HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall University is anticipating on welcoming more than 1,500 students to campus for the first week of the new fall semester this week.
Vice President of Intercultural and Student Affairs Marcie Simms said it’s the most they’ve ever brought in for the university’s Week of Welcome or WOW event which begins Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Events and activities are planned for the students throughout the week before the new semester officially gets underway.
Dr. Marcie Simms
Simms said it’s a way for the new students to feel at home and part of the Marshall family.
“Our goal is really for them to get excited about college, answer all of those resource questions, but by Monday, my goal is for them to have at least connected with one faculty, staff or student and they feel like they’re a part of the Herd,” said Simms.
The event will offer a series of workshops across topics that are essential for students to know upon starting the institution as well as incorporate local events such as the Huntington Art Walk as a way for them to explore the downtown Huntington area.
WOW check-in and residence hall move-in begins on Tuesday and will go through Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Activities kick off Tuesday evening with breakfast and bingo at the student center and will also continue into Wednesday with campus tours, an open house and a block party at Marshall’s Recreation Center.
On Thursday, students will begin their first class at Marshall, UNI 100 otherwise known as the “Freshman First Class.” It’s an introduction to the academic structures and expectations of college life. The day will close out with “Night at the Joan” at the Joan C. Edwards Stadium for a screening of “We Are Marshall.”
On Friday, the Class of 2028 will pose for a class photo around the John Marshall statue followed by a united walk across campus to attend Freshman Convocation at 11:15 a.m. at the Rec Center.
Dozens of on-campus gatherings will be held Friday afternoon to allow students to mingle with one another and find potential groups with similar interests.
Simms said the growth in WOW this year has come from their decision to invite all new students not just freshman, but incoming graduate students, transfer and online students. She said they recognized a need to be more inclusive with all incoming students.
“Some of them are transferring and coming here from smaller institutions and they also felt that they needed some of that extra attention and extra support,” she said.
Overall, Simms said attendance has been down at higher education institutions nationwide over the last few years, and she said it’s refreshing to be able to find more ways to boost it back up.
Simms said a frustrating issue that colleges across the state have been dealing with this year has been changes made to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA which further led to a declining enrollment.
However, she said Marshall has tried to be very proactive about offering as much one-on-one assistance as they could through the FAFSA filling out process which she said has really seemed to help resolve some of the issues and keep up their student growth.
“We’ve sent out lots of communications through recruitment and enrollment and our office to just continually communicate with the students from their time at orientation until now,” she said.
Simms said another concern that has been their focus has been the changing student demographics. She their work to accommodate those changes however, has also seemed to really help attract more students.
“In the last ten years if you look at the students, they have changed, and that’s why we really have also looked at our student demographics,” she said. “We have made sure we are also appealing to our student veterans, our transfer students, our non-traditional-age students, because we know that that’s where enrollment growth also has to come.”
WOW continues throughout the weekend with a full line-up of activities.
The annual RecFest is Saturday, Aug. 17. at the Rec Center from noon until 3 p.m. It will include 80 vendors, giveaways, food and activities.
On Saturday afternoon students are invited to a men’s soccer game as Marshall takes on Winthrop at 1 p.m. at the Hoops Family Field. This will be followed up with a carnival on the Memorial Student Center Plaza from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday evening and a gameshow at 8:30 p.m. in the Don Morris Room of the Memorial Student Center.
Fall 2024 classes begin on Monday, Aug. 19.
To view a complete schedule of WOW activities, visit: www.marshall.edu/wow.