Date Approved

4-25-2025

Graduate Degree Type

Project

Degree Name

Education-Higher Education (M.Ed.)

Degree Program

College of Education

First Advisor

Dr. Laila McCloud

Academic Year

2024/2025

Abstract

As retention rates for first-year college students continue to decline, there is a growing need for orientation programs to be thoughtfully designed. These programs should not only introduce the students to available academic and personal support services, but also begin to understand the institution’s history and culture. To address this challenge, this paper presents a series of orientation programs grounded in theory and research, aimed at supporting student through the critical transition into college. By aligning programming with student development theories, these orientation programs offer a comprehensive approach to improving the student transition process, which can lead to better retention, GPA and overall sense of belonging at their institution.

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