Welcome
to the
First and Second Year Programs
Mission
Located in the Memorial Union and a key member of the Division of
Student Affairs, the Office of First and Second Year Programs works
with students to maximize their academic and social potential with
specific emphasis placed on the first two years. The first two years
of college involve a number of transitions and require students to
make some very important decisions. Our office helps students with
these transitions and provides resources so students may make
informed decisions in their quest for success.
 Vision
Through direct programming,
mentoring, and collaboration with many other UM departments the
Office of First and Second Year Programs is committed to
implementing the following initiatives:
Outreaching and Supporting First
Year Students
There are many key opportunities to engage first-year students and
enlighten them on the vast number of resources and experiences
UMaine has to offer. Some of these include: orchestrating programs
in the First Year Residential Experience, offering programs designed
to improve student study skills (e.g., Reading the College Text,
Time Management, etc.), meeting with students one-on-one who are
referred and/or who are identified as needing support by family,
faculty, Admissions, the CSI, etc., and coordinating the M Project,
a program of peer mentors for first year students.
- Coordination of the Maine
Hello, a campus-wide event.
- Develop and co-direct a
comprehensive First Year Residential Experience (FYRE) program.
- Collaboration with
Institutional Studies, Admissions and New Student Programs to
identify indicators of UMaine high risk students (e.g., contact
with new students between Orientation and Maine Hello, extension
of scholarships for OPTIONS and OATS pre-semester trips, etc.).
- Outreach to students not
registered for the next semester.
- Develop and maintain an online
referral and early warning system for staff and faculty. Follow
up with each student referred through the online system as well
as referrals from faculty, staff, parents, and others.
- Collaboration with Residence
Life; Community Standards, Rights and Responsibilities, New
Student Programs; and other departments to reach out to students
(e.g., out-of-state students during breaks and holidays, contact
with transfer students, contact with first-year students between
Orientation and the start of classes, etc.).
- Participation and collaboration
with the CAMP program which is an alcohol intervention program
collaboratively run by Campus Recreation, Alcohol and Drug
Education Programs and Community Standards, Rights and
Responsibilities.
- Participation and collaboration
with Case Management Team on student behavioral issues, focusing
on first-year students.
- Academic and Behavioral
Contracts: When students return from academic suspension or are
on academic probation, our office is a part of that recovery
strategy. Behavioral contracts (students returning from
disciplinary suspension or students on conduct-based probation)
also include participation in our programming.
- Development of pre-semester
trips for first-year students (and/or collaboration with OATS
and OPTIONS trips).
- M-Project and first-year
guides: peer mentors assigned to all first-year students.
- Web-based informational guides
for students (e.g., pod casts about living on campus,
registering for classes, etc.) and also providing information
about planning your second year at UM.
- Administration of the College
Student Inventory (CSI) to high risk students. Personal
follow-up with each student via email and in person.
- Distribution of the CSI results
to advisors and Academic and Student Affairs staff, including
training sessions for UMaine faculty and staff about how to
understand and use CSI results as requested.
Outreaching and
Supporting Second Year Students
- Welcoming back second year
students who live on campus with a coordinated event similar to
the Maine Hello.
- Special lunches and diners with
sophomores to offer more meaningful interactions with faculty
and staff.
- Collaborate with the Career
Center to offer a 1.0 credit seminar available for students to
explore career decision making.
- Match sophomores with juniors
and seniors who are in the same major or field.
- Identify second year students
who may be at-risk of poor performance or may be more likely to
leave college.
- Host and facilitate a retreat
weekend for second year students to reflect on their experiences
with a focus on planning their next two years at UMaine and
looking at their future careers.
- Provide key and timely
information and reminders to second year students.
- Guide and encourage students to
develop and track their co-curricular activities.
- Implement a co-curricular
transcript program for students.
- Promote and collaborate with
the Bodwell Volunteer Center to increase the number of
sophomores participating in service and service learning
opportunities in the surrounding community.
- Work with international
programs and departments to promote international experiences,
develop new international opportunities, and create programming
to engage international students with US students.
- Develop and implement financial
planning and management training targeting second year students,
but open to all students.
Researching and Assessing Key Aspects of Student Life
If we are going to be successful in assisting students in navigating
their first two years at the University of Maine it is important to
understand our current and future students. Collecting, analyzing,
and communicating important data about first and second year
students, and all UM students, is an important component of our
operations. This information will inform our decision making about
program development and various outreach interventions.
- Annual study using stratified
random sample of graduate and undergraduate students to profile
UMaine students, their habits, interests, what’s important to
them, how they spend their time, etc.
- Topical surveys of current
issues, problems, etc.
- Tracking and reporting MELMAC
grant information.
- Developing and implementing an
exit interview/survey process for students leaving UMaine. This
process is appropriately coordinated with various UMaine
departments.
- Provide student demographic and
statistical information to Student Affairs and UMaine.
Stop in and see us. Our door is always open!
For more information contact:
EJ Roach
Director
ej.roach@umit.maine.edu
312 Memorial Union
Orono, ME 04469
581-1420 or 581-1429
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