TO: Sonoma State Employees
FR: Dr. Ryan Jasen Henne, Dean of Students
Mo Phillips, Director of Student Involvement
Greetings Campus Partners -
While our campus continues to share updates regarding student recruitment efforts underway, we wanted to take this opportunity to share some updates from The Office of Orientation and Parent & Family Programs in case you receive questions from potential Seawolves and/or their families.
Who to Contact Regarding Orientation
If you or your teams have questions related to Orientation, feel free to contact Dr. Ryan Jasen Henne, Dean of Students or Mo Phillips, Director of Student Involvement; or reach out to orientation@sonoma.edu which will always get the quickest response.
New Orientation Format
Effective fall 2023, orientation is now broken into three (3) parts. When we say “Noma Nation Orientation”, we are talking about:
- Advising & Registration
- First Time Transfer (FTT) students will be advised and register virtually in April/May
- First Time First Year (FTFY) students will be advised and register in June and July. For FTFY, these appointments may be virtually or in person.
- Seawolf Summer Success Series: Ask Me Anything Series in June/July
- Seawolf Summer Success consists of four (4) live-streamed virtual talks and a Q& A about topics that students and their families need to know prior to the Week of Welcome. Topics covered include:
- Doing Business at SSU with Financial Aid and the Seawolf Service Center
- Residential Education and Campus Housing (REACH): information about campus housing
- Culinary and Wolfbucks
- Disability Services for Students (DSS)
- Bookstore
- “What’s Next” in regards to students’ prep for August move in
- Dates and Zoom links will be made available by May 1, 2023 on the Orientation website.
- Seawolf Summer Success consists of four (4) live-streamed virtual talks and a Q& A about topics that students and their families need to know prior to the Week of Welcome. Topics covered include:
- Week of Welcome (WOW)
- The week prior to classes beginning, three (3) tracks are offered to provide relevant information to different populations:
- Residential students move in Tuesday, August 15th
- Orientation is Wednesday, August 16th and through Saturday, August 19th
- Our goal with WOW is to help successfully see students through their first semester and ensure that this sets the tone for what will ultimately be a great year and start to their college experience!
- WOW includes introductions to campus, support services, student leaders, clubs, evening events and programming so that students are aware of all that Sonoma has to offer them
Orientation and Family Program Website
Please review the new Orientation and Parent & Family Program Website which has been updated to provide information about Orientation for students entering SSU in Fall ‘23, while also sharing additional information about Family Programs and other semesterly events. This site will be updated at the beginning of each month (new content scheduled to be published April - August 2023) to ensure timely and relevant information is available to both our internal campus partners and new Seawolves.
What’s Next?
As we get closer to Advising and Registration, Seawolf Summer Success Series, and the Week of Welcome, we will send out additional information to keep you all updated. The Office of Orientation & Family Programs will also be reaching out to campus partners to offer opportunities to speak and/or table for our newest students, as well as to communicate times to expect increased foot traffic in your offices while students and their families are on campus (i.e. Move-In day, Week of Welcome, FTFY advising appointments, etc.).
Thank you all so much for supporting us while we navigate this evolution to our Noma Nation Orientation program and please always feel free to reach out to orientation@sonoma.edu if you have further questions.
It’s a great day to be a Seawolf!
Orientation & Family Programs
Sonoma State University | Student Center 3020
orientation@sonoma.edu | 707.664.4464