The First Year Experience program at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri uses faculty, staff, and students to intentionally integrate first year students into the Drury community. This year-long program connects students to the intellectual community, the student community, the faculty and staff community, the Springfield community, and the global community.

Alpha Seminar, a two-semester interdisciplinary course that is the gateway to the Global Studies curriculum at Drury University, constitutes the heart of the intellectual community for all first year students. The curriculum involves an examination of The American Experience and encourages students to engage the issue of what it means to be an American in an increasingly diverse global community. All first year students are assigned to an Alpha section, a group of approximately 18 students who meet for two semesters with the same faculty member, commonly referred to as the Alpha mentor. Faculty members from every department have served and continue to serve as mentors.

The Alpha students work with their mentor to examine the historical and cultural heritage of America, while also enhancing their critical thinking skills, writing skills, and oral communication skills. All Alpha sections share an interdisciplinary common reader compiled by the Drury faculty, thus creating a learning community atmosphere for the entire class of first year students. In addition, Alpha classes attend convocations throughout the year that are built around an annual theme, providing another connection to the intellectual community.

The Alpha experience begins in June, when all first year students spend a day at Drury registering for their first semester, meeting their Alpha class, and receiving the summer reading assignment. Prior to the first day of class, all first year students return to campus for a four-day required orientation that includes Alpha class meetings and a writing assignment. This orientation also addresses other academic concerns by including a convocation and workshops on writing skills, library resources, and time management skills.

Peer connections promote new student success. Orientation leaders, a select group of Drury students, serve as the bridge between the new students and the student community. Orientation leaders are assigned to specific Alpha classes and participate in the June registration day, the four-day orientation, and Alpha classes periodically during the year. Orientation leaders and first year students attend a variety of social events held during orientation that encourage the building of student-to-student connections. During the first week of class, orientation leaders accompany the students to an activities fair to encourage first year students to join student organizations.

Connections with faculty and staff enhance the college experience. The first faculty connection that all first year students make is with their Alpha mentor who serves as professor and advisor for the entire first year. During orientation, faculty members who are not serving as mentors for the first year students host a dinner and dessert in their homes for one Alpha section, the mentor, the orientation leaders, and a small group of other faculty members. This occasion allows first year students to meet a variety of faculty other than their Alpha mentor in an informal setting. Also during orientation, each department holds an open house during a specified time and first year students attend these events in order to meet professors in all disciplines. During the first month of school, first year students are accompanied by their mentor and orientation leaders to a university-wide formal event that is part of the year-long convocation series. In order to support first year students as they transition to their sophomore year, a campus-wide majors fair is held in the Spring that allows first year students to seek advice and an advisor in the major of their choice. During the entire first year, the Housing office, the Career Center, the Counseling Center, the Tech Center, and the International Students Office sponsor a variety of events that help to connect faculty, staff, and first year students. The First Year Experience director serves as ombudsman for all first year students, thus providing yet another staff connection.

During orientation, each Alpha class participates in a community service project that connects them to the Springfield community. Drury Leadership, a four-level course of study, requires community service and first year students are encouraged to take the first course, Leadership and the Individual. The Career Center also enhances the integration of first year students into the Springfield community through internships and shadowing experiences.

Central to the First Year Experience is the mission statement of the university, which includes the goal of liberating "persons to participate responsibly in and contribute to life in a global community." Community service projects, convocation speakers, study abroad opportunities, and international student activities create connections to the Global community.

None of this would be possible without the support of the administration. The Dean of Students, the Associate Dean of the College, and the Associate Dean of Educational Services have served as Alpha mentors. All sections of Alpha have an activities fund that is used to enhance the community within each class. In addition, Alpha mentors receive a faculty development stipend to assist them with travel to conferences or participation in other activities that serve to improve Alpha Seminar classes.

Assessment plays an integral part in the improvement of every facet of the First Year Experience program. Orientation is evaluated by faculty, staff, and students. The First Year Council, a group of student representatives from each alpha class, meet weekly throughout the year to supply student input into all activities. Alpha mentors are evaluated by their students. Writing skills, oral communication skills, and critical thinking skills are assessed by a group of faculty to ensure that the curriculum results in appropriate learning for all students. From this information, faculty have incorporated new pedagogies into the classroom; orientation activities have been altered to enhance the academic preparation for students; and student life activities have changed to meet a broad variety of needs. As a further result of assessment, Alpha sections are being developed for next year that incorporate a residential learning community approach, that meet the needs of commuter students, that better serve the needs of international students, and that utilize an electronic portfolio developed by students.

The current First Year Experience program is in its 7th year. Perhaps the strongest indicator of success lies in the fact that students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and the community openly discuss Alpha Seminar and the First Year Experience program as pivotal experiences for all students at Drury University.