Commencement Joy As SCSU Honors 1,200 Graduates

Spring commencement is fast approaching and St. Cloud State Universiy is set to celebrate the graduation of more that 1,200 students with 1,000 of those students going through ceremonies.  Matt Trombley is the Vice President for Student Affairs at SCSU...  he joined me on WJON.  Trombley says they will have 10 commencement ceremonies over a 2-day period on May 7th and 8th.  He says each ceremony is small so family members that want to attend, all get to be there.  Trombley says each commencement is about 1 hour.

Exciting Time of Year

Trombley says commencement is why they do what they do as these students make their families proud of their accomplishment.  He says they are excited for this time of year as their students look to start their careers.

What Student Affairs Offers

Trombley says his responsibility on campus is to support the student experience.  He says they strive to create an engaging student experience which encourages involvement in clubs, activities on campus and events students go to.  Other services SCSU offers include counseling, and student accessibility services.

Recruitment and Retention

A goal of new SCSU President Dr. Greg Tomso is to recruit and retain students.  Trombley says SCSU offers emergency services through their Dean of Students.  He says an example would be if a student's vehicle needs $700 in repairs and they don't have the funds to cover it.  Trombley says this emergency fund can help students.  He says the money for the emergency services comes from generous donors.

Tours

Trombley says tours of campus are important in recruiting students.  He says often times the experience students have on the tour play a role in their decision.  He says it's everyone's job on campus to recruit students because you never know what experience tips the scales on what their decision will be.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Matt Trombley, click below.