By TIFFANY RAZZANO
"Quite frankly, when I came, there wasn't much student life," he said. And, when he attended a Halloween dance sponsored by the student government, where most of the approximately 20 students who showed up for it were those who organized the dance and their friends, he knew a change needed to be made.
In order to create more life on campus, Molloy decided to enhance the freshman experience. "We made the decision to focus on ... the freshmen," Bogner said. "It is a priority for us. It's easier to get freshman involved. They're more willing to engage in different
activities and we wanted to insure they get the collegiate experience. We want to grow campus life and make the college more comprehensive." Not only would the plan encourage more students to become more involved on campus, but it would also make the freshmen's transition from high school to college much easier.
So far, the plan has reaped amazing results, Bogner says. Each year Molloy's freshmen class continues to grow. There were 218 incoming freshmen when Bogner started. Last year there were 281, and this year there are a whopping 375 new freshmen. Bogner also says that student involvement has gone up more than 500 percent, with a number of new clubs and activities offered to students.
One of the first thing's Molloy did was to develop a more comprehensive freshmen orientation program. As well as a typical student orientation, the college also offers three special orientations: the Urban Experience, a Leadership Retreat and Community Service in Action.
The Urban Experience introduces incoming students to Manhattan, with an outing that might include dinner, a Broadway show and a trip to a museum. "We teach them to use the city," Bogner said. "You'd be surprised how many people on Long Island don't go in on their own."
The Leadership Retreat, a weekend trip held over the summer, offers students leadership training workshops. Community Service in Action sends members of the freshmen class out in the community to collect baby items and school supplies for those in need.
"This gives the opportunity to freshman to become involved, to build friendships with other freshmen and other students before they even start their classes," said Bogner. "They feel more comfortable [on campus.]"
The final component of the expanded freshmen experience is the Freshman Foundations Program, which began last fall with the intention of helping freshmen make the transition from a high school classroom to college. Required of all freshmen, students are grouped together for a cluster of three or more classes all based around a topic of their choice. The students have about 17 different topics to choose from. In the fall, the topics revolve around life and problems on Long Island. The classes are then globalized in the spring, focusing on different areas of the world and tied in with various trips abroad.
"A regular orientation class is wrapped into [the Freshman Foundations Program,]" Bogner said. "They're part of a group. They build relationships. It's not an idea we were the first to do, but it's what I consider the best practice. Students become more comfortable and conversational in class."
"Our goal is to make the first year interesting and exciting," said Dr. Michael Russo, the program's director. "There's more of an incentive for sticking out all four years if they enjoy their freshman year of college. ... Our goal is three-fold: We want to make it an exciting and fun experience that makes them want to stay; we want to give them the skills necessary for life; and we want to support their growth."
Students seem to be enjoying the program. Briana Watford, from Amityville, says not only did it help to meet other freshmen at orientation, but the Freshmen Foundations Program is a big help as well. "It's good to have people you see every day," she said. "You meet people with the same major, and you make friends. It makes the day more enjoyable."
Katherine Orzano, from Rockville Centre, said she has been very comfortable at Molloy since day one, which began with orientation over the summer. "You're brought into things very easily," she said. "Everyone [in my Foundations classes] is really friendly. It makes it easier."
Russo plans on experimenting even more with the Foundations Program next year. He would like to offer a class called "Bringing It All Back Home," named after an album by Bob Dylan. The course would encapsulate the entire creative experience, allowing students to study all forms of art, music and literature. "I want to make the experience relevant and interesting," he said. "Students would study different creative expressions in a creative way."
The goal, Russo says, is to truly excite students so they take more away from the classroom. "What a student hears, they retain much less of than when they actively participate," he said. "The talking heads approach doesn't work anymore. If you want to educate, you need to rethink what you do in the classroom."
This means introducing students to more problem-based -- and more radical -- modes of teaching, Russo says. "The more creative we get [in the classroom], the more they like it," he said. "The question is, how can we get more visionary? I'm trying to think outside the box for next year. What can we use ... to get students excited about learning?"
According to Russo, this question is imperative, as the world becomes more competitive as it moves further into the 21st century. "How are we, in the United States, going to stay competitive ... if we don't start thinking about developing creativity in students and critical thinking?" he asked. "Asia is very serious about preparing students for the global markets of the 21st century. This forces academics to think outside the box. The question raised is, what is the best way to educate students so they excel in the highly competitive world in the 21st century? Are we doing that now? If not, what can we do differently?"
Comments about this story? TRazzano@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 221.
