Student Engagement Initiatives

Linda Krzykowski, Ph.D., Associate Vice Provost for Student Engagement and Executive Director of the First Year Experience 

Student Engagement, housed within the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, works to provide opportunities and pathways for students to be active and engaged in their studies both inside and outside the classroom. We offer First Year Experience programs for both freshman and transfer students. Students find many different ways to connect with their professors, including:

• Living-Learning Communities provide incoming freshmen and transfers an opportunity to live and take classes with others who share their interests. Students participate with faculty and current UAlbany students in and outside the classroom: www.albany.edu/student_engagement/living_learning_communities.php
• The Freshman Seminar allows students to explore an area of interest and gain insight into the academic expectations of the University at Albany. UAlbany offers 1-credit seminars on a wide variety of topics and 3-credit seminars that focus on the transition to college process and skills necessary to be successful. Freshman Seminars are offered in the fall semester and are limited to about 25 students per section, offering first-year students the opportunity for personal interaction with a faculty member. Students work with their academic advisor to determine which seminar fits their needs and interests and in both seminar options, students will also be introduced to the academic expectations, opportunities, and challenges of University life: www.albany.edu/student_engagement/freshman_seminars.php
• Transfer Student Engagement includes Transfer Communities and special classes to help new transfer students transition to UAlbany and find the academic and social support they need to succeed: www.albany.edu/transfer_students/
• 0-Credit 99 Engagement Classes are designed to help new students connect with others with similar interests, majors, or classes. Advisors will work with new students to determine if a 99 Engagement Class is right for them
• Explore UAlbany — During Great Dane Beginnings Opening Weekend, incoming students attend lectures on cutting edge topics, learn how to excel in their classes, and meet faculty before classes start: www.albany.edu/student_engagement/64147.php  
• Food for Thought — A program where students and professors meet for lunch:
  www.albany.edu/student_engagement/63992.php
• Munch with the Majors — Students intending to major in a specific discipline meet faculty and staff from that area and learn how to be successful in that discipline. With a focus on informational conversations over dessert, students learn about undergraduate research opportunities, internships, different tracks within the major, and what successful graduates who have majored in the department have done: www.albany.edu/student_engagement/63993.php
• Supporting faculty and staff who volunteer as advisors for students, Clubs and Groups: www.albany.edu/involvement/facultyadvisors.shtml
• Fostering UAlbany academic traditions like Baccalaureate Torch Reception and Food for Finals:
  www.albany.edu/spirit/traditions.shtml

For additional details, visit: www.albany.edu/student_engagement/.