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Campus Trailblazers

Through Transformers Program, Student Leaders, Staff
Enhance Freshman Experience at UNH
Adjusting to college life isn’t easy. Managing a heavy academic workload and a burgeoning social life are just two of the challenges that await unsuspecting high school graduates. Through UNH’s new Transformers Program, upperclassmen observe first-year students and work with staff to design programs to help these students make a comfortable transition into higher education.

The Transformers Program was designed by Director of Intercultural Relations Wanda Tyler and Assistant Dean of Student Ric Baker. Below they detail the program and its results.

What is the Transformers Program?
The creation of the Transformers Program was the result of a university-wide effort to enhance the in- and out-of-class experiences of our freshman students through a series of programs and services designed to meet documented needs. While many colleges and universities offer first-year experience programs, the Transformers Program in itself is unique as it brings together all upper-class students to work directly with first-year students for comprehensive training and information-sharing. The upper-class students included Resident Assistants, Diversity Peer Educators, Freshman Experience Class Experienced Students, Academic Peer Mentors, and Disability Services and Resources’ DREAM Team members. The Transformers met once a month to receive topic-specific information to help meet the unique needs of freshman students, and to share issues and/or trends observed by the upper-class students in their respective roles working with the freshmen.

Our Program Goals
In an effort to further the impact that student leaders have on our first-year student experience, professional Student Affairs staff members developed, implemented and assessed the "Transformers" program to:

Our Approach
The Transformers Program philosophy is to integrate the nationally researched needs of first-year students while allowing a structure that solicited feedback from current student leaders about current, UNH-specific trends among our own students.

Additionally, by creating this network of students with diverse skill sets and roles, we were able to obtain feedback on the progress of freshman students from a variety of settings, including academic, residential, and need-based groups. Each session would begin with members being asked what trends or issues had been observed among the population. The group would then brainstorm ways to address these issues. This open communication format provided for up-to-the-minute input on our students, and provided an environment where interventions could be designed when needed.

The Bottom Line – Why this is working and How it Helps the University
After the end of the series of four sessions, we asked student participants to assess their experience as part of the program. The majority of these student leaders agreed that the Transformers Program provided them with a structured means of enhancing the skills needed to work with first-year students; gave them the opportunity to reflect on their potential impact on first years; and allowed them to connect with and learn from other student leaders.

One program initiative developed to address a reported first-year student issue was called “Don’t Duck Out of Class.” After receiving concerns from student leaders that first-year students were not consistently going to class, this media campaign stressed the costs related to poor class attendance, and was distributed to first-year students in the residence halls.

As we start the planning process for next year—taking into consideration the feedback from the students as well as from professional staff members who were involved in its development—we will continue to focus on our goal of using the Transformers Program as a valuable resource for student leaders who are committed to aiding first-year students in their transition to UNH.