The Office of First-Year Experience (FYE) is designed to support incoming students navigate through their first year of college. Through collaborations with faculty, staff, and peer leaders, the FYE will afford opportunities for students to empower, engage, and explore. The FYE will provide quality programs to meet first year students’ academic and personal goals. All first-year students participate in New Student Orientation, University 101, opportunities for mentoring, and more. The goal of the FYE is ensure a sense of belonging and provide tools for academic success.
Our Mission
The First-Year Experience aims to foster a sense of belonging, promote engagement in academics, encourage University activities and learning experiences, and provide opportunities for first-time students to develop leadership skills that align with career and life goals.
Bulldog Ready
Once you've applied and been accepted to SC State, new freshmen and transfer students
can get a head start on entering the university during Bulldog Ready. Bulldog Ready
is a series of spring and summer registration workshops designed to smoothly assist
you through the enrollment and registration process before you start classes. Counselors
from Admissions, Financial Aid, Housing and the Student Success Center are on hand
to answer questions and walk you through each step.
Contact the Office of First-Year Experience to learn more about Bulldog Ready & secure
your spot: fye@scsu.edu.
Welcome Week
New Student Orientation
Welcome Week is the first step to becoming an official SC State Bulldog! All freshman and incoming transfer students are required to participate. You'll be introduced to the SC State campus, living areas, student center, and all the resources available for your benefit. In your orientation session, you'll meet other incoming students just like yourself and have the opportunity to learn more about your future home before classes begin.
Student Orientation Leaders
Student Orientation Leaders are a select group of upperclassmen who assist new students with their transition to the university during fall orientation, New Student Orientation activities, and with first-year adjustments to the collegiate environment.First-Year Academic Advisors/Advising
A first-year academic advisor is assigned to each first-time student for the fall and spring semesters. Academic advisors provide support to help students develop skills directly and indirectly related to academics. The first-time students are required to meet with their advisors at least twice a semester. The FYE advisors assist with registration for spring and the next fall semester.
University 101
University 101 is a one-hour required course designed to help incoming you adjust
to life at SC State as you begin your freshman year. During this course, you'll interact
with other freshmen in a seminar setting to complete tasks and provide guidance and
support. The objective of the class is to help you adjust to college life and serves
as a safe space to ask questions and get familiar with opportunities at SC State.
Bulldog Rebound
Bulldog Rebound is an initiative to support freshmen (students with 0-29 credit hours) students who are struggling or not meeting academic standing. The purpose of Bulldog Rebound is to identify factors that may have contributed to a students’ lack of academic success and define a process that students can achieve success. The program introduces and promotes the development of skills necessary to enhance academic success. Emphasis is placed on academic activities and monitoring to promote utilization of positive study habits.
5th Week Grade Reporting
5th week grades provide an early alert to students who may need academic support after the fifth week of school and before midterms. If students are not meeting academic standing, they meet with their academic success coach for intervention tools.
First-Year Pinning Ceremony
First-time freshmen participate in The Pinning Ceremony during fall Convocation. The pinning ceremony is a time the freshmen are together with faculty, staff, and all other students as the official welcome to the university. The first-time freshmen recite the university’s Stateite Creed and pin themselves with a SCSU pin to show the pride of their school when attending campus and off campus events.
Flourish & Molding Men
Flourish, an all first-year women's organization, and Molding Men, a group for first-year men, is a five-week leadership institute at South Carolina State University in correlation with the First-Year Experience. Throughout the institute students will have the opportunity to shape their leadership skills, while focusing on academic achievement and providing community service to our beloved campus and the surrounding area.
Tri-Alpha Honor Society
Alpha Alpha Alpha, also known as "Tri-Alpha," is a national honor society for first-generation scholars. This honor society is a way to celebrate the academic achievements of our first-generation students and is open to upperclassmen, faculty and staff, and alumni. All inductees must serve as mentors to first-time, first-generation students.
Peer-to-peer Mentoring
SCSU Mentor Collective is a peer-to-peer online mentoring program. First year students are matched with trained upperclassmen mentors for guidance and support. Mentors assess student success, behaviors, and nudge accordingly to ensure students are building confidence and independence.Freshmen, Faculty & Frappe’
Freshmen, Faculty and Frappe’ is an opportunity for a first-time student to invite a faculty member to Starbucks to connect outside the classroom. Faculty connections can lead to internships, mentoring, recommendations, and an overall learning experience.
Contact Us
Dr. Lisa Sparks
Executive Director of First-Year Experiencesparks1@scsu.edu
803-536-7216
Engineering Complex, Room 205
Meet Dr. Lisa Sparks
Naseema J. Moore
Assistant Director
Engineering Complex, Room 151
803-533-3690
nfrankl2@scsu.edu
Shaunte’ Jones
College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences
Fine Arts Bldg., Room 215
803-516-4649
sjones56@scsu.edu
Jeremiah McFadden
College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Transportation
Engineering Complex, Room 361
803-536-8740
jmcfadd8@scsu.edu
Ms. Kiara Moorer
First-Year Advisor
College Agriculture, Family and Consumer Sciences
Staley Hall, Room 101
803-536-8958
kmoorer1@scsu.edu
Ms. Briana Parker
College of Business and Information Systems
Belcher Hall, Room 311
803-516-4433
bparker3@scsu.edu
Mr. Cameron Davis
First-Year Advisor
College of Graduate and Professional Studies
Engineering Complex, Room 205
cdavis48@scsu.edu
Ms. Shaunte’ Jones
First-Year Advisor
College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences
Fine Arts Bldg., Room 215
803-516-4649
sjones56@scsu.edu
