After a week of events intended to build community within the School of Continuing Studies, SCS Celebrates Its Students Week concluded Friday with a town hall meeting and a happy hour networking event in Chicago.
Other events held throughout the week included a kickoff meet-and-greet with Northwestern Athletics on Monday, a pizza party in Evanston and workshops on applying to graduate school and resume writing. This week coincides with the Association for Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education’s Non-Traditional Week.
Dr. Tim Gordon, the Associate Dean of Student Services, said it was a great opportunity to bring students together. Not all students have the opportunity to communicate on a regular basis, as some programs are part-time with evening classes.
“We really thought it was more appropriate at Northwestern to celebrate our students and just highlight them as a part of the community,” Gordon said. “They are adult and professional students so we also really wanted to make sure it has a nice balance of things that give them social opportunities and opportunities to perhaps network with each other.”
Meredith Cummings, a second-year graduate student in the SCS Public Policy Program, said she attended the town hall meeting on Friday to become more engaged with her school.
“I really wanted to see what other students were saying, to see if people are feeling what I’m feeling about the programs and whatnot,” Cummings said. “I also attended to see the faculty who are responsible for organizing the program.”
Gordon and Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies Peter Kaye also attended the town hall meeting, where several issues were discussed, including the hours the Loop campus is open for student use, CTA U-Passes and the importance of student feedback.
Matthew Tzuker, the student services intern with the School of Continuing Studies, helped organize the week of events and attended the meet-and-greet reception held in the Wieboldt Hall. About 50 to 75 students, faculty and staff socialized at the event.
“It was a well-timed event for a lot of students to grab some food and meet peers before class or to come for an extra event on a Monday night,” Tzuker said.
Cummings said she appreciates the effort behind SCS Celebrates Its Students Week to create a sense of community within the graduate school.
“By creating these events, I think it helps in trying to create that environment,” Cummings said. “I think it’s harder to do that with a program with these types of people who work and go to school and (have) other commitments.”
