Philosophy of the First Year Orientation Program
Orientation is a year-long process, beginning with June Advising and culminating in the end of the first academic year at Muhlenberg. Faculty, current students and staff, working collaboratively, develop a learning environment that balances challenge and support so every first-year student has an opportunity to succeed in the transition from high school to college life. Experiences in the Orientation year are intended to contribute to your intellectual, personal and social growth, and to your integration into a community committed to balanced and responsible engagement in academics, residential life, and extra-curricular activities.
During Orientation Weekend, special emphasis will be placed on activities to promote the transition to life as a Muhlenberg College student:
- familiarity with the campus, its resources, and traditions;
- integration into small groups so friendships and a sense of commitment to self and others as members of a community may begin;
- awareness of skills and attitudes, including time management and the meeting of responsibilities on a syllabus, necessary for academic success;
- awareness of seeking assistance through professors, Faculty Advisors, Orientation Leaders, Resident Advisors, Writing Assistants, and professionals in offices such as Academic Resource Center and the Counseling Center;
- acknowledgement of the importance of diversity for a healthy community, including differences in religious, racial, and ethnic background, gender, cognitive or physical disabilities, sexual orientation, and academic disciplines;
- the importance of the student as active in weighing options and making responsible choices; and the importance of academic integrity.
Although the College is committed to assisting students in every way possible, we recognize that you must ultimately take responsibility for your education. The success of the years in college may ultimately be measured by the extent to which you have developed the capacity for responsible decision making.
Orientation Goals
Muhlenberg College's Orientation Program is designed to:
- Provide you with information about academic policies, expectations, resources, and process to help you make well-informed choices.
- Provide you with opportunities to interact with faculty, staff, other incoming students, and continuing students that contribute to your sense of belonging on campus.
- Help you become more familiar with of college values, personal and social expectations, and critical healthy and safety issues.
- Expose you to the history and traditions of the college and understand your membership in the larger Muhlenberg network.
- Provide you opportunities to begin to understand your individual identities as well as living and learning in a community of people representing diverse backgrounds and experiences.
- Help you become more familiar with the Muhlenberg campus and our city, Allentown, PA.
