AOC Fair encourages student-faculty interaction

Students, faculty and a local food truck took over ACE Plaza last week as New College of Florida hosted its annual AOC Fair.

Geared toward first- and second-year students, the event presents an open environment where students are able to connect with faculty to ask questions to learn more about potential areas of concentration. With faculty representation from all areas of campus, students have the chance to discover possible pathways to completing their degree.
Julie Morris, associate vice president of academic affairs, says providing the AOC Fair is significant because the majority of first- and second-year students have not yet decided what their concentration is going to be.
“For some students, this the first time they have spoken face-to-face with a faculty member about a potential area of concentration.” said Morris, as she passed out taco tickets to the incoming students. “This environment is far less intimidating than having to track each faculty member down individually and scheduling a time to meet.”
Many AOCs had fourth-year students working alongside faculty to promote each field of study, so students had an opportunity to hear current examples of research. Of course, having beautiful weather and free food helped attract a flock of students.
“A big focus of the AOC fair is on retention,” says Morris. “It encourages early career students to make connections and discover what they want to do.”
To learn more about New College of Florida’s undergraduate programs visit: https://www.ncf.edu/academics/undergraduate-program/.
— Derek Devine is the social media manager at New College of Florida