What do the Black Eyed Peas, white-water rafting and free food have to do with college success? Plenty, say Student Affairs officials at West Virginia University.

They are all elements of WVU ’s unique First-Year Experiencea package of academic support services, outstanding faculty mentoring and, yes, innovative student life programming.

WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. created the campus-wide initiative to foster student success in and out of the classroom when he took the helm of the University some 10 years ago. His wife, Susan, is at his side, chairing (as a full-time volunteer) the popular Mountaineer Parents Cluban organization the couple formed to connect families with the WVU student experience.

Research has shown that the first few months of a student’s transition to college are pivotal to overall success. WVU ’s unparalleled”Operation Jump-Start”First-Year Experience helps guarantee a smooth transition from high school to college, University officials say.

And the results are paying off. Retention from the freshman to sophomore year has gone from 76 percent in 1995 to 81 percent currently, and freshmen numbers have climbed from around 3,000 to an expected 4,600 this fall. Overall enrollment growth has increased by some 5,000 students over the past 10 years to close to 26,000 students by fall. What’s more, families of WVU studentssome 13,000 strongare now involved in their students’college years through the Parents Club.

Consider some of what WVU offers:

As the fall semester opens, WVU celebrates a new academic year with FallFest, a welcome-back extravaganza, the first night of classes. The event features a free outdoor concert outside the Mountainlair student union and is attended by some 20,000 students. National headliners have included the Black Eyed Peas, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes and Blues Traveler.

New Student Convocation , held the day before classes begin, introduces students to academic life and learning. WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. officially welcomes students to campus, lays out what’s ahead and challenges them to make the most of their college years.

Imagine backpacking the scenic trails of Seneca Rocks in West Virginia and earning college credit at the same time. Adventure West Virginia has introduced nearly 400 new students to kayaking, rock-climbing and canoeing since the program started in 2003. Led by WVU staff, the academic adventure trips combine wilderness challenges with sessions about alcohol education, making healthy choices and other topics related to college life. (There is a fee for this experience.)

Even before they step foot in the classroom, though, WVU ’s newest Mountaineers and their families attend New Student Orientation to learn about the opportunities and expectations both inside and outside of the classroom. They meet their academic advisers and resident faculty leaderstop faculty who live near the residence halls to offer guidance and supportgo on campus tours and learn about various student support services and academic resources.

To make sure no students get lost in the shuffle, WVU also plans a variety of Jump-Start Academy/Welcome Week activities as students arrive for fall classesa picnic at the Student Recreation Center, student organization fair (with 300-plus student clubs and organizations to choose from), student services resource booths and more.

University 101 , a kind of crash course in college lifeand required of first-year studentsexposes participants to University life, culture, resources, policies and servicesincluding the many academic, counseling, psychological and health resources available to them.

The University’s nationally acclaimed WVUp All Night weekend alternative program also returns the first week of classes. Hailed by ABC ’s”Good Morning America”as a safe, fun and healthy alternative to the college nightlife scene, Up All Night attracts 1,000-4,000 students for free food and fun activities every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night in the student union. Whether students want to catch a nationally touring comedian, a movie or concertor get free tutoring and snacksthere is something for everyone.

Throughout their journey at WVU , students receive mentoring and guidance from caring Resident Faculty Leaders, who live next to residence halls.”Riffles”as they’re typically called by students, plan dinners and book discussions in their homes and offer trips to nearby cities like Pittsburgh , Washington , D.C., and New York to see Broadway shows or tour museums. One hall has a trip to Italy planned over spring break. These role models help students learn about the world as well as themselves.

Excellent, caring faculty help students launch extraordinary dreams of becoming doctors, lawyers, physicists, teachers, engineers, forensic scientists and more.”A great university knows its students one by one,”President Hardesty often says, and WVU ’s award-winning faculty work hard to make that a reality. WVU ’s record of Rhodes, Truman and Goldwater Scholars is amazingand study abroad and service learning opportunities are encouraged.

A Festival of Ideas lecture series brings thought-provoking headliners and some of the world’s best minds to campus to share their experiences and knowledge. Headliners from last spring ranged from author and journalist Seymour Hersh to filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.

* WVU ’s* Honors Program encourages a style of learning and living at WVU that is tailored to the highly motivated, excelling student’s special requirements. Innovative, challenging courses, designed to stimulate creativity and to provoke in-depth discussion, are offered in small class settings beginning in the freshman year.

And WVU has not forgotten about parents. With more than 13,000 members, the Mountaineer Parents Club cited by USA Today as a way to support students’familiesoffers fall and spring family weekends; sponsors bus trips home to neighboring states and airports at key break times; offers a toll-free helpline (1-800-WVU-0096) for those hard-to-answer questions; distributes parent electronic news bulletins and newsletters; holds summer sendoff events in hometowns across America; and much more.

Millions of dollars in facilities investments and renovations have benefited first-year students, including housing for Resident Faculty Leaders, a new Student Recreation Center, a Downtown Library addition andcoming soon$40 million in housing improvements, including two new residence halls and renovations to existing facilities.