Arcadia faculty and staff attended and presented at the 39th Annual Conference on The First- Year Experience which was held in Washington, D.C. from Feb 21 to 24.

Dr. Nancy Rosoff, dean of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Rachel Collins, adjunct professor of English and director of Arcadia’s First-Year Experience, and Lindsay McGann, administrative manager of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies, presented “Promoting Student Interactions with the Common Read,” which was based on Arcadia’s data-driven improvements to Common Read and how this led students to more sustained involvement with campus life.

Dr. Heather Horowitz, director of Engagement and New Student Programs, presented “Getting Gritty: Cultivating Female*, First-Year Student Resilience Through Emotional Intelligence.” The session was based on her recent research on the issue of student retention in the first year of college and how education in emotional intelligence can positively impact resilience, via the case study of an emotional intelligence intervention in a first-year seminar course at an all-female institution.

The Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience serves as a place for higher education professionals to share research and exchange ideas related to supporting student achievement and development in the first year of college.