First Year Experience

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First Year Experience

First Year Experience

The First Year Experience program at GCU is a support structure that is geared towards new freshmen on our ground campus.

FYE helps develop both success and community by providing exposure to several key areas: Academic support, social relationships, and professional experiences.

At GCU, we want to help every student find their Pathway to Purpose. The FYE program lays out specific "Footprints" in which students can walk as they travel the path towards transitioning into college and eventually reaching their goal of graduation. The FYE Footprints program is uniquely designed to enhance freshmen success with the overarching goal of graduation in mind.

All of the FYE components are tailored to support the whole student's transition, development, and success in the GCU learning community.



Mission Contact
The First Year Experience at GCU is designed to engage, connect, and empower freshman students during their first year on campus so that they transition into the college community, succeed in their coursework, and interact and participate in meaningful and purposeful academic and social experiences.

There are several places where you can reach out to the FYE Footprints staff. We are located in the Center for Learning & Advancement on the main campus in Phoenix. Also, you can send us messages through our Facebook page and Blog (which are accessible on the FYE website) or send us an email at fye@gcu.edu.

The First Year
Student Will:

  Form meaningful, long-lasting social relationships
   with peers, staff, and faculty in order to become an active participant in the GCU, local, external communities.

  Be supported academically so that they maximize their learning potential and become productive contributors to society and their profession.

 Successfully adjust as an independent adult who
   employs a variety of life skills for coping and making prudent decisions related to their future.

Will learn all the campus resources that are      
available to them and will be proactive in utilizing those resources when needed.
 Core Themes
  • Increasing student-to-student interactions
  • Increasing faculty-to-student interactions
  • Increasing student involvement and time on campus
  • Linking the curriculum and the co-curriculum
  • Increasing academic expectations and levels of academic engagement
  • Assisting students by providing any necessary academic support

Resources 

1. The Student Success Center in your LoudCloud classroom. Go to the Student Success Center and click on the ‘Tools for Success' or ‘New Students' tab to view a direct link for the FYE resource website.

2. The Student/Faculty Portal. Once you log-in to your portal,click on QuickLinks at the left side of your screen toview the direct link for the First Year Experience Program.

Once you access the FYE website, you will have a range of support tools to help you be successful as a freshman on the GCU ground campus such as:

  • Roadmap to Success- Weekly Workbook
  • Calendar of ‘Firsts" events for new freshmen to attend for getting involved in the campus community
  • Facebook page and Blog announcements
  • Campus map
  • Direct links to campus departments that support you as a student

 

First Year Experience Video