OXFORD,
\nMiss. – Some 1,500 undergraduate students, graduate students and
\nprofessionals from nine states are expected to attend the 2009 Southern
\nRegional Orientation Workshop this weekend (March 13-15) at the
\nUniversity of Mississippi.<\/p>\n
Sponsored by the National Orientation
\nDirectors Association, the workshop provides education, leadership and
\nprofessional development in college orientation, transition and
\nretention. This is the first year that Ole Miss has hosted SROW.
\nOrientation teams will attend from universities, colleges and community
\ncolleges in the NODA Southern region, which includes Alabama, Florida,
\nGeorgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
\nCarolina and Tennessee.<\/p>\n
“(SROW) is basically an undergraduate-centered conference where orientation teams share and borrow information from other institutions to improve their orientation programs,” said Rebecca Bertrand, UM’s coordinator of orientation and parent programs.<\/p>\n
This year’s SROW theme is “Once upon a SROW: Where all your Orientation Dreams will come true!” The theme will be carried out in a song, skit and dance competition during the workshop, which includes team-building programs, budgeting sessions and informative speeches.<\/p>\n
Orientation teams from different schools were invited to submit proposals to have their own programs during the workshop. More than 100 program proposals were received, which is a record number for SROW, with 107 proposals accepted.<\/p>\n
“SROW is a huge event, both in terms of numbers and opportunities to learn and grow,” said Whitman Smith, UM director of enrollment services who is co-hosting the event with Bertrand. “It’s a big plus for us to be able to host this year.”<\/p>\n
Seeing the students on campus during spring break will be especially exciting, Smith said. “I’ve attended SROW five times, and it is always one of the highlights of my year. When we normally see a huge departure of students this time of year, you will see a big influx, which is kind of cool. These are great kids.”<\/p>\n
Bertrand says the event is a great opportunity to show off the campus and surrounding area.<\/p>\n
“This event is important, just like any event that we bring to Oxford, because a lot of students from these states might not have been to Ole Miss or to Oxford before,” she said. “It will change people’s perception of this state, of the university and of the town.”<\/p>\n
For more information about SROW 2009, visit http:\/\/www.olemiss.edu\/orientation\/srow\/<\/a> . For information on orientation at the University of Mississippi, visit http:\/\/www.olemiss.edu\/orientation\/<\/a> .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"