NORWICH – Hundreds of new and returning Morrisville State students entered the doors of Follett Hall this week, beginning a new semester with a clean slate and moving one step closer to achieving their academic goals.
“Things can get really hectic this time of year, with new students coming in,” said Marsha Cornelius, dean of Morrisville’s Norwich campus. With just a few short weeks separating the fall and spring semesters, Cornelius said earlier this week that she, along with the rest of the faculty, have had just enough time to make any final preparations for the chaos that’s sure to be ushered in with the start of another semester and they’re ready to hit the ground running.
According to Cornelius, a big turnout at the college’s Open Enrollment Day brought in several new students and last week’s student orientation officially set the wheels in motion for another semester.
“We stress that communication is an important component in a successful student,” said Cornelius. That was the message students heard when they attended Morrisville 101 at orientation last week. The presentation was followed by placement testing and answers to any “what if” questions students had about financial aid, academic requirements and other college policies – all leading up to the beginning of classes yesterday.
Celsea Pittsley, a first-semester transfer student at Morrisville, said he had looked forward to the hustle and bustle of the first day of classes. She plans to use Morrisville as a stepping stone, she said, taking liberal arts and general studies classes at the college now and transferring to a four year school later on.
“I’m just looking forward to getting back into classes,” she said while finalizing her schedule with Cornelius on Monday.
“I feel like we’re ready,” said Nancy Heiss, academic advisor at the Norwich Campus. “Really, we’re fortunate to be so busy.”
Heiss went on to say that she plans to encourage more involvement in campus activities among all students this semester. “I’m really hoping form more interest in SGO,” she said. Because gaining an education means more than a focus on academia, she said “we want more students to participate with activities outside the classroom, too.”
Although some students spent their Monday tying up loose ends with Cornelius at the last minute, she encouraged all of them to attend their first classes, even if some of the details of their enrollment status haven’t been ironed out.
“It’s really a day of mayhem,” said Cornelius, “but it’s good mayhem.”