June 24, 2024
Jenni Brost, the director of New Student Enrollment (NSE), plays a vital role in creating a fun, safe and welcoming environment for incoming Huskers. From training orientation leaders to coordinating events like New Student Welcome and the Tunnel Walk, Jenni is a driving force and welcoming smile behind all things NSE. Get a glimpse behind the scenes of welcoming new Huskers to campus.
You are the Director of New Student Enrollment. Can you talk a bit more about what this role entails?
As the director of New Student Enrollment, I oversee orientation for incoming students and their families. Our office also manages the advising and enrollment process for incoming students and coordinates International Welcome Week and international student arrival.
Describe the impact NSE has on incoming Huskers. Why should students look forward to the experience?
I believe that by attending orientation, students can get a real-life glimpse into what it means to be a current student at Nebraska. At orientation, students have the opportunity to start practicing the behaviors that will ultimately make them a successful college student. This includes behaviors such as: asking questions, getting out of their shell, intentionally connecting with peers, seeking advice and being an active participant.
Our orientation leaders serve as role models throughout the day and as our primary communicators. Students can look forward to having meaningful conversations with orientation leaders and other incoming students.
Ultimately, we want students to leave orientation knowing that UNL is a supportive environment where they can excel inside and outside of the classroom. We want them to feel confident that they made the right choice to attend UNL. We hope they can authentically see themselves belonging to this community.
Before you took on the role as director with NSE, you were an academic advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences. How and why did you decide to make the switch?
My favorite part of being an academic advisor was always advising new students at NSE. I loved being a resource for them as they started their academic journeys. When a position opened in NSE, it felt like a perfect next step for me. The position was rooted in communicating with new students, coordinating advising initiatives and managing our reservation systems. I have always really enjoyed doing the behind-the-scenes work that makes events and programs run smoothly. I have found that I constantly lean on my background in advising even today as director. We get to work collaboratively with 10 different advising units as part of our program, and I find that having an intimate understanding of what advising entails is helpful in working with advisors across campus.
What kind of training and preparation goes into putting NSE on? How early does planning begin?
I would say that planning for NSE never really ends. With new students starting each semester, we must ensure our processes are ready for each cycle. For the summer, we set the calendar and solidify plans during October of the preceding year. Planning for each cycle includes building advising appointments (6,300 appointments were built in 2023!), setting up orientation capacities, building and writing communication campaigns, maintaining online orientation modules, managing a support ticketing system for all the academic advisors on campus, training our orientation leaders and International Welcome Team and managing the complex logistics of our 24-day in-person summer program.
Orientation leaders serve as our primary representatives during our summer program, so orientation leader training is an initiative that our staff spends a lot of time on. Orientation leaders take a course in the spring semester to prepare for the position and also have a comprehensive training week in May. They craft their own narratives on their successes and challenges to share on their one-hour campus tour with parents and guests. They also serve as the facilitators of the activities embedded in the Husker Student POWER framework for students each orientation day.
Is there anything that people may not know, but would be interested to know about NSE?
The scope of NSE as a unit is much broader than orientation. Summer orientation is our flagship program and is often the most visible manifestation of our work, but our team’s purview and reach are much broader than 24 days of orientation. We manage processes related to course enrollment and advising for new students, host signature events like the Tunnel Walk during Big Red Welcome, greet and transport new international undergraduates at the Lincoln airport, manage a comprehensive online orientation infrastructure for various audiences, handle behind-the-scenes operations like reservation systems and students’ changes of major and so much more.
How has NSE evolved over the years?
We were one of the first programs in the nation to decouple advising and orientation for new students. This shift occurred in 2021 and has been a positive move for students, advisors and our staff. Students can select any orientation date that works best in their schedule, and they can also select any advising date that works for them. They also have the ability to choose what type of advising appointment modality they want — in-person or via zoom.
Students went from having a 15–20-minute advising appointment in our old model to a private, one-hour appointment in the new model. The new model provides students and their families with a high level of flexibility. Over the past four years, we have had countless Big Ten peers and other programs seek out our advice on how to decouple their programs and move towards a more flexible program.
Is there a memory that sticks out during your time at Nebraska (either an academic advisor or director of NSE)?
I am not sure anything will top Matt Damon coming to orientation in 2013. He came as a guest of his nephew. We had no idea he was coming until he came up to the guest check-in table to pick up a nametag. Needless to say, our staff was in shock. We tried our best to keep his presence under wraps, but by mid-morning there were a lot of UNL students and staff milling around at the Union trying to catch a glimpse. I remember calling my husband and telling him Matt Damon was at orientation and he was in disbelief, “JASON BOURNE IS AT THE UNION?!” Matt Damon was so gracious and stuck around at the end of the program to take pictures with all of the orientation leaders. It was definitely a day to remember.
I also have so much love and respect for each orientation leader cohort that comes through this office. I have such fond memories of each group and I know how hard they work to welcome new students and families to campus. I routinely tell them they are part of the #NSEfam and that they can always count on this staff to support them beyond graduation.
What advice would you give incoming Huskers attending NSE and getting ready for their first year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln?
Be open-minded. Orientation is an easy way to meet new people and start building your network at Nebraska. It is also a safe and supportive environment to get any of your questions answered. I believe that orientation is just as much for parents and guests as it is for students. Parents and guests will walk away from orientation with knowledge on how to support their student and reassurance that their student will find a home here.
