1. Leading Across University Units
DEVELOP ING A CAMPUS-WIDE
WE L COME WEEK
PRESENTED BY:
BETH LINGREN CLARK
JENNY PORTER
ORIENTATION & FIRST-YEAR PROGRAMS

2. Presentation Overview
 Building a Case for Collaboration
 Benefits of Collaboration
 Understanding the University Community
 Welcome Week Stakeholders, Structure, Strategies
 Developing Intentional Content
 Impact of Process
 Steps to Partnerships

3. Welcome Week Objectives
Welcome Week is designed to engage the campus community in creating a
meaningful University experience for first-year students that will:
 Begin to build a sense of community
 Assist students in their adjustment to the campus environment and
campus life
 Provide students an opportunity to have and maintain meaningful
relationships with students, faculty, staff and surrounding community
 Allow students to navigate the campus while discovering and accessing the
multitude of resources and opportunities available at the University
 Provide leadership opportunities for current students to enhance their
leadership development and commitment to the University

4. Building a Case for Collaboration
 Good practice “initiates educational partnerships and
develops structures that support collaboration….
Collaboration involves all aspects of the community in the
development and implementation of institutional goals and
reminds participants of their common commitment to
students and their learning” (p. 5).
 Joint statement on Principles of Good Practice for Student Affairs,
ACPA and NASPA (1997)

5. Building a Case for Collaboration
 Effectiveness is heavily dependent upon the degree to which
mutually beneficial relationships within the campus and
community are cultivated.
 Those most effective are active with campus/community and
involve others in policies, programs, staffing, and evaluation.
 Best way to fail is when leaders isolate themselves, thinking that
they can do their jobs without involving others.
 Sandeen (2000)

6. Benefits of Collaboration
 Improved understanding and support of initiatives by
stakeholders
 A greater sense of community on campus
 Better problem solving
 Higher quality programs
 Ultimately, enhanced education for students
 Sandeen (2000)

7. Understanding the University Community
 Organizational culture  Guide the behavior of
involves understanding individuals and groups
collective, mutually
shaping patterns of:  Provide frames of reference
 Institutional history for interpreting the
 Mission
meanings of events and
 Physical settings actions on and off campus.
 Norms (p. 2)
 Traditions  Kuh (1993)
 Values
 Practices
 Beliefs
 Assumptions

8. Understanding Campus Culture
 What basic assumptions exist among the campus
constituents?
 What do campus constituents value in the welcome week
process?
 What organizational cultural values and beliefs are
perpetuated through the institutional traditions?
 How are problems solved within the process?
 How is change or adversity in programming managed?

9. Background-The 5 Year Process
 2003: Idea: “Let’s have a Welcome Week!”
 2004: Identification of Stakeholder Concerns
• Welcome Week plans suspended
 2005: Realization of University Culture
 2006: Connection to Stakeholder Values
• Welcome Week plans resume in alignment w Strategic Positioning
 2007: Action in Planning
 2008: Implementation (finally!)

10. Campus Stakeholders
 Colleges
 Housing & Residential Life
 Student Unions & Activities
 Fraternity & Sorority Life
 Office for Student Affairs
 Recreational Sports
 Intercollegiate Athletics
 Many others…

11. Welcome Week Committee Structure
 Welcome Week Advisory Committee
 College Programming
 Program Logistics
 Transitioning Students to College
 Commuter Student Programs
 Entertainment/Side Trips/Community Service
 Communications
 Finance/Budget/Sponsorships
 Evaluation & Assessment
 Student Leader Training
 New Student Convocation
 Student Advisory Committee

12. Welcome Week Committee Members
35+ Different Campus Units Represented
 Academic Affairs & Provost’s Office
 9 Undergraduate Education
 8 Office for Student Affairs
 3 Office of Equity & Diversity
 University Services
 3 Auxiliary Services
 2 Facilities Management
 2 Public Safety
 7 Freshman Admitting Colleges
 Intercollegiate Athletics

13. Welcome Week Strategies
 60+ Individual Unit Meetings
 Kept notes spreadsheet to track meetings, concerns and how
they’ve been addressed; demonstrated intentionality
 Timeline Awareness
 Communication was developed in stages to bring awareness to
students (Admissions & Housing start early!)
 “Dog & Pony Show”
 10+ Campus Information Sessions spread word of Welcome
Week to different populations (faculty, staff, advisors, etc)

14. Welcome Week Strategies
 Shared Progress at Welcome Week Advisory Meeting
 Continual updates demonstrated progress and investment in
program; meetings were rarely cancelled!
 Internal Regroup Meetings
 Beth, Jenny & James met consistently in 2007/2008 to review
notes, determine unresolved issues and next steps
 Mapped Content of Program Events
 Kept assessment at forefront of programming by mapping
content of program events to Student Development & Learning
Outcomes

15. Developing Intentional Content
Guiding documents:
 Program objectives
 Student Learning & Development Outcomes
 Overarching purpose for each day
 Program unit descriptions
 Mapping documents
 Assessment plan

16. Welcome Week Major Themes
 Academic & Career Expectations
 Health, Safety and Wellness
 Diversity & Community
 Sustainability
 Student Engagement
 Money Management

17. Impact of Process
 Builds trust
 Fosters inclusiveness
 Contributes to sense of community and common goal
 Creates sense of ownership in process – “buy-in”
 Allows for innovation and transformational change
 Sets the foundation with new students regarding
expectations and resources
 Increase in student retention and student satisfaction

18. Simple Steps to Partnerships
 Understand your organization/University
 Spend time cultivating, managing and supporting
relationships
 Learn both parties role in the institution
 Value multiple perspectives
 Negotiate mutual wins- concede when necessary
 Communicate throughout process
 Evaluate and involve others in proposed changes
 Be a good partner – could lead to additional
partners

19. Questions & Discussion
 Beth Lingren Clark
lingr004@umn.edu
624-1483
 Jenny Porter
rachm001@umn.edu
625-6493

20. References
 American College Personnel Association (ACPA), & National Association of Student Personnel
Administrators (NASPA). (1997). Principles of good practice for student affairs. Washington,
DC: Authors.
 Farmer, D.W. (1990). Strategies for change. In D.W. Steeples (Ed.), Managing change in
higher education (New Directions for Higher Education No. 71, pp. 7-18). San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
 Kuh, G.D. (Ed.). (1993). Using cultural perspectives in student affairs work. Washington,
D.C.: American College Personnel Association.
 Lingren Clark, B.M. & Weigand, M.J. (2010). Building the case for collaboration in orientation
programs: Campus culture, politics, and power. In T. Skipper & J. Ward-Roof (Eds.),
Designing Successful transitions: A guide to orienting students to college (3rd ed.) anticipated
published date spring 2010. Columbia, SC: The National Resource Center on the First Year
Experience and Students in Transition and National Orientation Directors Association.
 Moore, P. L. (2000). The political dimensions of decision making. In M. J. Barr & M. K. Desler
(Eds.), The handbook of student affairs administration (2nd ed., pp. 178-196). San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
 Sandeen, C. A. (2000). Developing effective campus and community relationships. In M. J.
Barr & M. K. Desler (Eds.), The handbook of student affairs administration (2nd ed.,pp.
377-392). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.