Welcome to Wittenberg, to a place that has the power to transform your life.
The Office of the First-Year Experience (FYE) offers a comprehensive selection of programs and initiatives for first-year students, as well as for parents and families. Significant is our shared commitment to provide opportunities for all students to obtain the support they need to be successful at Wittenberg. Recognizing that different students have different needs we have a vast array of programs that enhance the educational experience of all our students. Overall, we hope the first year experience enables students to begin to comprehend the ways they can mature intellectually, socially and morally. In “Stop the Planet I Want to Get Off,” the opening convocation for fall 2005, President Mark Erickson articulated nicely our aim and overall vision:
The world we live in is a crazy and complex place, and it seems to be getting crazier by the moment. One need only look to the London bombings of this summer, or the earlier bombings in Spain or to the events of 9/11 to be reminded of this reality. In such a time, I would suggest that our role as educators must be to inspire the next generation of this world’s leadership and to provide them with a compass (a moral compass if you will) and a telescope (with a very broad lens that opens their ability to see and understand those that are different from them). To provide them with the tools to navigate the difficult waters of world leadership.
It is our hope that the FYE captures the bold and visionary message President Erickson has provided for us since his arrival in July 2005. Importantly, we believe the creation of a comprehensive FYE is fundamental, but only the beginning of the Witt experience that awaits our students. Students, we hope, will begin to build the foundation they need as they begin a new stage in their life. This foundation will enable them to rise to the challenge of engaging others on their own terms if they choose to travel abroad, to pursue a double-major as they stretch themselves academically in ways they hadn’t imagine, to perform in one of our many stage-productions by taking on a role or joining a production team, to make connections with students from different backgrounds, to build relationships with faculty who are educator-scholars deeply committed to student success, and to contribute to the betterment of the world through their compassionate engagement both with the Wittenberg community and with Springfield/Clark County in ways that demonstrate a profound commitment to serving others.
Miguel Martinez-Saenz
Assistant Provost for the First-Year Experience
Associate Professor of Philosophy
FYE Vision:
By adopting a comprehensive and integrated approach to student learning that incorporates a state of the art advising program, service learning, international experiences, experiential learning opportunities, spiritual exploration, leadership development, understanding of diversity and moral growth, Wittenberg will have a first-year program that “transforms the undergraduate educational experience”.
Goals of the FYE:
The first year of college is the foundation upon which the entire academic experience is built. The FYE is here to help you build that solid foundation for life-long academic, personal, and professional success. The FYE offers educational opportunities and support services that will facilitate your transition to Wittenberg and your skill and character development so that you might be prepared to make good choices as you navigate through your four years at Wittenberg. The wide range of initiatives address the importance of academic and intellectual development, of social development, of being civically minded, of global/local awareness, and the need to seek balance between mind, body and spirit.
Contact Us:
The First-Year Experience (FYE)
208 Recitation Hall
Wittenberg University
937-327-7924
