Faculty and Staff Commit to Meeting Incoming Students’ Needs at 2024 Academic Affairs Retreat

The Academic Affairs retreat at Arcadia University is an annual prelude to the year for faculty and staff. On Aug. 20, colleagues gathered in the Commons Great Room to hear and share progress related to the theme of Meeting the Needs of our Incoming Undergraduate Students. Some of the presentations included:

• What we know about the first-year and transfer students joining us this fall
• A cross-institutional panel conversation about what students expect and need from the institution
• An interactive activity examining the alignment of efforts to support students with select strategic initiatives

From left to right: Angela McNeil, Ellen Skilton, Peter Siskind, Amy Henning, Collene Pernicello

For Eugene Garmon, Assistant Director of Counseling Services and Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives and a first-time retreat attendee, the most significant takeaways from the day were "the diversity of the incoming class and understanding Gen Z and their awareness of mental health. They're already coming to the table wanting our services," Garmon noted.

Allyson McCreery '13MA, Associate Director of the International Peace and Conflict Resolution program, said, "I'm excited to see the synergy across campus units as we prepare for a great incoming class of undergraduate students."

Faculty and staff were invited to submit shout-outs to colleagues who have gone above and beyond, which ran as a slideshow during lunch. Each table contained notecards and pens for the same purpose.