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 selects a foundational theme for the incoming class which is 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
