Ferris State University's Office of Admissions has developed virtual orientation programming
to welcome new students and to help them learn more on campus, their college and departments
before the start of the Fall 2020 semester.To ensure the health and safety of Ferris State University’s newest students, the Office of Admissions has established a virtual orientation, which debuted in mid-May. The program provides information and advises incoming students on the next steps to start their college journey.
Director of Orientation Eric Simone said that a focus on adaptability and collaboration has allowed the team to adjust its system that offers details specific to campus location and student type.
“Numerous departments from around campus have come together to share their resources in the form of downloadable documents or presentations, as well as some very informative and entertaining videos,” Simone said. “These are found on our department’s webpage, under the ‘ additional resources’ tab. In addition to these offerings, our academic colleges have put significant work into ensuring that each student coming to Ferris this year gets to meet one-on-one with a college representative, to schedule their Fall 2020 semester classes.”
Simone said that the staff is pleased by efforts to develop and establish the virtual orientation process and looks forward to further engaging students as the process continues.
“We encourage these students to keep a close eye on their email to schedule their one-on-one class registration session, as those notifications will arrive within a couple days of completing online orientation,” Simone said. “Those students who had previously scheduled an in-person date are being asked to complete online orientation for Fall 2020 at their earliest convenience, as well as those admitted students who have not yet taken action. This virtual program will be available until the fall semester begins, but we strongly suggest that students complete the process as soon as they are able to secure an optimal class schedule and assist their preparations for the fall semester. Anyone wishing to complete online orientation or learn more, we invite them to visit ferris.edu/orientation at any time.”
Admissions has created virtual programming, such as the Admitted Student Live series and New Student Social Hour. The events help students determine if Ferris is the right fit for them.
Simone acknowledged the collaborators who hosted the Explore Ferris Live events with each of the university’s academic colleges and many departments.
“A fun byproduct of these events has been seeing students engage each other in the chat feature before and during the events,” Simone said. “Based on that response and our typical goal of getting students connected at orientation, we will now be hosting New Student Social Hour events, to help students get to know their peers, before arriving on the Ferris campus.”
Fall 2020 semester classes will begin on Monday, Aug. 31.