The New Student and Transition Center (also known as “The Nest,” for short), provides important services for freshmen, for sophomores who have not yet declared their majors; and for new transfer students. Our goal is to assist freshmen in making a successful transition to university life and to help new transfer students feel at home and anchored at the University. Advisors in our office assist these students with program planning for the semester as well as the process of registration. We are here to respond to most questions commonly posed by new students and are happy to direct them, if necessary, to other offices on campus.
Our office is open five days a week, from 9-5 p.m. year round, except on major holidays.
Walk-ins are always welcome, but appointments, made through our administrative assistant, are recommended.
Katie Anderson, Director of New Student & Transition Center
katie.anderson@duny.edu
(845) 848-4041
Autumn Blankenbush, Student Success Advisor
autumn.blankenbush@duny.edu
(845) 848-4042
General Information and Questions
Michelle Fitzpatrick, Administrative Assistant
NSTC@duny.edu
845-848-4040
The Freshman Directorate and Freshman Seminar
The Freshman Directorate consists of a group of faculty members dedicated to guiding Freshmen through their first year of college, through one-on-one meetings for course registration and other academic matters, and through the Freshman Seminar course. Freshman are assigned their academic advisor/Freshman Seminar instructor before they enter the Univeristy and work with them throughout their Freshman year, developing the independence and responsibility that they will need to be successful.
Freshmen are enrolled in Freshman Seminar, a 3-credit course designed to help students learn how to take charge of their education by learning organizational skills, strategies for time management and note taking. In addition to providing students with the tools necessary for success in college, the seminar also requires students to begin the career exploration process in order to prepare them for their lives after graduation.
The Peer Mentor Program
The Peer Mentor Program is designed to give freshmen assistance and peer help as they begin their university journeys. Carefully selected and trained upperclassmen are each paired with a section of Dominican’s Freshman Seminar, and serve, both as a teaching assistant in the class and as a source of support and an information resource outside of the classroom. Peer Mentors facilitate a new student’s assimilation into the larger Dominican community and keep their class up to date on approaching deadlines and opportunities for social interaction and extracurricular activities.
Peer Mentors are chosen from a wide pool of applicants and trained in the months preceding the start of the academic year. Freshmen and Peer Mentors often form a lasting bond that remains throughout a student’s university career.
