The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges | 15 Examining the Impact of a Comprehensive Approach to Student Orientation

Perhaps one of the most underemphasized strategies for achieving student success within the community college is the development and implementation of an intentional, comprehensive approach to orienting new students to the college environment. Orientation can be considered as any effort by an institution to help students make a successful transition from their previous environment into the collegiate experience (Upcraft & Farnsworth, 1984). The goals for such programs may include academic preparation, personal adjustment, and increasing awareness of students and parents during the transition process (Perigo & Upcraft, 1989; Cook, 1996). Although orientation programs have been part of the higher-education landscape for more than one century, it was not until recent decades that these types of programs have gained in popularity and numbers. Strumpf, Sharer, and Wawrzynski (2003) found that, between the years of 1980 and 2000, more students and parents were attending orientation programs. Hunter, Skipper, and Linder (2003) estimated that 74 percent of the institutions of higher education within the United States have an orientation course or first-year seminar. Institutions of higher education realize the value of these programs in addressing transitional issues for the many types of students enrolling in higher education. Despite the broad recognition of their potential, community colleges struggle with successfully transitioning students through orientation. Studies have placed the first-year retention rate for community colleges at slightly less than 50 percen