VSU Orientation to Boost the Economy

VALDOSTA - More than 200 students will flood the campus of Valdosta State University at 7:30 a.m. June 1 for the first New Freshman Orientation of the summer.

During this and the 12 sessions that will follow during the summer, close to 3,000 students as well as families and visitors will enter the Valdosta community to learn about VSU and utilize local resources, ultimately contributing to the local economy.

As the red carpet welcome for new freshman and transfer students, orientation sessions give new students and families an opportunity to experience life at VSU and in Valdosta. Students also receive undivided attention through the acclimation and registration processes. Seminars cover everything from housing for students to “letting go” for parents and interactive sessions give students help with advising and class registration.

The bookstore is open for purchasing VSU gear, One Card is open for students to get IDs and other important campus offices provide other important resources. Even local banks provide information for students and parents interested in opening accounts.

One of the items to be promoted through orientation will be GoalQuest, a Web-based program for Universities that is similar to facebook. Another important topic to be promoted by Information Technology will be the VSU Campus Alert system, provided through Connect-Ed, which was introduced during the spring semester. Students will be encouraged to participate in the voluntary program that allows the administration to notify them directly through email and cell phones in case of an emergency or campus-wide class cancellations.

The VSU staff has been working hard to prepare for the large influx of visitors and student leaders have been preparing for orientation since January. Their goal is to create a warm, inviting environment in which students and parents can receive a well-rounded collection of information. Making a great impression is important to staff members, who hope to support new students and encourage future growth that will benefit both the university and the local area.