New Success Team initiative gets first-year students on the right track

The Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development and the Department of Student Transition and Success debuted a new initiative this fall called the Success Team. The Success Team is integrated with First Year Experience (FYE) classes, a longstanding program designed for smooth first-year transition and to prepare students to be successful.

FYE classes are two-credit seminar courses for first-semester, first-year students. The UNIV 101 and 103 courses are co-taught by a faculty member and student affairs staff member and cover two primary components — one focuses on an academic topic, the other on new student transition topics. UNIV courses allow students to explore and discuss academic topics and develop critical thinking and writing skills, but also offer a proactive method of ensuring students are successful. Advising, career education, academic success strategies and diversity components are all embedded within the curriculum, and students are exposed to the wide array of resources Binghamton University offers to assist in their success.

This fall, a peer success coach and a senior peer career consultant were assigned to each UNIV section to offer students a personalized success team to help them navigate their first year on campus and to enhance a sense of belonging. The senior peer career consults work directly for the Fleishman Center and serve as a career resource for students in UNIV courses. Peer success coaches assist students with the transition from high school to college life and ensure the students have a plan for success. The peer support will continue throughout new students’ first year.

A 22% increase in enrollment in UNIV classes arose this fall compared to 2021, with a total of 515 seats filled. Among other factors, staff credit the new Success Team initiative for the jump in enrollment.