A new orientation program will be implemented by the university beginning in May 2013.
Reforms to the Penn State orientation process now require two days of participation for incoming students, according to a press release.
The Office for Student Orientation and Transition Programs –– a new office created through a dual effort from the Office of Undergraduate Education and the Office of Student Affairs –– will oversee the process, according to the release.
Changes were made to the First-year Testing Consulting and Advising Program in order to cover additional necessary topics during orientation, Damon Sims, vice president for student affairs, wrote in an email.
“The fundamental rationale for this new approach is that orientation should involve more than testing, placement and the usual academic logistics,” he wrote.
The orientation process, FTCAP, was done through the Division of Undergraduate Studies. It was a three-step process that required incoming students to visit campus for one day, according to the FTCAP website.
The new process “also involves helping students transition successfully to the various student life issues they face,” Sims wrote.
“Expanding the territory for orientation from one day to two offers the opportunity to do this well.”
During the two-day stay at the University Park campus, incoming students will stay in North Halls on campus, Rebekka Coakley, Penn State public information officer, wrote in an email.
The new orientation program has been a long-term goal for Sims, he said, adding that FTCAP was a “very successful” program, but the new program will offer students a more “comprehensive” orientation experience.
Sims said he and Robert Pangborn, Penn State interim executive vice president and provost, wanted to give incoming students a similar orientation process that Penn State’s peer institutions have in place.
To apply to become an orientation team member, students may apply during an informational session held at the HUB-Robeson Center or online.
