students. This is based on their feedback

in the focus group and the 2021 WoW survey. We recommend that there be seasonal incentives

like bucket hats and T-shirts for the summer and gloves or beanies for the winter. Incentives can

also include gift cards to on campus locations like Starbucks, Qdoba, and the Huskie Den at the

Holmes Student Center. Incentives can also include gift cards from Einstein Bros. Bagel from the
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NIU library and gift cards to the NIU bookstore. A second recommendation is that there should

be more marketing for WoW events. This includes flyers in the residence halls, Holmes Student

Center, and other academic buildings. We also recommend marketing WoW on the Huskie Line

buses for students to have access to information outside academic buildings. Our third

recommendation is for more events to be hosted where students can socialize. This includes

bingo, karaoke, bowling at the Huskie Den, and painting. These events should be, whether

activity or no activity, should be in-person so students feel a sense of connection to other

students. Events should also be close to campus so that those without vehicles can attend. A final

recommendation is that Mission, NIU’s mascot, have a more active role in WoW. Students

seemed to enjoy taking pictures with Mission and this may bring on a deeper sense of belonging

and connections with campus.

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References

Davidson, C & Ewert, A. (2020). College student commitment and outdoor orientation

programming. Journal of Experiential Education, 43(3), 299-316. doi:

10.1177/1053825920923709

Gentry, W. A., Kuhnert, K. W., Johnson, R. M., & Cox, B. D. (2006). Even a weekend works:

The value of a weekend-long orientation program on first-year college students. The

Journal of College Orientation and Transition, 14(1), 26-38. doi:

10.24926/jcort.v.14i1.2651

Johnson, M. J. (1998). First year orientation programs at four-year public institutions: A brief

history. The Journal of College Orientation and Transition, 5(2), 25-31. doi:

10.24926/jcotr.v512.2475

Mayhew, M. J., Vanderlinden, K., & Kim, E. K. (2010). A multi-level assessment of the impact

of orientation programs on student learning. Research in Higher Education, 51, 320-345.

doi: 10.1007/s11162-009-9159-2

Soria, K. M., Lingren Clark, B. M., & Koch, L. C. (2013). Investigating the academic and social

benefits of extended new student orientations for first-year students. The Journal of
19

College Orientation and Transition, 20(2), 33-45.

https://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/150089

Vlamis, E., Bell, B. J., & Gass, M. (2011). Effects of a college adventure orientation program on

student development behaviors. Journal of Experiential Education, 34(2), 127-148. doi:

10.5193/JEE34.2.127

Appendix A
Default Report.pdf
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Appendix B
Extension Tim
of efra
Orientatio # of me
Institution n Pogram eve (We
Name Name Mission Goals nts ek)
WOW provides
the perfect
environment for
you to make to
make a solid
The Office of Orientation and start in your
First Year Programs welcomes education at
new students and their family NIU. You'll
members to the NIU community. meet with your
We also work in partnership to academic
introduce all new undergraduate college, learn
students to NIU through the about important
creation of environments and campuses
programming that help students to resources and
attain active learning experiences, discover what it
opportunity to engage with others means to be a
Northen who have diverse perspectives part of our pack
Illinois Week of and personal and professional and celebrate
University Welcome growth. Huskie Pride. 73 1
"These first weeks include
activities that introduce you to life
at UW Oshkosh. Titan Welcome
is a rich tradition at UWO and it is
about building relationships with
your fellow classmates, We want to
connecting with faculty/staff and assist you with
returning students, becoming navigating
more acclimated to campus life, campus, creating
celebrating Titan spirit and pride a safe and
and having fun! Notable events respectful
University during Titan Welcome have environment and
of included Rec Fest, Titan Fest and achieving
Wisconsin Titan Reeve Union Board (RUB) success as a
Oshkosh Welcome events." Titan. 56 1
21

Events range
from take-and-
make activities
"Through Welcome Week you and transfer
will connect with other students, student socials
learn about campus resources and to live band
services, and get to know the karaoke on the
Bloomington-Normal Quad, video
communities. Your participation gaming, movies,
in Welcome Week will not only live
provide you with the tools you'll entertainment,
need to be successful at the and ISU spirit
Illinois university, but will also help you picnic, and
State Welcome make Illinois State your "home glow-in-the-dark
University Week away from home." black light fun. 44 1
WOW and
WWOW offers
all new and
returning
students
programs and
events that allow
them to connect
Our Weeks of Welcome are with peers,
Weeks of designed to help new and faculty, staff,
Welcome/ returning students get to know campus
Southern Winter each other through fun, departments and
Illinois Weeks of interactive, and engaging community
University Welcome activities. organizations. 103 4
University Warhawk The mission of First Year Together with eve 0 (1
of Welcome Experience at the University of your Peer nts day)
Wisconsin Wisconsin-Whitewater is to Mentor you'll not
Whitewate provide guidance to students and meet other new liste
r their families in their transition to transfer students, d
the campus community. We serve learn more about
as a campus resource that the University,
provides engaging, inclusive, and and become part
academically integrated of the Warhawk
transitional experiences to community
enhance student development. through campus-
wide traditions.
Warhawk
Welcome is
required for new
freshmen and
22

highly
recommended
for new transfer
students, even
commuters.
23

Appendix C
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Appendix D
Presidential Scholars Feedback/Focus Group
11.3.22

Approximately 40 undergraduate students convened for a Presidential Scholars Dinner and Dialogue. The
event was held in Ellington’s restaurant in the Holmes Student Center. Also in attendance were the
following administrators: NIU President, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Associate Vice Provost for
Student Success, Vice President of Student Affairs, Director of Admissions, and the Director and
Assistant Director of Scholarships.
Students and administrators were seated at three tables. The students remained seated and approximately
every 15-20 minutes, the administrators moved tables to speak with each table of students.

Question – What ideas or suggestions do you have for improving the undergraduate student
experience at NIU?
-More in-person events and classes, less asynchronous courses, and events. Students overwhelmingly
responded that they prefer most of their experiences to be in-person. Online classes and events can make
for a lonely college experience. Some students stated that they would go days without interacting with
anyone outside of their residence hall. Students shared that they felt in-person events help to create
friendships, connections, and more positive relationships with their professors. A common theme was
students sharing that they never saw or interacted with classmates in online courses, and they felt their
level of learning was diminished in online courses, particularly asynchronous formats.
-Increasing the offerings and opportunities for interdisciplinary course taking at the higher levels (300 &
400 levels). For example, offering statistics courses, data analytics, program assessment, general
accounting, leadership and managements courses across all majors and colleges. Consider what “real-life”
skills are needed in the workplace, regardless of specific majors.
Question – Where is the most productive place for you to study?
-At first we thought studying in our rooms was a good idea but it didn’t work out so well. We quickly
realized that we would get distracted and take a 20 - minute nap that would turn into two hours. Students
preferred studying in the Law School (note none are currently Law students but they like the study spaces
in that building), Library and HSC were commonly identified spaces. Many students referenced being
close to Starbucks and Einstein Brothers as well as access to usable study spaces (i.e. tables and moveable
chairs where they could spread out and meet with classmates). A few students did share that they felt the
HLC was more comfortable as they felt they could openly talk and not be concerned about having to be
quiet or bothering others. Student also mentioned the Huskie Den and how much they enjoy that space.
Several students mentioned that they would like to see more food options (using dining plan exchanges?)
in the library and HSC and that this would increase their likelihood of spending more time in these
facilities.
Question – How can NIU best welcome students to campus during the first few weeks of the
semester?
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-Students who were from further away seemed the most impacted by this question. Particularly out-of-
state students who shared that they had no connections within the NIU community or nearby
communities. For these students, they shared that smaller, more personal events were the most conducive
to their decision to attend the events. Students who lived in IL and nearby states expressed that these
events were fun but “vital” in a sense that they already had friends and knew other NIU students from
their hometowns.
-Most students who voiced that they attended NIU events in the first few weeks of the semester did so to
make friends/meet people and to learn/navigate the campus.
-One student, from TX, commented that as all her classes were online and the only interactions that she
had with other students was during Week of Welcome. She shared that had she not participated in those
events, she likely would have considered going back home as she didn’t know how to meet people since
her classes were all online. This student also asked if there could be an out-of-state event for students
who live far away to make connections as they do not have the option of going home frequently so it is
particularly helpful to make friends who will be on campus most weekends.
-The following events were specifically referenced as “standouts” or “the most fun”

· Free bowling in the Huskie Den

· Karaoke and free snacks/food
· Several students noted that they participated in the air plant and painting activities and requested
that more of these activities be offered as they provided comfortable spaces to make new friends
as you could sit next to one-another and start to casually talk as you worked on your project.
Students also commented that they could use these projects to decorate their room.
· Students shared that they met new people at these events and then would make plans to meet up
to attend future events/programs.
· Students mentioned that they liked finding the mascot and wanted to see more of Mission.
· Students also shared that offering giveaways was a big incentive for them to attend events.
Question – What ideas do you have for giveaways?

· Several students commented that they liked the hats (bucket and baseball) and would like to have
beanies for the colder months.
· NIU mittens and gloves
· NIU Socks
· Starbucks and/or Einstein Brothers coffee/drink vouchers/gift-cards
· A bookstore gift card or voucher
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Appendix E

Focus Group Agenda

1:45 p.m. – Food ready, start passing out information cards to participants
2 p.m. – Welcome and Introductions (Pro-Staff-Jenna/Mitch/Bobbie)
“Welcome and thank you for agreeing to be a part of our focus group. We appreciate your willingness to
participate and help us improve our programs for future Huskies. The reason we are having these focus
groups is to find out what went well during our orientation and Week of Welcome Program and determine
where there is room for improvement. We need your input and want you to share your honest and open
thoughts with us. We understand that we may be asking you to share your feedback and you may feel
vulnerable in doing so. To ensure your anonymity, we will not begin recording until after we have done
introductions. We’ll start with our orientation team and then ask that you share your name and pronouns,
if you feel comfortable.”
Pro-staff introductions, GAs and Coordinators
Focus Group participants
2:10 – Focus Group Overview (Pro-staff – Jenna/Mitch/Bobbie)
“Before we get started, I would like to set some ground rules. If there are additional rules that you’d like
to include, please feel free to share with the group once I have finished.
1. We want YOU to do the talking. We would like everyone to participate, and we may call on you if we
haven’t heard from you.
2. There are no right or wrong answers. Everyone’s experiences and opinions are important. We want to
hear a wide range of opinions and we hope that you speak up whether you agree or disagree.
3. What is said in this room stays here. We want you all to feel comfortable sharing, even if sensitive
issues come up.
4. We will be recording the group. We want to capture everything you have to say; however, we will not
identify anyone by name in our report or notes—you will remain anonymous.
Now, I will turn things over to ___ to kick things off.
2:15 – Questions and Conversation (Coordinator or HESA Grads) Why did you decide to join our focus
group today?
Orientation
What words or feelings come to mind when you think about your experience at Orientation?
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The goal of orientation is to provide a positive transition that connects new students to NIU (meeting
resources at the resource center and optional activities and building community through student groupings
and Huskie to Huskie conversations). During our programs we also aim to promote student success
through the introduction to academic (college meeting, advising/registration, academic support services at
the resource fair) and social experiences
(peer to peer conversations with other new students and Orientation Leader, learning about campus
expectations and Huskie Pride).
With these goals in mind:
Is there a part of the program that you feel you spent too much time on?
Is there part of the program that you feel you spent too little time on?
What was missing from the program/What would you like to see included that is not currently part of the
program?
What did you expect going into your advising/registration appointment?
How did your orientation advising experience compare to your expectations?
If you could change one thing about your experience at Orientation, what would it be?
Week of Welcome (WOW)
What words or feelings come to mind when you think about your experience at WOW?
WOW serves as an extension of your orientation. The goal of WOW is to connect you to your academic
college, learn about campus resources, and discover what it means to be part of the Huskie pack and
celebrate Huskie Pride.
With these goals in mind: Is there a part of the program that you feel you spent too much time on?
Is there part of the program that you feel you spent too little time on?
What was missing from the program/What would you like to see included that is not currently part of the
program?
If you could change one thing about your experience at WOW, what would it be?
Can you share your experience with communication from our office? What went well and how can we
improve?
Is there anything we have not touched on today that you would like us to know?
2:55 – Closing Remarks (Pro-staff/Coordinator or HESA Grads)
“We are just about out of time. We would like to thank you all for your time and for your open and honest
feedback about our programs. Your participation in today’s program will help to improve the experience
for our incoming students and families.
Please feel free to help yourself to any of the food that is left before you head out. Thank you again and
have a wonderful evening!”
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