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Matthew Weigand is director of new student programs.
What is the mission of the Office of New Student Programs?
As a part of UB's Division of Student Affairs, our mission in New Student Programs is to coordinate and implement programs and services designed to help incoming students make a successful transition to the University at Buffalo. We seek to educate new students and their families about the resources, opportunities and services available at UB and help them integrate into and engage with the UB community.
What specific programs do you provide?
New Student Programs is primarily responsible for the following programs:
Freshman and transfer student orientation. We host several two-day freshman orientation sessions throughout the month of July, and a number of one-day transfer orientation programs from May through August. We also host one-day sessions in December and January for new students beginning at UB during the spring semester.
Parent/family orientation. Concurrent with each student orientation session, we run a parent/family program designed to introduce new students' family members to the services and resources the university provides. The goal is to help families learn how to best support their student as he or she learns and grows at UB. We also produce a parent handbook and newsletters each semester, and maintain a phone and e-mail advisory service for parents and family members.
UB 101. This is a one-credit course designed to assist first-year students in making the transition to UB by giving them a small, interactive classroom environment that focuses on providing resources and fostering important relationships. Faculty and staff from across campus volunteer to teach more than 90 sections of the course.
UB Reads. At orientation, we provide a book to all freshmen and ask them to read it before they return to campus in late August. During the fall semester, a number of programs, events and discussions are planned that focus on themes in the book. The goals of the program are to build a sense of community among first-year students and to introduce them to the academic life of UB. Some examples of related fall programming include an essay contest in which students relate themes from the book to their transition to college life, small-group discussions in UB 101 classes and a speaking engagement with the author.
Opening Weekend and September Welcome. We work closely with other units within Student Affairs, such as the Office of Student Life and the University Residence Halls and Apartments, as well as other campus offices, to provide ongoing orientation—such as Opening Weekend and September Welcome—throughout the first semester and year.
Anything new with orientation this year?
We have made some significant changes to the freshman orientation schedule this year to provide more opportunities for high-quality interaction among new students and faculty members, academic advisors, student orientation aides and other new students. Specifically, students will spend more time in their academic departments learning from professors and other department representatives; more time in small groups discussing the realities of college life and more time talking about the impact of connecting in-class and out-of-class experiences on future success.
What bestseller will incoming freshmen be asked to read this summer as part of UB Reads?
This year the incoming freshmen will read "Finding Fish" by Antwone Fisher. We chose this book because it offers a true-to-life view of someone whose sheer will allowed him to overcome enormous obstacles. Antwone Fisher's life is one of real challenges and hard-won victories. We thought his story would inspire students entering a new and sometimes frightening period of their lives.
When UB 101 first was implemented in Fall 1997, it was considered by some to be perhaps the single most important and effective key to improving student retention. Have the numbers confirmed that?
The numbers have been very positive. Students who complete UB 101 persist at UB at significantly higher rates than incoming students as a whole. The success of the program is most evident, however, in the voices of the students who have taken the class: One student said, "(In UB 101) we have discussed some pretty important things about college life that are really helpful. I don't think I would know half as much about the campus without the help of this class." A senior who is graduating this weekend recently reflected on his experience with UB 101. A commuter student who was initially intimidated by UB, he said, "One of the classes that has had the most influence on my career here at UB was my UB 101 class that I took as a freshmanƒ. As a result (of taking the class), countless doors opened up to me."
I understand there's now a peer-mentoring aspect to UB 101. Tell me about it.
Research and experience tell us that students are most influenced by their peers. Therefore, every section of UB 101 is assigned an upper-class student who acts as a peer mentor for the incoming students. These are students who have demonstrated success, both in and outside the classroom. In addition to helping the instructors plan and implement class sessions, the peer mentors get to know the first-year students on a personal basis, provide "expert" advice based on their experience and help students navigate the ins and outs of succeeding at UB. This has proven to be a very positive learning experience, both for the new students and for the peer mentors.
What issue do you find incoming freshmen wrestle with most often? Academics? Homesickness? Fitting in?
All of those are very common issues that freshmen wrestle with. Students who come to UB are used to doing well academically, sometimes with little effort. They sometimes struggle adjusting to the higher level of work required at UB. Homesickness and fitting in are especially common in the first several weeks of the semester. Another common issue is time management—finding a way to balance classes and studying with a part-time job, on-campus activities and a social life. Through programs, workshops and services offered throughout the first year, particularly in the first several weeks of the semester, we address each of those issues—and others—in an effort to proactively help students overcome these challenges. It is amazing to witness the tremendous growth and development that students experience during their first year at UB—
development that is, at least, partly a result of surmounting these kinds of issues.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to incoming freshmen and transfer students? Their parents?
We recently asked our student staff a very similar question, and they overwhelmingly answered, "Get involved!" I absolutely agree with that advice. Finding ways to connect with the university—whether it's working with a professor on a research project, volunteering time with a campus service organization or joining a Student Association club—actively engages students with their education and provides them with a much richer, and more enjoyable, college experience. For parents, the challenge is finding a balance between "hanging on" and "letting go," which could describe extreme ends of a continuum. Finding a happy medium in which the student is challenged to learn and explore on his/her own, while knowing s/he has the love and support of his/her family is a key to success. Perhaps at the most basic level, parents and students must understand that their relationship will change—whether the student is moving hundreds of miles away, or he or she is living at home and commuting to UB. Being prepared for and willing to accept that change will benefit both.
You received a bachelor's degree in psychology, and a master's degree in student affairs administration, both from UB. Do you feel your status as a former UB student gives you a unique perspective for your job as director of new student programs?
I very much value the education I received, and I do think that my time as a
student provides me with a unique perspective. I clearly remember my first year
at UB and the successes and challenges I faced—and that helps me in understanding
what today's new students are experiencing. However, a lot has changed, both
at UB and in the student population, since I was an undergraduate here, so I
rely very heavily on the phenomenal students with whom I work to help me do
my job effectively. I particularly value the generous, diverse and talented
groups of orientation aides and UB 101 peer mentors who provide incredible insight
into the real lives of our students. You can meet the 2003 Orientation Aides
and read the advice they give to new students by visiting http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/nsp/oastaff.html.
What question do you wish I had asked, and how would you have answered it?
I wish you had asked about what contributes most to the success of our programs.
My answer would be the support and commitment we receive from many areas of
the university—from other Student Affairs departments, to academic units,
to Enrollment and Planning staff, to student organizations. Improving the first
year of college for UB students requires significant collaboration among all
of these parties, and together we have been able to focus on putting "students
first." I welcome and encourage anyone who would like to get more involved in
helping our first-year students succeed—whether it's answering questions
during Opening Weekend, presenting a workshop in the fall, teaching UB 101 or
participating more in UB Reads—to please contact me at weigand@buffalo.edu
or at 645-6125.