Engaging Students in the First Year (ESFY)

ESFY Goals and Strategies at UW-Sheboygan

Promote an Understanding and Appreciation of Liberal Education
This goal includes:
• Fostering an aesthetic appreciation of the liberal arts.
• Fostering an understanding of the liberal arts tradition.
• Providing a liberal education.
• Promoting the appreciation for the importance of the college experience.
• Fostering a joy and respect for learning.
HOW: Contact your instructors and Student Affairs to achieve this goal! Feel free to contact Valerie Murrenus Pilmaier, ESFY coordinator, as well.

Engage Students in Academic Pursuits
Strategies that could be used by faculty and staff to achieve this goal:
• Promoting active learning (students need to be actively engaged in the learning process).
• Offering First-Year Seminars, like LEC 100: Introduction to the Liberal Arts this spring (PRISM # 3835).
• Offering Learning Communities, like the English 277/GEO 297 learning community (PRISM #s 4148 and 4149)
• Offering interdisciplinary studies opportunities like English 277/GEO 297 learning community (PRISM #s 4148 and 4149).
• Promoting student involvement and responsibility in the learning process. Contact Tom Bruflat, the Student Success Coordinator, at tom.bruflat@uwc.edu and Kristine.feggestad@uwc.edu.
• Defining institution-wide expectations for first year students. Contact Dr. Pilmaier, the ESFY Coordinator, at valerie.pilmaier@uwc.edu.
• Providing study abroad opportunities. Contact Jane Donlon at jane.donlon@uwc.edu.
• Providing students with opportunities to share what they are learning. Contact Jena Jaeckels, the Student Life Advisor at jena.jaeckels@uwc.edu or Tom Bruflat at tom.bruflat@uwc.edu.
• Providing students with opportunities to actively apply knowledge to life experience. Contact Ronaldo Cordeiro, Service Learning Coordinator and Community Outreach, at Ronaldo.cordeiro@uwc.edu.
• Investigating individual learning styles. Contact your instructors.
• Assisting students with learning how to learn. Contact your instructors.
For any of these issues, feel free to contact Dr. Pilmaier at valerie.pilmaier@uwc.edu

Engage Students on the Campus
Strategies that could be used by faculty and staff to achieve this goal:
• Encouraging involvement in athletics and intramural sports. Contact Missy Skurzewski, the Athletics Director, at missy.skurzewski@uwc.edu.
• Encouraging involvement in campus committees, clubs, and societies, contact Jena Jaeckels at jena.jaeckels@uwc.edu or Patersia Yang, the Student Government Association President at YANGP4297@students.uwc.edu
• Encouraging involvement in the Student Government Association. Contact Patty Yang at YANG4297@students.uwc.edu
• Providing an organized, structured Mentoring Program that promotes faculty-student interaction. Contact Tom Bruflat at tom.bruflat@uwc.edu.
• Encouraging participation in study groups. Contact tom.bruflat@uwc.edu
• Providing Convocation activities. Contact Student Affairs or the ESFY committee at SHBESFY@uwc.edu
• Providing orientation activities. Contact Student Affairs or Jena Jaeckels at SHBESFY@uwc.eduSHBESFY@uwc.edu
• Developing and implementing opportunities for collective student experiences (i.e., with a work of art, theatre production, musical production, film, or common reading). Contact any of our fine arts instructors or the ESFY committee at SHBESFY@uwc.edu.
For any of these bullet points, contact Dr. Pilmaier at valerie.pilmaier@uwc.edu

Engage Students in the Community
Strategies that could be used by faculty and staff to achieve this goal:
• Providing opportunities for service learning.
• Providing opportunities for volunteerism.
• Providing opportunities for field trips.
• Providing internship opportunities.
• Involving students in campus-community projects and partnerships.
• Participating in government-related activities.
How? Contact Ronaldo Cordeiro, Service Learning Coordinator, or Dr. Pilmaier for interest in any of these topics.

Provide Students with the Skills Necessary for Academic and Life Success
Academic Success Skills:
• Reading skills.
• Writing skills.
• Listening skills.
• Speaking skills.
• Library skills (i.e. information literacy, online search techniques and tools, and the ability to critically evaluate information resources).
• Researching skills.
• Note-taking skills.
• Test taking skills.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Goal setting skills.
• Organization skills.
• Setting priorities skills.
• Small group skills.
• Reading and following directions skills.
• Time management skills.
• Critical thinking skills.
• Technology skills.
How? Contact Tom Bruflat, Student Success Coordinator Director at tom.bruflat@uwc.edu, Kristine Feggestad, our behavioral health counselor at Kristine.feggestad@uwc.edu, Dyan Barbeau, our research librarian at dyan.barbeau@uwc.edu, Sherri Byrand, our Writing Center Coordinator at sherri.byrand@uwc.edu, or Melissa Olson-Petrie, our Reading Specialist at melissa.olsonpetrie@uwc.edu or Dr. Pilmaier at valerie.pilmaier@uwc.edu

Life Management Skills:
• Enhancing students’ self-understanding.
• Providing assistance for life planning.
• Promoting open-mindedness.
• Assisting with value clarification.
• Assisting students in developing personal values.
• Providing opportunities for leadership training.
• Instilling a commitment to health and wellness.
• Providing guidance for managing a budget.
• Providing opportunities for financial planning.
How? Contact Tom Bruflat at tom.bruflat@uwc.edu, Kristine Feggestad at kristine.feggestad@uwc.edu, or Dr. Pilmaier at valerie.pilmaier@uwc.edu

Tools Necessary for Navigating University Culture:
• Providing financial aid information. Contact Mary Balde, financial aid specialist at mary.balde@uwc.edu.
• Providing opportunities for career and major exploration. Contact Pam Fitzer and Elisa Waltz, advisors, at pam.fitzer@uwc.edu or elisa.waltz@uwc.edu.
• Advising students as to how to register for classes. Contact Pam Fitzer at pam.fitzer@uwc.edu, Elisa Waltz at elisa.waltz@uwc.edu, Tom Bruflat at tom.bruflat@uwc.edu, or Jena Jaeckels at jena.jaeckels@uwc.edu
• Understanding university policies and procedures. Contact Tom Bruflat at tom.bruflat@uwc.edu or Connie Christensen, Assistant Campus Dean for Student Affairs at connie.christensen@uwc.edu
• Providing student learning support centers. Contact Tom Bruflat at tom.bruflat@uwc.edu or Sherri Byrand at sherri.byrand@uwc.edu.

For any of these bullet points, feel free to contact Dr. Pilmaier at valerie.pilmaier@uwc.edu.