Connecting the Newest Members of the Orange Family to the University Through Syracuse Welcome With Carrie Grogan Abbott G’03
The Syracuse University family is about to expand, as more than 4,000 first-year students will soon move into their residence halls during Syracuse Welcome, the University’s annual new student orientation program, running Aug. 24-27.
Syracuse Welcome represents the first steps in a student’s Syracuse journey, an odyssey that can feel overwhelming to students and family members alike, with changes to many facets of their daily life.
Luckily for everyone participating, as soon as last year’s orientation program concluded, Carrie Grogan Abbott G’03 and her team started preparing for this year’s welcome events. Abbott serves as the director of new student programs, and this will be her 20th consecutive year helping with Syracuse Welcome.
“It’s a joy and an honor to be a partner in the student’s experience when they arrive on campus. To be there for the new students, for their families and their supporters is really a magical moment,” Abbott says. “My team and all of the University colleagues who volunteer for move-in do such a wonderful job greeting these students and truly welcoming them to the Orange family. It’s remarkable how the campus comes together to welcome and support our new students.”
At some point during the summer, many of these students attended a new student send-off in their hometown, a unique opportunity to meet fellow incoming students and network with both current students and recent alumni from their area.
Once they arrive in Syracuse, the weeklong orientation is filled with programs designed to make new students and their family members feel at home through engaging academic and social events, including New Student Convocation, a key component of Syracuse Welcome. The end goal? Helping students feel a sense of belonging to the Syracuse University community from their first day on campus.
On this “’Cuse Conversation,” Abbott shares why Syracuse Welcome is the perfect way to introduce new students to campus, reflects on the pivotal role the Goon Squad plays during move-in and offers up advice to ensure the earliest days on campus run smoothly.
Check out episode 145 of the “’Cuse Conversations” podcast featuring Abbott. A transcript [PDF] is also available.
