[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/mission2mac.jpg” caption=”Nick Burns faciliates a welcome ‘send-off’ session in Brantford.”]Remember those first days at Mac when you didn't know where to find the basics: food, fun or class locations? Or when you had no idea what a 'Marauder' is or 'MUSC' might be?

Each year McMaster welcomes almost 5,000 incoming first year students, attracted to our beautiful campus from locations around the globe. Many of them will have the same questions on their minds as they cross McMaster's threshold. Once again, the Alumni Association is making sure these new students feel part of the McMaster community even before they arrive.

Since the early 90s, the Alumni Association has organized a summer Student Send-Off program as a way to connect with and help orient newcomers to McMaster while still in their home communities. Recently, the program has been renamed “Mission to MAC” to emphasize the vital first steps incoming students must take to be accepted into McMaster. Not only have these students achieved an important life goal, they have begun a journey into the unknown and McMaster's Alumni Association wants to lend a helping hand.

These free student-run sessions introduce central University functions and student services such as MUGSI, SOLAR, Career Services, and Financial Aid & Scholarships. Presenters offer a range of helpful tips to help a new student find his or her way around campus – from great study locations, to the best coffee and bagels, and a few hints on where to 'blow off some steam' and relax. Everything from academics to sports to social activities and the city of Hamilton are covered in these brief, enjoyable sessions.

Each year send-off attendance numbers keep growing. Last year approximately 840 incoming students participated in this program with even larger attendance numbers expected this summer. From July 18 to August 11, 2006 Mac alumni will once again visit fourteen cities to welcome the incoming cohort: Mississauga, Scarborough, Richmond Hill, North Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, Brantford/Cambridge, Sarnia, Niagara, London, Kitchener/ Waterloo, Barrie, Vancouver and Hong Kong. To meet the growing participation numbers, new reception venues were added to the 2006 list including: Burlington, Oakville, Guelph, Windsor/Chatham, Calgary, Edmonton and Shanghai, China. Events in Ottawa, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Kingston are being coordinated with alumni in the area, while current students are running the remaining sessions.

It is natural for students entering post-secondary studies to experience anxiety and have questions on their minds. At such a significant stage of life, it's a relief to find help preparing for taking the next step in an academic career. Mission to MAC addresses the needs of incoming students by trying to provide answers to long-awaited questions about university life and academics. The program is designed to help ease the transition to university for both students and their parents and to amplify their enthusiasm about life at McMaster. Its success is credited to the involvement of current students and recent graduates who share their experiences and knowledge with the incoming students.

“A key purpose of Mission to MAC is to connect with students coming to McMaster for their first year and to let them know the Alumni Association would like to build a lifelong alliance with them,” says Karen McQuigge, director of Alumni Advancement. “It's our aim to provide students with a sense of belonging to the McMaster community, so that they will continue to stay in touch with us long after graduation. Our association strives to build a strong alumni community and to offer alumni excellent services and benefits.”

Every summer the Alumni Association hires up to three student interns who work diligently to keep this program running at peak performance. This year's student organizers are Nav Baldeo, Krystal Berwick and Jessica Shelley. They enjoy the many networking possibilities inherent in their roles as well as the chance to strengthen their skills in communication, organization, collaboration and event management.

“Primarily, this program thrives due to the student organization and program delivery. Experienced McMaster students sharing insights with incoming students makes the program much more engaging than if it was completely run by full-time staff,” McQuigge says.

“The Mission to Mac program provides students with a great opportunity to meet future classmates, friends, and maybe even a future roommate,” says Krystal Berwick, one of the program organizers. “It connects people in their hometowns who share a similar goal and mission – to survive university life, to have fun, to achieve great success and find a brighter future.”

“We really see the value in participation and hope to get the word out to as many incoming students as possible,” says McQuigge. “Many students have come back to us after their first month of classes to thank us for the pointers they learned from our sessions and for giving them a sense that they belong at McMaster.”

For information on Mission to MAC session dates, registration, directions and more, visit the alumni website at www.mcmaster.ca/ua/alumni/students/sendoffs.cfm or call 1-888-217-6003 (toll free).