School year beginning at Chadron State

While the maintenance staff has been hustling to complete several last-minute touch-up, spruce-up projects, things will begin hitting high gear Thursday, when freshmen and transfers move into the residence halls and then participate in the New Student Orientation that Chadron State is initiating this year.

The orientation has two primary goals, according to the program’s coordinator, Amanda Nipp. It’s designed to introduce the incoming students to the college and help them form a sense of community. They will participate in an assortment of informational and fun-filled activities, many of which will be led by upperclassmen.

Approximately 400 students and numerous parents are expected to participate in the orientation. CSC President Janie Park will make welcoming remarks at 4:30 Thursday at Elliott Field. After the Freshman Class photo is taken, the students and their guests will have a picnic in a tent that is being pitched between the Student Center and the Reta King Library.

While orientation continues on Friday with sessions on how to succeed in college, the various service available to students, the college’s technology capabilities and ways to make the most of the college experience, the faculty and staff will also be tuning up for the school year.

Park will speak to the college staff at 8:15 a.m. Friday in Memorial Hall. School and academic department meetings will follow. An all-college barbecue is set for 5:30 west of the Student Center, not far from Sparks Hall, which has been remodeled and expanded into the college’s new administrative headquarters during the past year.

Dr. Randy Rhine, vice president of enrollment management and student services, said it appears because of a 4 to 5 percent increase in the number of freshmen, the college will have a higher enrollment this fall. He said that as of Monday, the number of students who have completed registration for the fall is up by 73 from a year ago.

“We’re still accepting applications and helping students build schedules,” Rhine said. “I’m excited about our New Student Orientation and think we’ll have a terrific year. We’re going to work hard to help the students succeed so they will stay here to graduate. We’re also trying to find ways to help keep the parents informed about the good things that are happening on campus.”

Dr. Lois Veath, vice president of academic affairs, said the college did an excellent job of retaining its faculty. Just six new instructors and professors are on the faculty roster this fall.

“We weren’t able to fill a couple of positions because of late resignations, but we didn’t have many faculty vacancies this year,” Veath said. She added that a new program called “First-Year Faculty Blended Experience” has been established to assist the new faculty members as they settle into their jobs. Each has been assigned a faculty mentor. They also will attend regular informational meetings and will be able to obtain an array of information about the colleges and its procedures from the e-College platform that is available through the college’s web site.

Veath said Dr. Charles Snare, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, has been the leader designing in the new process.

Veath added that e-College continues to be an important resource for students. She said “blended” courses have become a major part of the CSC curriculum, allowing students to attend class and also receive an array of enrichment material that professors have posted on e-College. She said the materials often include the course syllabus, lecture notes, supplemental materials, study guides for tests and quizzes.

Several activities open to the public will help open the school year.

The first will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, when the Arthur W. Struempler Flag Plaza located near the north entrance of the Math and Science Building will be dedicated. A flag pole and bench have been placed in the plaza. They will bear plaques recognizing the military and teaching achievements of Struempler, who was chairman of the Division of Science and Mathematics at CSC from 1965 through 1980 and a science professor the next 11 years before retiring.

Struempler died Aug. 13, 2004 at age 83. His widow and two children plan to attend the dedication.

Two art displays will open Monday on campus. One is called “Painting Music: Rhythm and Movement in Art” from the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It will be located in Memorial Hall. The other will feature the wildlife artwork of Zach Even, a 2003 CSC graduate whose painting of an antelope was selected for the 2007 Habitat Stamp by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. It will be in the Sandoz Center.

The first Galaxy Series event will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 27 in Memorial Hall, where Fred Lane, an attorney, author and school board member from Burlington, Vt., will talk about opportunities, risks and trends in technology. His program, “Lost in MYSpace,” will be free of charge.