Issue 9: April 2009
Dear Witt Parents,
The academic year is almost finished and in the following weeks we will be celebrating some of the accomplishments of our students. Congratulations to the parents of students that will be honored during Honors Convocation and Commencement. We would like to thank all parents for the role you play as our partners in empowering your student to succeed at Wittenberg. At Wittenberg, we value our relationship with the parents and guardians of our students – you are important members of our community.
We started The Parent Connection in Spring 2008 as a way to keep parents informed about academic life at Wittenberg. The focus of this newsletter is to provide information about important deadlines and academic policies, tips for supporting your student, and information on programs and resources that will help you to coach your student to make the most of their Wittenberg experience. We look forward to continuing to communicate with you via this medium and want you to know that we are only a phone call or e-mail away if you need access to resource information to support your son or daughter.
Sincerely,
Miguel Martinez-Saenz Melinda Finkle
Assistant Provost for First-Year Experience Academic Services Program Coordinator
A Note from the Parents Association
Dear Parents,
Spring is officially here, and even though winter is not quick to depart from the Midwest this year, the warmer April days bring a definite change to the Wittenberg campus. Green grass as well as blooming trees and flowers abound, and beautiful pansies greet us at the main entrance. You may have received the same call that we did to please bring shorts and T-shirts on our next visit to see our son. We are still trying to figure out how Zachary made it through the winter with his snow jacket hanging in our closet here at home. How did he manage to survive those icy Ohio mornings that we heard about on The Weather Channel?
The last weeks of school with their academic deadlines and packed schedules mean that our students continue to refine their time management skills. Numerous social activities are also available to help relieve stress. One of the most anticipated events is the annual WittFest. Organized by the Union Board, WittFest is a music festival featuring local bands and headlined this year by the band Hellogoodbye. Inflatable games, novelty attractions, food vendors, and a picnic served by the university dining service are available throughout the day. This year’s festivities are scheduled for Saturday, May 2nd and begin at 11 am.
Remember that regular classes end on May 6th with a reading day on May 7th. Final exams are from May 8-13th with no exams on Sunday, May 10th. For a complete timetable follow the link: http://www4.wittenberg.edu/administration/registrar/exams_schedule.html
On behalf of the Parents Association, Alan and I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all of our seniors and their families. The last four years have been demanding, rewarding, and rich with experiences to prepare you for life after graduation. We know you have learned many skills to meet future challenges, and we hope that you have every opportunity to put your talents to work. We thank you for your support, your ideas, and your assistance. We look forward to your future participation as we continue to work together for Wittenberg. Congratulations!
Check out the commencement details at: http://www4.wittenberg.edu/administration/advancement/commencement/
We wish all of you the very best as the spring semester of 2009 draws to a close. Thank you for your emails that enable us to address the questions that you have about campus life at Wittenberg. Communication is a vital part of a successful college experience, and we enjoy hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Pamela and Alan Stewart
Co-chairs, Parents Association
Pam – s69.pstewart@wittenberg.edu
Alan – alanstewart1970@gmail.com
Calendar - Dates to Know
Mar 23-27 Academic Advising Week
Mar 27 Last day to DROP a full-semester course with a ‘W’
Mar 30 - April 9 Online registration
April 3 Last day to DROP a 2nd half-semester course without a 'W'
April 10 Good Friday (no classes)
April 13 WittSeries: Anne K. Mellor, Distinguished Professor of English and Women’s Studies
at UCLA
April 17 Last day to DROP a 2nd half semester course with a 'W'
April 17 Honors Convocation
May 2 WittFest
May 6 Last Day of Classes
May 7 Reading Day
May 8-9, 11-13 Final Exams
May 14 Residence Halls close at noon. Seniors and others participating in graduation may
stay until 6 pm on Saturday, May 16th. Students must be approved to stay past
Thursday.
May 15 Honors Luncheon
May 16 Commencement
For more on campus activities visit the Campus Calendar and the Current Student website.
Important Academic Information
Final Exam Schedule
Spring 2009 classes end on Wednesday, May 6th. Thursday, May 7th is designated Reading Day with no exams scheduled for that day or evening. The point of Reading Day is to provide students with a period of time between the end of classes and the beginning of final exams to prepare and review for their finals. Final exams will occur Friday, May 8th through May 13th. The final exam schedule is available on the Registrar’s website. Final Grades are due to the Registrar on May 14th for Seniors and on May 18th for all other students and will be available for viewing shortly thereafter.
Summer Session and Transferring Credit
In order to transfer credits back to Wittenberg, students must complete a Request to Transfer Credit form and secure the required signatures prior to taking the courses. Transfer credits are not valid without this form. More detailed guidelines for transferring credits are available online.
Information about Summer Session is available online from the School of Community Education. Registration is from April 13th to the start of each term. Summer Session does not use an online procedure. Students can register in person at the School of Community Education office, 101 Shouvlin Center.
Wittenberg Summer Sessions
May 19 – July 2 Summer Session Term I
June 8 – July 23 Summer Session Overlap Term
July 6 – August 7 Summer Session Term II
Student Success Tip
Surviving the Last Month of the Semester
In many courses the bulk of the grades are awarded during the last month of the semester. Your son or daughter is most likely facing end-of-semester pressure due to working on multiple final projects or presentations and trying to prepare for final exams. It is about this time that students start to lose their motivation, become overwhelmed by their commitments, or realize that they are not doing as well as they’d like in some of their courses. Encourage your son or daughter to ask for help or to obtain clarification from a professor. Share your own struggles and strategies for coping with your son or daughter. Encourage them to develop a plan for completing their projects and goals for the semester.
Students need to make a commitment as to when they will work on their projects and need to be specific about when they want to complete the work. To ensure that they use their time wisely, students should outline the smaller steps needed to complete the project or reach their goal. Working on the assignment a little at a time and setting deadlines for completing each part will help students stay on track. Students should also reward themselves after completing a task. The bigger the accomplishment the bigger the reward should be.
Making the Best Use of Summer
Hopefully, your son or daughter already has plans for the summer. One way students can stand out as a graduate college applicant or potential new employee is to be able to boast that they have attempted to prepare themselves academically, and also professionally by using school breaks (summer, fall, winter, and spring) to gain experience. Students can explore areas of interest and potential careers through internships, job shadowing, volunteering, or paid employment. In addition to career building basics, students can use the summer to diversify their experiences through community service and study abroad opportunities. Some students also stay over the summer to work on research or take summer classes at Wittenberg.
If your student is still figuring out what they want to do this summer, here is how you can help.
Student Life Corner
WittFest 2009
For the community of Springfield and the faculty, staff and students of Wittenberg University, the spring season is more than just a chance to pack up the winter jackets, and kick off those snow boots. This time of year is greatly anticipated by everyone because of WittFest. Once dubbed Wittstock, this concert-festival is a long-standing Wittenberg tradition sponsored by Union Board, a Witt student organization dedicated to providing cultural, educational, recreational and social programs to campus.
Complete with twelve hours of non-stop music provided by a professional headliner, campus artists and local bands, it is no wonder that WittFest has been acknowledged as the biggest social event of the year. WittFest 2009 will take place on Saturday, May 2 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. in Myers Hollow.
This year, our students are preparing with enthusiasm for the appearance of our accomplished headliner, Hellogoodbye, an alternative rock band out of California. More than just music, all who attend are offered a memorable day filled with tasty treats offered by vendors, novelties, caricatures, and giant inflatable games. With growing anticipation, I am eager to say that along with this gorgeous spring season; WittFest is just around the corner!
Congratulations Parents of Graduating Seniors
Congratulations on all of your hard work and support that has led to your son or daughter’s graduation from Wittenberg. This year’s commencement speaker is Richard Stengel, managing editor of TIME. One of the nation's leading journalists, Richard Stengel, has consistently brought perspective, depth, passion and energy to the world's largest weekly newsmagazine and all of his professional pursuits. On May 16, Stengel will share his story with the 426 Wittenberg seniors set to receive their diplomas as he presents the keynote address during the university 164th Commencement Exercises.
There are a number of events planned to honor our graduates and their families including a President’s Reception. The schedule of events related to commencement is available on the commencement website. Graduating Honor Society members have been invited to an Honors Luncheon on Friday, May 15th from 12:00 to 1:00pm. If you are interested in attending with your student have them purchase tickets from Academic Services by May 6th. For those of you planning on attending the Commencement Brunch on May 16th make sure you’ve submitted your reservation by May 6th. In the event of inclement weather, the program will be held in the HPER Center, where tickets will be required. Remind your student to obtain their indoor Commencement tickets.