skip the i-GuideIllinois State UniversityAdmissions at ISUAcademics at ISUEvents at ISUMap of ISUISU A to Z ListingISU AccessibilityISU 150th Anniversary
The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost

The First-Year Experience at Illinois State University

Philosophy Statement for the First-Year Experience at Illinois State University

We at Illinois State University believe that the first year of college is a critical time in students’ lives. We work as a diverse community of learners to provide a supportive environment for our first-year students during their transition to higher education. We promote courses, programs and services that engage students with the intellectual, social and cultural dimensions of learning while challenging them to develop the skills and the sense of responsibility needed to be successful at the University and as citizens.

Our Work with the Policy Center on the First Year of College

Illinois State University was recognized for excellence in first-year education by being one of the "Founding Institutions” selected to participate in a national project known as the Foundations of Excellence ® in the First College Year Project. The Project is sponsored by the Policy Center on the First Year of College and supported by the Lumina Foundation for Education. The Policy Center developed a set of Foundational Dimensions® statements which constitute a model that provides institutions with a means to evaluate and improve the first year of college.

Illinois State University's First-Year Experience Task Force assessed the first year experience with reference to a set of Performance Indicators, provided by The Policy Center, for each of the Foundational Dimensions ®. Throughout the self-study process, the First-Year Experience Task Force spent significant time gathering evidence to inform our understanding of our strengths, weaknesses, and challenges. The final product was an “Action Plan” (pdf) intended to be aligned with Educating Illinois, and to guide future initiatives. The task force articulated the need for formal attention from a more focused constituency to assist the institution in coordinating this process. As a result, the Provost officially approved the creation of the Council for the First-Year Experience (CFYE) in May, 2005. The Council's membership includes faculty, staff and student representatives specifically charged with the learning and development of first-year students at Illinois State University.

Council for the First-Year Experience

The Council for the First-Year Experience meets periodically throughout the year to review processes related to the learning and development of first-year students. Based on this continuous review, the CFYE recommends the articulation of intended learning and developmental outcomes, curriculum, activities, and assessment processes to advance the quality of the first-year experience at Illinois State. The Council provides recommendations to the campus community on related matters and works to ensure that appropriate resources are provided for the programs that support the first year.

First-Year Experience Philosophy Statement and Guiding Principles (pdf)

Resource Guide for Faculty Teaching First-Year Students

We work as a diverse community of learners to provide a supportive environment for our first-year students during their transition to higher education. Faculty are often the first ones to notice when a student is in trouble, academically or personally. In an effort to assist faculty, the Council for the First-Year Experience has developed an electronic resource guide specifically created for faculty teaching first-year students.

Highlights include:

  • Timeline of events and programs that first-year students experience
  • Insights about the transitions students experience their first year of college
  • Advice on how to respond to students in distress
  • Information about campus resources - arranged by topic area so you don't need to know the name of the office.
  • The Millennial generation - Working with these sometimes overly dependent students, how do we create a culture of high expectations? Includes case studies.

The Resource Guide is a PDF that can easily be downloaded, saved to the desktop, and quickly referenced as needed. The "Topic Bookmarks" located on the left-hand side allow users to find information in just one click!

Download and save a copy of the Resource Guide to your desktop:

  1. Open the document by clicking on the link below
  2. Go to "File" and select either "Save", "Save As" or "Save a Copy"
  3. Select "Desktop" from either the icon on the left-hand side or from the pull down menu
  4. Click "Save"

Resource Guide for Faculty Teaching First-Year Students (pdf)