2018 Orientation Has Begun!!!

By Ramona Shelton

Motlow Buzz Managing Editor

            SMYRNA -- With Motlow being one of the fastest growing community colleges in the country and with so much of that growth being at the Smyrna Center, making sure our new students have the best possible preparation for the upcoming fall semester is priority number one for the Orientation Team.

            Motlow’s Orientation Team is made up of faculty, staff, alumni and community members who go through an intense set of training sessions to learn the most up-to-date information to help guide incoming freshmen to success. All new first-time freshmen go through the orientation process to make sure they are ready to walk into day one of classes.

            According to Gary Winton, assistant director of recruitment and new student services, orientations are designed to not only introduce new students to Motlow but also give them the opportunity to finalize any outstanding requirements before classes officially start. 

Future Motlow Smyrna students attend a recent orientation (Photo by Ramona Shelton)

            Students check in at the welcome table just inside the front door where they are given name tags and a student planner. Quite often, students who have never met each other before bond before even reaching the next part of the day. At orientation on a recent Friday, several students who used the wait time before their group started became so connected that they requested to stick together as a unit for the rest of the day!

            After checking in, the new students get to meet someone who will be one of their biggest cheerleaders all the way through their Motlow experience -- their completion coach. Between the completion coaches and the faculty advisors (as well as the rest of the Motlow crew!), Motlow students have a support system from the first day they walk through the door all the way until they walk across that stage at graduation.

            New students also get introduced to the technology they will be using at Motlow. Orientees have the chance to access their Motlow email accounts and their MyMotlow accounts, two things they will be very proficient at using by the time they get to graduation. For these students, the technology presentation also gives them the first look at D2L, Motlow’s online campus system. D2L isn’t just for fully online classes; many professors have web enhanced classes that utilize D2L for testing, communication and file sharing.

            The next steps at orientation are advising and registration. This is the meat and potatoes of “what classes am I going to take.” Orientation team advisors walk through orientees’ chosen programs and help them plan their first steps in coursework. At registration, orientees get to work with the advisors to sign up for their first semester’s classes. Any students interested in the Motlow Honors Program also have the opportunity to meet with an Honors advisor to help them start down that path if they qualify for Honors.

            Finally, new students hit the check-out process. This is their final opportunity of the day to tackle any financial aid, Tennessee Promise, or Tennessee Reconnect questions. In addition to receiving a parting gift, orientees have the opportunity to take care of some practical things as well, getting their IDs and parking passes in a place in which they will spend a lot of time during their Motlow tenure -- the Smyrna Campus Library.

Gary Winton Prepares for an orientation session on the Motlow Smyrna campus (photo by Ramona Shelton)

            While at orientation, new students get to meet so many people who understand their Motlow journey. Spring 2018 graduate (and Motlow Buzz contributing writer) Emma Sagor is a new part of the Orientation Team this summer. Emma loves being able to share her Motlow experiences with our new students. Another new member of the team is speech professor Debbie Stockdale, who says that she is so glad she chose to be a part of this group. Being a part of the Orientation Team has added a new dimension to her experience as an instructor. Guiding new students through the advising and course selection process has increased the satisfaction she has as a teacher. It has also allowed her to meet and work with so many members of the Motlow Smyrna family!

            Motlow Smyrna is most definitely growing! During the Summer 2018 orientation sessions, the team saw 920 new students. At the session on July 13, nearly 140 orientees were welcomed to Motlow Smyrna! A low estimate is that there will be another 600 who go through the process before classes start in August.

            If you are interested in the Orientation Team, the orientation process, or have a friend who would enjoy being at Motlow, please contact Gary Winton at gwinton@mscc.edu.