Starting next fall, Goshen College will return to a three day orientation for first-year students, paring down the full week model that started in the fall of 2021. An email went out to GC employees on Tuesday afternoon that attributes this decision to their continued effort to “decrease costs while maintaining high quality.” The transition to a full week came in response to perceived loss of learning by high school students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While GC has seen an increase in retention from first-year students during this period, Academic Dean Ann Vendrely told The Record that the rising...

By Mackenzie P. Miller • January 23, 2025 • News

By the time orientation week wraps up every year and classes get underway, there’s one person that every freshman on campus knows: Adela Hufford. Hufford is Goshen College’s director of orientation, transition and retention. She works in a wide variety of roles — and she’s held just as many positions at GC — but the one she’s most widely known for is the biggest part of her job: orientation. “Being a part of orientation didn’t happen for me until I was at the tail end of admissions and enrollment,” Hufford said. “It intrigued me. I love event planning and I...

By Daniel James • February 16, 2023 • Features

Goshen College’s welcome team was proud to introduce the second year of a week-long extended orientation to the fall 2022 student cohort.  New students checked in on Aug. 21 to meet peers, attend sessions with professors, participate in activities and meet with their ICC (Identity, Culture, and Community) classes. Adela Hufford, director of orientation, transition and retention, said that the goal is to “acclimate new students to campus ahead of returning students” while giving them “some sense of confidence before the school year begins.” Based on student, faculty and staff feedback, Hufford and other orientation members integrate changes to ensure...

By Jakyra Green • September 8, 2022 • News