Welcome to the Office of First Year Experience at Norfolk State University

Dr. Leroy Hamilton, Jr., Interim Executive Director of First  Year Experience

The Office of First Year Experience offers varied academic support services to assist students with their transition to university life.  The First Year Experience program is designed to ensure that participants receive proactive academic advising, peer tutoring, tutorial services, supplemental instruction, access to an instructional computer lab, and mentoring. The faculty and staff work in tandem to promote student retention and academic success by providing comprehensive services tailored to the needs of the individual student.

The transition to university life is filled with excitement, but it also presents challenges as well as the unknown.  For these reasons, the First Year Experience program helps students navigate their academic environment, nurtures their quest for knowledge, and provides the underpinnings that promote and encourage student excellence. 

Collectively, all segments of the university – the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, Student Affairs, Finance and Business, Research and Technology, University Advancement, the students and the community – will work in partnership to make certain every student’s stay at NSU is a rewarding and enriching experience. 

 In sum, the Office of First Year Experience provides opportunities for growth, enrichment and academic success throughout the undergraduate experience.

Sincerely,

Dr. Leroy Hamilton, Jr.

About the First Year Experience

The first year of college is the foundation upon which the entire academic experience is built.  Norfolk State University views the first year of college as an essential time to help students build a solid foundation for life-long academic, personal, and career success.  For this reason, the Office of the First Year Experience was established to assist students in making the transition to college, to work as advocates for first-year students, to provide academic support services to first-year students, to work with faculty to increase student retention and persistence to graduation, and to serve as a resource to all university units in serving the needs of first-year students.   Meet the First Year Experience staff.

The Office of The First Year Experience oversees the various activities and programs currently existing to support students; designs, recommends, and coordinates existing and new programs or initiatives focusing on the first-year experiences of new and transfer students; ensures cohesiveness in academic support services impacting new and transfer students; and assesses student outcomes as a result of first-year curricular and co-curricular programs and services.

 The Office of The First Year Experience strives to:

 • Assist students in making the transition to college

• Address the needs of first-time freshmen and transfer students

• Work with faculty to increase student persistence to graduation

• Work with faculty to ensure students achieve general education goals

• Serve as a resource to faculty advisors

Enjoy your college experience!
We look forward to seeing you here at the Office of First Year Experience.