Advising and Enrollment Town Hall Was Huge Success
There are many moving parts and lots of questions surrounding this coming fall semester. But with the adversity of the pandemic there is also an opportunity to hear from and connect with those most affected by the change. The Office of the Registrar, along with partners in the Office of Undergraduate Advising and schools/colleges, took advantage of this opportunity and hosted a town hall livestream on Wednesday, July 22nd at 7p.m.
Parents and students were invited to attend the livestream, also available as a recording afterwards, to hear and ask questions about fall advising and academics. Panelists included Associate Vice Provost for Advising and Career Services Wren Singer (who acted as the moderator as well), Director of Cross-College Advising Kelley Harris, Senior Assistant Dean for the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Tom Browne, Associate Dean for the College of Engineering Manuela Romero, Assistant Dean for the College of Letters and Science Christopher Lee, and Associate Dean for the School of Education Christina Klawitter.
Wren started the session with a brief introduction that supplied a state-of-address to explain the status of the university heading into the fall 2020 semester and the work that has been done to get the university ready. She also provided concrete data about the de-densification to help students and parents understand how and why decisions about class size, mode of instruction, and enrollment caps, to name a few, were made.
After the introduction, the rest of the hour addressed common concerns and answered questions that parents and students submitted during the livestream. Will Lipske and Diana Maki monitored the chat and provided links to resources that panelists were referencing. Several behind-the-scenes staff members from the RO and other campus offices were also monitoring the chat to identify common questions that were being asked and formulate concise answers or reword the questions for the panelists to address.
The clock struck eight and the panel had ended. By the end, the livestream addressed many of the concerns parents and students had when it began and provided individuals with a sense of assurance heading into the semester. In addition to the town hall recording being available, the questions and answers from the town hall have been added to the COVID Enrollment page on the Office of the Registrar website, and several have also been added to the Smart Restart website.
While many areas of campus continue to field questions about the start of the fall semester, the town hall helped alleviate some concerns and questions and provided those in attendance with a better understanding of what to expect this fall. The panelists tone provided a sense of empathy and comradery with students, ensuring them that we, university staff, are here for them and encourage them to reach out. Overall, the town hall was well received.