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

Dr. Gladys Bennett, Acting Executive Director of First year Experience

We're happy to have you join us. It's also a friendly place, with supportive faculty and staff working hard to help make your academic career a successful one. Let us help you!

This new beginning brings challenges, excitement, and the unknown. The administration, faculty, staff, and students welcome you and challenge you to commit to making college a successful experience. We will provide the stimulus and support to nurture your zest for knowledge. Collectively, all segments of the university –the president’s office, academic affairs, student affairs, finance and business, students and community work together to make your stay at NSU a rewarding and enriching experience.

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/ACCESS.