"There are few more stressful times in a first-year student's college experience than the end of their first semester. With the winter break just weeks away, the anticipation of a long-awaited return home is building. There may also be some feelings of nervous anticipation surrounding the first experience with final exams.
Students are tired, overwhelmed and ready to return home, recharge, and see their families. The Student Alumni Association's "Letters from Home" program was a new initiative in 2022 that provided families with an opportunity to encourage their student from afar by sharing personal notes of encouragement, words of wisdom, and/or tips and tricks for navigating the rest of the semester and achieving success. All notes were then hand-delivered to first-year students in their dorms by members of the Student Alumni Association."
From the Judges
We want to recognize this initiative for being a very low budget way to engage families and parents and heighten recognition of the office and Student Alumni Association. The materials provided specific metrics of success and they were able to have an impact on a large number of students with very little effort. It could easily be replicated at any institution.
