First Year Seminar
First Year Seminar (FYS) has a long, winding history at NAU. Now in its second decade, the program continues to not only demonstrate our institution’s intentional commitment to first-year student success, but also stands as an example of adaptive programming for an ever-changing landscape of higher education (not to mention an ever-changing society).
Though class topics in FYS vary widely, each section is taught with a commitment to our programmatic pillars:
- Equity and Inclusive Excellence
- Critical Thinking and Inquiry
- Diverse Perspective, Civil Discourse
- Effective Written and Oral Communication
- Student Development
These pillars are derived from national research on high impact practices, local wisdom, experiential insights on serving NAU students, developmental psychology, and a range of pedagogical influences. Over the years, and with great pride, we’ve maintained a balance of intentionality, innovation, coordination, and accountability to our students through regular data collection, assessment, and inquiries into student outcomes.
Given that first-year students are in every major, in every corner of the university, FYS faculty are energetically engaged across campus with a spectrum of partnerships. At present, FYS maintains active collaboration with the General Studies Program, University Advising, Student Affairs, Enrollment Management, academic colleges, and numerous faculty-staff committees for first-year student success.