the school recently introduced its Civic Engagement program, which is designed to allow students to participate in community service as a part of its First-Year Experience program. Workshops and training The University of South Carolina hosts a seminar every year in which the many colleges and universities which have the First-Year Program get together to improve their own programs, and to offer suggestions to their colleagues on how they might also improve. The workshop is usually a week long and attendance is voluntary. Effectiveness The University of North Carolina at Greensboro's First-Year Experience program is called University Studies 101 (UNS 101). The program aims to assist students in discovering their purpose, identifying their strengths, and aligning these newly discovered assets with a plan for their future. The activities, class discussions, and assignments used in the course guide students through the six appreciative advising stages. A comprehensive program evaluation which includes the tracking of academic outcomes and assessment of student attitudes and behaviors has evidenced the positive impact of the UNS 101 program. For example, the freshman to sophomore retention rate of freshmen who completed UNS 101 in fall 2006 and returned for fall 2007 was 81.9%. This compares to a retention rate of 74.4% for freshmen who did not take the course. Meanwhile, the average first-semester GPA for students who did not take the course was 2.49, while UNS 101 participants had an average first-semester GPA of 2.72. J.N. Gardner, member of The Journal of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and author of The freshman-year experience, emphasized the importance of having courses that focus on the first few weeks of college. During this time is most likely when students will make the decision to drop out, due to the increase of feeling personal independence and habit-forming, as well as forming relationships that they will continue throughout their college careers. Gardner also suggested that things such as curriculum modifications, academic advisement, faculty led freshman-level courses instead of graduate student-led, living/learning environments, peer counseling, and special freshmen administrative units improve the student's freshman year. See also Appreciative advising Purpose Network Purpose-guided education Student affairs Supplemental instruction References Further reading Association of College Research Libraries (2007). The First-Year Experience and Academic Libraries: A Select, Annotated Bibliography. Retrieved April 20, 2008. External links Random House's Common Reads One Book blog University of South Carolina FYE National Resource Center "The Freshman