The Daily Bulletin Archive

I am pleased to announce the following appointments to the 2016–2017 Orientation Advisory Committee:

Co-Chair: Drew Kahn, Professor, Theater; Director, Anne Frank Project
Co-Chair: David Cox, Director, New Student and Family Programs

Barish Ali, Associate Professor, English
Jean DiPirro, Associate Professor, Psychology
Kristen Helling, Assistant Director, Student Life
Pixita del Prado Hill, Professor, Elementary Education and Reading
Christopher Hillman, Assistant Recreation and Intramural Manager, Intercollegiate Athletics
Shelly Inniss-Jackson, COMPASS Program Coordinator, Student Success
Jude Jayatilleke, Senior Academic Adviser, Educational Opportunity Program
Carlos Jones, Associate Dean, School of Arts and Humanities
John Mack, Senior Counselor, Counseling Center
KeunYoung Oh, Associate Professor, Fashion and Textile Technology
Karen O’Quin, Associate Dean, School of Natural and Social Sciences
Maria Pacheco, Associate Professor, Chemistry
Amy Runfola, Assistant Director of Transfer Admissions, Admissions
Bhakti Sharma, Chair and Associate Professor, Interior Design
Daniel C. Vélez, Associate Vice President, Student Success

The Orientation Advisory Committee provides support, feedback, and advice for the New Student and Family Programs Office and its director. The committee provides input into the design, implementation, and assessment of orientation for first-year students, transfer students, and their families.

Composed of faculty from each of the academic schools in Academic Affairs as well as units in Student Affairs to include developmental programs, Enrollment Management, and Student Success, the committee is charged with the following responsibilities:

1. Review the existing orientation model and provide feedback on its elements.
2. Provide feedback on the connections between orientation?programming, student learning objectives, and the college mission.
3. Review the college's strategic plan and ensure orientation alignment.
4. Provide advice for the orientation director as new programming is initiated.
5. Act as?orientation ambassadors to provide clarity of orientation programming for multiple?campus constituents.
6. Provide insight from orientation stakeholders throughout the Buffalo State community.
7. Provide feedback on new and innovative ways to orient students to Buffalo State.
8. Review NODA best practices and CAS standards to ensure programmatic cohesion.

The orientation program is an integral part of a comprehensive retention, engagement, and persistence framework. As such, the advisory committee will consider how its recommendations ensure that Buffalo State is designing programs that provide students with the right balance of mandatory and essential content that ensures they are learning what is necessary to make the transition into the community.