On Nov. 8, Emporia State’s Vice President for Student Success, Taylor Kriley, announced the university’s new orientation initiative that will replace the Hornet Connection. This new program, to be implemented starting March 10, 2025, is split up into two parts: an online enrollment session and Hornet Orientation. 

The online enrollment process will offer “dedicated one-on-one time” between students and their academic advisors, according to Kriley’s mass email announcement. It is meant to allow students a better opportunity to discuss academic goals, class schedules and other relevant questions and concerns. 

In previous school years, enrollment took place in person during Hornet Connection. Incoming students would take turns meeting with their advisor for a short period of time during other ongoing orientation activities.

Hornet Orientation will take place on campus and lets incoming students and their families “get all the need-to-know info about being a Hornet.” It will include many on-campus activities, opportunities to build relationships with faculty and staff and get to know ESU’s campus and community. Orientees will also learn about the student resources that ESU offers.

Sign-ups for enrollment meetings open on Feb. 15 via the Navigate360 mobile app, and enrollment officially begins on March 24. During the online meeting, academic advisors will sign students up for a Hornet Orientation date ranging from March through July.

Kriley expressed appreciation for the ESU community, writing, “Thank you for your support in recruiting and retaining our students. The Hornet Community truly sets us apart from the other schools in our region and goes a long way to show our students they matter.” 

Kriley hopes to “win the Super Bowl of student success.”