>Atlanta - Peru State College's Jari Dunekacke, Assistant Director of Admissions, and Keri Wilhelm, Coordinator of Admission Services, traveled to Atlanta in February to attend the 17th Annual Conference of the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS). The three-day conference provided strategies to improve transfer student programs and services.br />
Dunekacke and Wilhelm presented a poster on Peru State College's efforts to create expanded orientation programs for transfer students.  The poster, titled Transfer Student Orientation on a Budget, highlighted the ways Peru State has maximized resources to provide orientations for both online and main campus transfer students.

Dunekacke writes, "Attending the NISTS Conference was a great opportunity to hear ideas from other institutions and professionals on how to better serve transfer students. Attending helps us better understand the transfer students we work with and develop new ways to better serve these students."

"Being able to showcase Peru State's efforts to support transfer students was another benefit to attending the conference."

Wilhelm adds, "Attending the NISTS Conference in Atlanta was an eye opening experience on how we can best serve our transfer student population."

"Our Admissions Office is motivated to help transfer students, so continuing to gather information and get new ideas is beneficial for us all," continues Wilhelm, "Plus, Peru State College is a great option for students and the opportunity to better share what is great about Peru State is a win for everyone."

The presentation's complete synopsis is "Capitalizing on available dollars and resources, Peru State College developed orientation programs specific to online and on-campus transfer students. This motivation to better serve all transfer students has created new opportunities for this important population to succeed. Learn what obstacles were overcome, the strategies used to gain stakeholder buy in, and what Peru State transfer students gained from differentiated student orientation experiences."

Brandi Hull, digital graphic designer at the College, designed the poster presented at the conference.id="attachment_14499" align="" width="300"The poster features prominent Peru State branding and marketing efforts designed to higlight why and how Peru State meets the educational needs of transfer students. Jari Dunekacke, left, and Keri Wilhelm, right, stand to either side of the poster.
The NISTS Conference exists to improve the lives of transfer students, as well as those who create transfer policy and conduct transfer-related research, through tangible and practical strategies. NISTS equips professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to actively advocate for transfer students, challenge the status quo, and reach beyond specific roles to develop holistic student experiences.

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Alexa Cline contributed to this press release