Orientation Office Earns Customer Service Award for Summer Work
By Jeremy Lasich
When the Orientation Office separated from the Office of Academic Support
and Advising Services in 2000, Amy Snyder, then assistant director of Orientation,
wanted to increase the office’s visibility and expand its capabilities.
Two years later, Snyder, now director, and Chayla Haynes, assistant director,
feel they are well on their way to achieving those goals after completing one
of the most successful orientations in George Mason’s history.
The office worked with more than 4,000 incoming students, and an additional
2,000 family members, to ensure a smooth transition in becoming a part of the
George Mason family. Throughout the summer, the office coordinated five two-day
freshman orientations, and seven one-day transfer orientations.
For their efforts, on Aug. 30 the Orientation Office received the Quality
Customer Service Award, presented every year by Human Resources to an individual
or group for its work improving customer service, responding to the needs of students
and clients, and going the extra mile to serve customers in a timely fashion.
The office’s name will be inscribed on a plaque that will remain in the
department for one year.
“It feels good because we’ve worked extremely hard since we became
our own office. We’ve had to create things that weren’t there before
and be innovative,” says Snyder.
The three-person office, consisting of Snyder, Haynes, and associate Adrienne
Raynor, evaluated last year’s successful program and built on it. They created
a more integrated schedule so the sessions flowed from one to the next; they enhanced
the Mason luncheon, which was well-received in its inaugural year; and they spent
time revamping the family program.
“One of our overriding themes was that we wanted to welcome not only
the students to George Mason, but also their families,” Snyder says. “It’s
not just about dropping the children off at the door and it’s over—they
are all in this together. Oftentimes, the transition is just as hard for a parent
or sibling as it is for the student.”
In addition to listening to Dean of Students Girard Mulherin discuss the Honor
Code and academic integrity at George Mason, parents participated in a roundtable
discussion on the college transition and learned what resources are available.
They had the opportunity to speak with a representative from the Counseling Center
to learn more about what they can expect to feel over the next year.
On the student side, Haynes says the most improved piece was the Patriot Pizzazz,
a half-hour session designed to build the students’ school spirit and get
them “pumped up” for their experience at George Mason. This year’s
program was run by the 24 student orientation leaders, who serve one-year terms
in the office, and they gave it a pep rally feel.
With such a successful summer completed, Snyder insists it couldn’t
have been done without the help of faculty and staff members throughout the university.
“The customer service award is not just for our office but everyone who
volunteered their time to help this year,” she says. “It’s really
nice when the families come to orientation and there are people from all departments
out in full force showing them we are glad they are here and we are committed
to their education. It makes a difference when they don’t just hear it from
us, because that’s our job, but that they feel it from people outside the
Orientation Office. It was great to see the sense of ownership of the university
community as a whole.”
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