Today: Dec 07, 2024

Future owls are welcomed at Accepted Student’s Day

Michelle Hennessy – News Writer

     Southern hosted its Accepted Student’s Day to welcome prospective students to its campus. The new buildings and facilities were its main selling point, President Mary Papazian, Ph.D. said Southern is going to become the “cool school.”

     “We are committed to becoming the cool school,” said Papazian. “We want people to say ‘Wow, you went to Southern? How did you know how good it was going to get?’ Because the Southern of tomorrow is not the Southern of yesterday.”

     The President shared how Southern’s strategic plan goes up to 2025, and said the changes that will be happening over the next decade will secure Southern as a leading university.

    “Our strategic plan runs up to 2025. It seems like a long way away, you will have graduated by then, you will be in your first job by then, but it’s really close,” said Papazian. “In 2025 we want you to look back and say that you chose Southern as your place to grow up and your place to develop.”

      The new library was mentioned along with its new facilities like a cyber café, as well as the new science building Papazian said was “going to be a place for forward thinking scientists.”

     “We are transforming the physical face of our university,” said Papazian. “We are changing and, parents, it is the kind of change that you want to invest in for your son or daughter.”

    Papazian said students at Southern benefit from its size, making it the “middle spot that’s so important in Higher Education.”

  “It is a great day to be at Southern; it’s a great time to be at Southern,” said Papazian. “We really believe that Southern is at the sweet spot: It’s small enough to provide detailed support but large enough to provide an array of programs and facilities for students.”

     In March, Southern held a Town Hall Meeting highlighting some of the issues surrounding Southern, such as how only 17 percent of its students will graduate in four years and 49 percent in six years. That’s compared to 40 percent and 62 percent, over the same time frame, nationally. Despite this, Papazian said Southern is dedicated to graduating students with a minimal amount of debt.

     “We believe in the four year model,” said Papazian. “We understand the needs our families have and we are committed to helping students graduate and move in the right direction.”

     Dean of Arts and Sciences Steven Breese who also spoke at the event in Lyman also said how important it was to graduate students on time.

     “If we don’t graduate students on time in four, five or six years, then we cannot be a successful institution.”

     The day ran from 9.30 a.m. to 2 p.m. last Saturday, where students and parents were given the opportunity speak with the Dean and Students of different schools and academic programs, while also learning about the Honors College, financial aid, residence life and intercollegiate athletics in the Student Center. Students were also able to attend the student services and information fair where information was available on an array of Southern’s services, such as health services, academic advising and Chartwells dining services.

     Southern’s current students volunteered at the event to help guide people around campus and answer any questions. Kyre Culbreath from ZDE, the Service Honor’s Society, said they were told to expect somewhere around fifteen-hundred guests, and stressed how important the day is to prospective students.

     “I think it’s very important because it opens their eyes and allows them to see the campus and allows them to gain information about the school,” said Culbreath. “That’s very important as it helps make their opinion about which school they want to attend.”

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