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PVCC's new First Year Experience program designed to ease students' transition to college "We want new students to be successful from the first day they're on campus," says Marianne Auten, a counselor at Paradise Valley Community College who helps students with their career choices. Auten is part of a four-faculty team guiding PVCC's launch of a new First Year Experience program, beginning with the fall semester, that will enable students to make a smooth transition from high school to college. First Year Experience, an academic program for full-time students entering college for the first time, includes a block of courses each semester -- such as English composition, sociology, strategies for college success, and mathematics -- to assist students who are unsure of their majors. Students may select a second block of classes that to help them develop and strengthen individual and group leadership skills. "Through this new program, we can offer a designated counselor/advisor to help students throughout the year with academic and personal concerns, as well as provide out-of-class experiences to make new friends, interact with faculty, and become involved in activities on the PVCC campus," Auten says. Some of the other program pluses include assistance with study groups, peer tutoring, faculty interaction, integration of assignments, group projects, and the development of team and leadership skills. Click here for next story.