A collaborative conversation about student activities and college success.
“Welcome to a new planet! On this world there are only three creatures and they are at WAR. Let me introduce the creatures. First, there is the giant. It looks and sounds like this, ‘ROAR!’ Do this with me, 1,2,3, ‘ROAR!’ Then there’s the wizard. It looks and sounds like this, ‘SSSSS!’ Do this with me, 1,2,3, ‘SSSSS!’ And finally, there are the elves. They look and sound like this, ‘WeWeWeWe!’ [done with a high pitch] Do this with me, 1,2,3, ‘WeWeWeWe!’”
Think your strategic enrollment efforts and intentional retention efforts don’t matter? Guess again. Your impact might be bigger than you think. If your student retention rates on your campus increase by just one percent the impact can be significant to the university’s bottom line. Let’s do some quick math based on a real-life example of a 1.6 percent increase in student retention.
This activity is very high energy and is great to do when you want to get people up and moving. Everyone is pretty exhausted at the end of the game. People are sweating and breathing hard, but smiling and laughing too. Some of those foxes and hounds end up being friends for life. It’s just another sure-fire way to break the ice.
This icebreaker has never failed. It’s great for adding some fun and energy to a campus meeting or helping new acquaintances feel more comfortable around each other. Just follow my script and it will work for you too.
I truly value the opinion of elders because they’ve been there and done that and have such a different perspective. I noticed an older gentleman dancing to his heart’s content. I’m sure he was in his 70s, but the energy he exuded was so youthful.I asked him what was his secret for a long and happy life. His advice was simple and profound:
Often when working with campus leadership groups advisors ask me to help instill a sense of responsibility and pride in their students during the keynote, conference or retreat. I’m beginning to understand more and more why I’m getting this request as I witness disturbing new trends among college students today. Here are three recent examples from the news:
