Baruch Thanks the Office of Orientation and New Student Programs and the Center for Academic Advisement

Every time a new Baruch student makes a successful transition from high school or another college or university, he or she can thank the staff of two fundamental offices: the office of Orientation and New Student Programs, and the Center for Academic Advisement. This past fall (‘09), the College welcomed almost 2500 new students and this spring (‘10), 1100 more are expected. Months of preparation, including numerous small group sessions, individual consultations, transcript reviews and late evening meetings take place to ensure that new students are given the guidance and support they need to understand the requirements and expectations of their time at Baruch.

"The orientation program has developed over years, and it’s an ongoing process," says Mark Spergel, who heads the Office of Orientation and New Student Programs. "Many years ago, when I was first asked to create orientation programming, freshmen simply went to sessions where staff would get them registered, and it would take all day. So there was a big need for what we do. Now we have mandatory orientation sessions for incoming freshmen and transfer students. The outcome is getting these students registered, but in addition to that, there’s a lot about getting new students oriented with the college’s services, procedures, and culture."

In collaboration with various college offices, specialized workshops -- which run approximately 40 times a year -- are developed for these orientations with 180 students to a session. "Students meet with trained peer mentors who go through a series of activities and discussions that help get them to engage more fully in their learning experience and the life of the campus," says Spergel.

The Center for Academic Advisement (led by Sharon Ricks) also plays a critical role in orientation in that each student must undergo advisement before they can begin taking any courses at the College. Advisors make sure that questions related to registration and required coursework are answered and also go over some of the cultural changes that can be expected with the transition from high school to college, or from one college to another, if the students are transfers.

Dr. Corlisse Thomas, Baruch College’s assistant vice president for student affairs, who supervises these offices, says she gets "a firsthand view of how much they have to accomplish" and is "impressed by how this group manages to touch every single one of the thousands of new students who come to Baruch each year."

In order to make orientation more manageable, pertinent information has also been made available through online tutorials and on the Baruch College website in recent years. But, says Dr. Thomas, "online information doesn’t replace an advisor or a friendly face. Our challenge is to make sure students know that even though we’re a large school, we’re here to help." At the same time, says Spergel, "When new students are here with us, we want to minimize the time we spend talking at them. It’s a big commuter school and it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle. We try to make orientation as personable and hand-holding an initial experience as possible."