MONMOUTH – Western Oregon University will introduce the Freshman Academy this fall, an academic program for all incoming freshman, to increase student retention at the university.

The Freshman Academy is a comprehensive set of integrated courses and experiences designed to ease the transition into college and to increase the likelihood of success throughout the college experience. Incoming freshman will be enrolled in a year-long Academy 101 course and take a series of connected classes with a group of fellow students, forming exciting and supportive learning communities.

The national problem of student retention has been linked to a lack of student engagement on college campuses. The Freshman Academy was developed to boost student retention as well as student engagement at WOU.

The three-credit course, Academy 101, will provide students with the necessary skills to navigate the university experience. Students will participate in presentations, workshops and activities all designed to help them build connections to the WOU community, as well as help develop the basic habits and skills of successful scholars.

Academy 101 consists of six interconnected projects and initiatives: student survival and success strategies, freshman mentorship initiative, global literacy project, freshman academy portfolio, information literacy project and interconnected communities of learning and living.

The experience offers many chances for group learning, building information literacy skills and discussions that raise the students’ level of global awareness. Within Academy 101, teams of faculty, staff and student tutors will lead various parts of the experience. Freshman will have many opportunities to work and learn in small groups.

The second component of the Freshman Academy is the learning communities and integrative seminars. This section helps students build connections among the various parts of the liberal arts core curriculum, a set of academic courses required for WOU graduation. Students will have their choice of seminars that best match their needs and interests.

For more information please visit the freshman academy online at : http://www.wou.edu/provost/freshman_academy/index.html