Hamline is recognizing transfer students during its very first Transfer Week taking place Oct. 22 to Oct. 26, with a series of events for transfer students and the community to learn about Hamline’s transfer population.

“It really shows the university’s commitment to transfer students and to recognizing that they’re such an important part of the college,” said Director of Community College Outreach and Transfer Student Success Kelly Krebs.

Transfer Week is the brainchild of Krebs and Cathy Carter, the transfer specialist in Academic Advising. Both work closely with transfer students before and after their transition to Hamline. They said they created Transfer Week to celebrate those students and continue supporting them during their stay at Hamline.“Kelly and I say they’re as unique as the transcript they bring,” Carter said. “Transfer Week is really about celebrating that and the value and contributions that transfer students have.”

Hanna Do, a sophomore who transferred this fall, said she likes the idea of having an event to tell transfer students they matter.

“Recognizing that you aren’t necessarily ‘normal’ college students but are kind of in that weird area where you’re a college student but you weren’t a Hamline college student is great,” Do said. “I like the idea of having a week dedicated to that.”

Transfer Week will include a few events to encourage transfer students to build connections with faculty and staff.

First, Academic Advising will host two Donut Days events from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Oct. 22 and 23 in the basement of Bush Memorial Library. Transfer students are invited to stop by for donuts, coffee, activities and conversations with the advising staff.

Later, transfer students are invited to the final event in the Access Hamline series, a programming event that offers extended orientation for transfer students. The event led by Krebs and Carter will be during convocation hour on Oct. 25. It will focus on helping new transfer students prepare for advising week in November.

Krebs said he hopes these events will help transfer students see Academic Advising as “a home base they can always come back to.”

The week will also kick off with an infographic and I HEART Transfers campaign to raise awareness for transfers and educate faculty, staff and other students about Hamline’s transfer population. This will include data about transfer enrollment numbers, where they transfer from and other statistics.

“I think people will be surprised at the numbers, where they’re coming from, [and] the programs they’re in,” Krebs said.

Senior Kelley Lasiewicz, a current transfer student, said she appreciates that Transfer Week includes education, particularly for faculty. She said it is important for faculty to understand how transfer students may struggle with things, including the Hamline Plan requirements.

“That’s huge,” Lasiewicz said, adding that she has struggled with meeting those requirements in two years after transferring in 2017. “If that’s one of the first things they can hit on with transfer students, that should be a priority.”

Hamline’s Transfer week comes one week after National Transfer Student Week, which began in 2017. It will be an annual event going forward.