URI101: Traditions and Transformations
"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us"
"No one plans to fail, they fail to plan"

Welcome to Traditions and Transformations, a part of your introduction to the University of Rhode Island. But what is it that we will be doing here, and why are we doing it all for one credit?  You are doing it because it is required - I am doing it because I agree with the designers of the course who believed in the need to provide help to first-year students with the transition from high school to college.  There is no doubt that the transition is necessary since the two experiences are very different.  You can also see this transition is not an easy one when you look at the high rates of second semester freshmen students on probation. You do not want to be one of these statistics.

The fact is that you would want the transtion to be difficult if you took the longer view, the view that you would have when graduating and entering the job market.  If the investment that you are making in your education is to pay off, then you will need to graduate as a very different person than the person who entered URI.  What I know from the experiences of some recent grads is that your URI degree can matter - that this transformation can open doors that would never have been opened without the college degree. I also know of some counter help who have their college diplomas. 

So how does one improve the odds of success?  One place you might want to look at is URI101 Strategies for Success.   Before we get to the specifics, let me begin by passing on to you a shortened version of the advice given to some parents who were looking for a return on the enormous investment in their children's education, advice which has guided me in my development of this course.  The secret to success is good choices, and it is this freedom of choice that is likely to be the biggest difference between high school and college.  Success, both here at at the University and out there in the "Real World," will be dependent upon your decision making skills.  At the University your choices will be subjected to an array of influences: some specific to you (ex. enthusiasm); some external to you (ex. technology); and some related to the people in your life (ex. friends). These choices (ex. your major) will affect your success at URI which will have an impact on the breadth of choices open to you when you will be making those Life Choices (ex. occupation).  As you are making these choices you might want to browse through the URI101 Essential Procedures page where you can get some information on advising as well as information on the IMPORTANT bureaucratic details.  You may also want to check out the URI101 Academic Planning page for some useful information on careers and internships. And if you are really adventursome, you might want to check out Yahoo's College Central where you will find information on resumes and cover letters and finding a career path.  While you are at it, be sure to check out the Wall Street Journal career page. 

There is no time like now to start making these choices. That is what this course is all about - to provide you with some of the information to make good choices.  Certainly one of the choices will be how you allocate your time.   As you move into the semester keep in mind that:  "The accurate question is: which is more important, the party or the book? Not which is more appealing at the moment. After a thousand choices, distractions vs. goals, you will have a book or an extensive collection of party favors." [Check out the URI101 Time Management page]. Another choice you will need to make early on is how much you will contribute to our course.  Experience in the classroom over the years has certainly confirmed the basic foundation of all economics - there is no free lunch.  You will get out what you put in, so let's get down to some of the basics - Who will be the instructor and mentor, When and Where will we be meeting,  What is it we will be doing, and How you will be evaluated.

Who

When and Where

* In addition to the normally scheduled class times, the class will do community service on a date to be named soon so be sure to keep that day open.

What

As you can see from the schedule, we will be busy this semester.  What I can assure you, however, is that you will not be involved in busy work.  All that we do here will be focused on two outcomes.  First, to get you up to speed on the resources that the University has to offer.  It is the University's job to provide the services, it is your job to utilize them.  The first step is to find out what services are available and how can you best utilize them.  Second, we will work on some basic skills that will increase your odds of success - both here at URI and after graduation.  In this section there will be a good deal of emphasis on technology and communications skills.  You will be wired early and you will have many opportunities to share with the class your experiences / expertise.  If you are not already on e-mail you should check out the webmail directions and get on NOW.  We will also talk about some of the detours that exist on this road to success. 

You will also want to check out the URI101 web page. 

How

This is your class so you can count on class participation being valued.  If you are not prepared, we all lose.  During the semester there will be a number of small assignments that will provide you with the basis for your participation during class.  At the end of the semester you will be expected to have a resume, the outlines of a career plan, and a student web page.  You will also be expected to contribute to the construction of a web page for the class.  We'll talk more about this on the first day.