Stevens’ freshmen find variety, excitement in orientation week activity
Freshmen arriving last week for the fall semester at Stevens Institute of Technology may well have remarked, “This is not my father’s orientation week!”
That’s because, in a new and innovative program launched by the Office of Student Life, students got a choice of exciting, pre-orientation experiences: Some chose to participate in the Outdoor Adventure, which whisked nearly 50 students off to three days of mountain trails and streams in the Adirondacks; others chose the Urban Experience, offering tours of Stevens’ historic hometown of Hoboken, N.J., as well as cultural experiences in nearby New York City neighborhoods, including Greenwich Village, Chinatown, and Little Italy.
Other students took advantage of the Sports Management Experience, combining trips to the US Open; a minor league baseball game; lunch at the ESPN Zone, with behind-the-scenes learning experiences at Madison Square Garden; and a tour of the United States Golf Biokinetics Laboratory to explore the ins and out of sports management.
For those artistically inclined, there were two options: The Theater Arts Experience, with inside glimpses of Lincoln Center, Radio City Music Hall, and attendance at a Broadway play; or the Music Matrix, with tours of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, attendance at performances and educational meetings with music industry professionals. The theater and music experiences climaxed in a combined student performance at Stevens’ DeBaun Center for the Performing Arts.
“Nearly 150 freshmen participated in this first-time offering of diverse pre-orientation experiences,” said Stevens’ Assistant Vice President for Student Development Joseph Stahley. “These experiences allowed freshmen to get to know some of their new classmates, meet some of the faculty and administrators, and to take a journey of discovery, all at the same time.
“Other schools have offered one big pre-orientation opportunity,” he continued. “But the variety and breadth of Stevens’ pre-orientation offerings make our program uniquely innovative – recognizing that, for young people who may be away from home for the first time, one size does not necessarily fit all.”
The traditional on-campus orientation activities commenced the Wednesday after the pre-orientation experiences.
“We see the benefits,” said Stahley, “of students beginning their four-year journey at Stevens by getting to know fellow freshmen who share their interests beyond the classroom. It is a whole new way to introduce young people to the university experience.”
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.
Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.
For the latest news about Stevens, please visit StevensNewsService.com.
