Summer Orientation

The university offers an overnight orientation program for new first-year students during the summer months, which provides incoming students and families an opportunity to acclimate themselves to the campus, the staff and faculty, and learn about various aspects of the college transition process. New students also register for fall classes during the summer orientation program. First-year students are led by a team of undergraduate student leaders who serve as mentors throughout the program and into the fall semester as students return to campus.

Fall Orientation (NSO)

The university welcomes all new students, including transfer students, with a three-day orientation program. Beginning with residence hall move-in, the program is designed to provide students with specific skills and information necessary for their academic and personal success. The fall orientation program includes a series of academic and social programs that are created to educate students on academic policy, as well campus life issues such as living on campus, student involvement, and personal safety.

New Student Convocation

The official welcoming ceremony to the university community by the president, faculty and staff begins the new student’s fall orientation experience. It is designed as an opportunity to convey to students the significance of their educational endeavor and the commitment of the university to support them in the achievement of this goal — both inside and outside the classroom. In addition to formally introducing the students to their collegiate career, the convocation will give students a sense of the strength and identity of their class. The students will also experience Niagara University’s sense of community derived from the values of St. Vincent De Paul.

Vincentian Social Justice First-Year Seminar

The first-year seminar introduces students to college-level learning in the context of Niagara University's Catholic and Vincentian traditions, which advocate for truth and the life and dignity of the human person. Faculty engage students in a collaborative inquiry into multiple areas of diversity. Students are asked to go beyond the surface to uncover deep causes and effects of inequity and to think rigorously about issues of diversity and difference. Students sharpen their academic skills in research, writing, and oral communication, while learning some of the core principles that guide the Catholic search for justice.