ITHACA COLLEGE recognizes the importance of strengthening the student connection to the College and laying the foundation for student success during the first year. The Ithaca College First-Year Experience (FYE) is the foundation of the Ithaca Experience! The FYE mission is to assist new students in making a successful transition to college, to provide them with the basis for fostering lifelong learning, and to encourage them to commit to active membership in a diverse community.
THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE is a comprehensive set of academic and educational programs that respond to a common institutional vision and purpose, "fostering intellect, creativity, and character in an active, student-centered learning community." As such, each year the First-Year Experience Coordinating Committee focuses on three elements; intellect, creativity, and character, which are central to the vision for Ithaca College. Members of the FYECC are dedicated to planning and implementing educational programs and activities that will assist each first-year student in making connections with faculty and staff and in thinking about the person he/she would like to be!
Goals of the First-Year Experience
- To establish a connection to the college
- To engage in a shared learning experience
- To acquire knowledge and skills for self–directed learning and academic achievement
- To understand the roles and responsibilities and benefits of membership in a community of learners
- To expose students to diverse ideas, experiences, and people
- To provide students with services and support to be academically and socially successful
