Student ambassador program seeks to boost involvement on campus

Southeast Missouri State's new Involvement Ambassador program is meant to steer students toward their interests.

Students make appointments with the ambassadors and spend 15 to 20 minutes talking about who they are as people, their interests and career aspirations, said Michele Irby, director of Campus Life & Events.

This helps match them with one of Southeast's 170 student organizations. If it's not an organization, it can be an intramural sport, on-campus employment, or connecting to the campus in some other way that matters, Irby said.

"We're working with the organizations to learn more ourselves so that we can help better help market them to the incoming students, or students that are looking for those chances to do things," Irby added.

Ambassadors use a restaurant menu model to illustrate how much time activities might take.

"There are appetizers -- little things you can do to get involved, like you might attend a meeting, or you might attend an event or a program on campus. Then we talk to them about main courses, which would be joining a student organization," Irby said.

"We talk to them about specials, or limited time offers, which would be things that are ... seasonal or [occur at] certain parts of the year. ... We try to help [them] gauge for themselves what they're looking for in terms of time commitment," she added.

Parker Butler, a junior serving as an involvement ambassador, said the program would have been useful when he began at Southeast. He's in the Lamda Chi Alpha fraternity, Student Government, the Interfraternity Council and is a Presidential Ambassador.

"I believe that it gives people something to be connected to and have pride in, something tangible you can work toward and say you're contributing to the university," he said.

Southeast was examining school spirit, involvement and student engagement when Adam Peck, dean of Student Affairs at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, was brought in as a consultant. One of his recommendations was a program like the Involvement Ambassadors.

"We thought it was a great new strategy to encourage students to get involved on campus," Irby said.

Research shows that students who connect to their schools are more likely to be happy and stay on through graduation. It's the same reason the university offers Engage in 8, where during the first eight weeks of school, the university tries to offer opportunities to get students involved and help them connect.

Irby said 25 to 30 students have gone to individual appointments, ambassadors have spoken at about a dozen classes so far and at residence halls. Information also has been set out on tables in the University Center at lunch and in the evenings.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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