Regional Sites Host New Student Orientations

By Timothy Howard, Digital Media Coordinator

The Texas Tech University Regional Sites provide students the opportunity to attend in-person classes through Texas Tech even in communities outside of Lubbock. With seven unique locations around the state, Texas Tech is bringing an education directly to students where they live and giving them the freedom to achieve. Many students at the regional sites never even visit the main campus in Lubbock before beginning their studies. Even though students are given a greater amount of flexibility to attend Texas Tech where they live, there is a further need to make sure that these students are brought into the Red Raider family. To welcome students in, four of the regional sites recently held new student orientations.

Texas Tech University at Waco, Hill College, Highland Lakes and Fredericksburg held new student orientations before the beginning of the Fall 2018 semester. At these orientations, regional site students were given very important information about Texas Tech's history and traditions, culture and expectations, advising, the best contacts in Lubbock and how to navigate Blackboard and Raiderlink. Students were also given helpful information about Student Disability Services, keeping a weekly academic planner, how to prepare for graduation and how to apply for financial aid and scholarships. At Texas Tech at Waco, students even had breakout sessions where faculty members were able to speak with their students in specific majors such as biology, media and communications, and political science.

The orientations also serve as a reminder of how many students around the state are being reached and achieving their goals through the Texas Tech regional sites. Among the four orientations, almost 90 new students were in attendance. Including the students who were not able to make it to orientation, these four regional sites alone will be bringing more than 100 new students across the state into the Red Raider family.

The director of Texas Tech University at Waco and Hill College, Lewis Snell, spoke about why the new student orientations are important and how they help cast vision for new Red Raiders.

"At orientation, we tell our students that they are now a part of over 36,000 students that are currently enrolled in classes at Texas Tech, a tier 1 institution," said Snell. "We also discussed how only around 25 percent of the population in the U.S. has a bachelor's degree, and they are now on their way to becoming one of those individuals. We told the students that the journey will have its challenges but will be well worth the effort when they join their fellow Red Raiders in Lubbock at graduation in two or three years."

The director of Texas Tech University at Fredericksburg and Highland Lakes, Kelly Fox, also spoke to us about Raider Ready, a new course designed to assist students transferring into Texas Tech for the first time."

"In addition to the new student orientation, we are teaching a new one-hour class called Raider Ready," said Fox. "Research has shown that many students who transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions have trouble adjusting to the rigorous academic standards. That's why Raider Ready is now a requirement for transfer students at the Texas Tech Regional Sites. Michelle Kiser in the Office of Student Success was instrumental and very helpful in providing the curriculum, textbook and syllabus needed to pilot the class for the first time. Raider Ready provides transfer students an opportunity to connect with the director, faculty, other students, academic advisors and other staff in  Lubbock and at the regional sites."

Texas Tech eLearning & Academic Partnerships is excited to have these new regional site students on board. We look forward to seeing the things they learn, the goals they accomplish and the lives they change. Best of luck, new Red Raiders!

______________________________________

About Texas Tech University Regional Sites
You don't have to live in Lubbock to pursue a degree from Texas Tech University. Seven unique regional teaching sites extend our reach across the state so that your educational goals can be achieved from anywhere. With the programs offered, you can prepare for a variety of careers without leaving your home community. The degrees earned from Texas Tech regional sites are the same as those earned on the main campus in Lubbock.

Fredericksburg New Student Orientation

Highland Lakes New Student Orientation

Waco New Student Orientation