"It's absolutely the best thing I've done as an Orientation Coordinator so far!"
We're privileged to work with Higher Education Leaders across the country. How has their online orientation improved the transition experience for students and staff? What's it like to work with us? Representatives from The University of Tampa, Colorado State University, Howard University, Sonoma State University, and Florida International University share their Advantage Orientation® experience.
"Having an online orientation in the age of COVID-19" was the best thing we could've done."
Built before the age of social distancing, The University of Tampa launched its online orientation a year ago, making it the university’s first Student Affairs hybrid program. As welcome events were being reconfigured to meet CDC guidelines, the new student experience progressed without interruption and students arrived on campus with all their questions answered.
Shannon Calega, M.Ed.
Director of Orientation & Family Engagement
"My experience with Advantage Design Group was top notch. We gave them a very aggressive timeline and I believe the system we designed was very complex. I'm more than happy with the final product. They exceeded my expectations and I believe that of the University as well."
Heather Herman
Executive Director, Communications
They have other clients but you wouldn’t know it because they make you feel so special. Absolutely the best thing I have done as an orientation coordinator so far.
After researching several companies, Sonoma State University chose Advantage Design Group and was thrilled with their decision. They didn’t know what to expect when developing a new student online orientation and Advantage Design Group was informative, organized and ensured the entire process, from technical issues to videography, went smoothly. They brought a comfort level to the team that was unsurpassed.
Colleen Mahoney
Orientations and New Student Programs Coordinator
The team has always been attentive to our details, our traditions and our history. It has been a very rewarding experience.
Howard University was in the process of revamping their new student orientation overall. They needed to bring a new fresh perspective that was modern and met students where they are technologically – where they have been trained to be. Charles Prince, Director of Student Success and Transition, talks about the importance of finding the right external partners and how Advantage Design Group helped them to provide the modernization they needed as well as keeping their school history in-sync with their message.
Charles Prince
Director, Office of Student Success and Transition
"The look and feel of our orientation was very important to us and we were really impressed by Advantage Design Group."
Florida International University had to accommodate their growing population of 54,000 students, including 8,000 transfer students each year. As the 4th largest university in the country, they needed to serve transfer students more efficiently since there was not enough time, staff or advisors to serve them all. So building an online orientation became a valuable resource for them, and Advantage Design Group went above and beyond as their conduit to the technology, logistics, and custom branded design of the program.
Korrin Anderson
Associate Director, Orientation and Parent Programs
"Advantage Design Group listened to our needs ... they have made our vision a reality."
Colorado State University was accomplishing online orientation as a course taken through Blackboard. It lacked the engaging aspects they wanted and the ability to provide assessment data, so they sought out Advantage Design Group to help. They found Advantage Design Group through NODA and was drawn in by their designs and organization. They appreciated Advantage Design Group’s listening to their needs, data access, and recommending specific techniques on how to interact with students. As far as competitors go …CSU says it wasn’t a hard decision to choose Advantage Design Group!
Amber Hoefer
Orientation Coordinator
They have appreciated the differences in our college community and have showcased that.
Greenville Technical College needed an online orientation that students could access easily and be able to return to throughout their college careers. They were attracted to Advantage Design Group’s interactive, vibrant and modern designs. They also appreciated Advantage Design Group’s organization and experience building online orientations that are appealing to students. ADG and GTC worked well together on every level!
Elizabeth Mann
Assistant Dean - Public Service, Arts & Sciences Division
Built before the age of social distancing, The University of Tampa launched its online orientation a year ago, making it the university’s first Student Affairs hybrid program. As welcome events were being reconfigured to meet CDC guidelines, the new student experience progressed without interruption and students arrived on campus with all their questions answered.
"Having an online orientation in the age of COVID-19" was the best thing we could've done."
Shannon Calega, M.Ed.
Director of Orientation & Family Engagement
The University of Tampa
"I am LOVING the platform thus far. I received editing access last week and it's been a breeze to update the material. We are getting positive reviews from the staff who have previewed it. We go live to students..."
Emma Montague
Director Student & Family Engagement
Bristol Community College
Just a quick note to say thank you for sending us such a fantastic crew. Bobby and Dustin are incredibly skilled professionals. Even more so, they are great people. They made us feel comfortable throughout the process, were patient when we worked through the inevitable bumps, and provided creativity, energy and inspiration when needed. It was also cool to have the grandson of an alumna be part of this project. Dustin shared that his grandmother graduated from the ‘Ville in 1929. During a short break, I was able to find a copy of the 1929 Touchstone Yearbook online and showed Dustin his grandmother’s yearbook entry. What a great experience!
"They understood the feel we were looking for and worked well with the talent."
Chris Jachimowicz
Director of Orientation & Transition Programs
Millersville University
"Like so many schools that operate in the open admission model, we were challenged to engage with thousands of applicants each term. We’d tried personal outreach and on-campus events and still struggled to make an impact with enough students to sustain their commitment through registration. There’s simply more of them than there are of us! Not only does our Advantage Orientation Platform help us reach more new and prospective students, we don’t have to sacrifice a personal approach. We chose to work with Advantage Design Group because of the quality of their product and their work does not disappoint. From design to writing to our on-campus video shoot – every detail was anticipated and completed with care and creativity. Working with Advantage Design Group is a great experience."
Dr. Stacy Mentzer
Institutional Effectiveness Executive Director
Iowa Central Community College
"I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for working with us during the video shoot for our online orientation. You guys were nothing short of outstanding! Your professionalism, thoughtfulness and flexibility were all very much appreciated! You have received numerous compliments from our students and staff about how great it was to work with you! You have a knack for making folks feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera!"
Mark Mannheimer, M.S.
Assistant Director of Student Success
Northern Virginia Community College
"My experience with Advantage Design Group was top notch. We gave them a very aggressive timeline and I believe the system we designed was very complex. I'm more than happy with the final product. They exceeded my expectations and I believe that of the University as well."
Heather Herman
Executive Director, Communications
Louisiana State University
"I would like to take a moment to say how amazing your video team was while they were on campus for the past three days. With rotating of our President’s schedule, to switching locations because of on-campus summer construction, to sprinklers that were causing some weird background noise, we could not have asked for a better team to represent Advantage Design. They were creative, professional, patient, kind and encouraging towards our talent who may have been more on the camera shy side (myself)"
Jennie M. Erdle
Director of Student Life
Finger Lakes Community College
The product is such high quality and so unique - it gets better the more you learn about it.
To find that level of enthusiasm and commitment from an outside company is not always easy to find!
Shelly Metivier Scott
Associate Dean of Students
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
"I wanted to let you know that the video shoot went very well. I must say that I was stressed and nervous about this whole project but Matthew’s expertise and professionalism gave me a tremendous amount of relief. He made all of the participants feel at ease. Everyone that assisted with the shoots really enjoyed working with him and Michael. I even jokingly told him that I was coming to work with ADG to be his assistant because of his demeanor and way of making everyone feel comfortable."
Jenell Barnett
Orientation Coordinator
Gaston College
"We would just like to thank the ADG team assigned to our project. Again, they've been helpful and respectful at every turn. It's been a pleasure to work with an organization that delivers on their promises and exceeds expectations."
Jane Smith
Director Enrollment Services
College of DuPage
Colorado State University was accomplishing online orientation as a course taken through Blackboard. It lacked the engaging aspects they wanted and the ability to provide assessment data, so they sought out Advantage Design Group to help. They found Advantage Design Group through NODA and was drawn in by their designs and organization. They appreciated Advantage Design Group’s listening to their needs, data access, and recommending specific techniques on how to interact with students. As far as competitors go …CSU says it wasn’t a hard decision to choose Advantage Design Group!
"Advantage Design Group listened to our needs ... they have made our vision a reality."
Amber Hoefer
Orientation Coordinator
Colorado State University
Greenville Technical College needed an online orientation that students could access easily and be able to return to throughout their college careers. They were attracted to Advantage Design Group’s interactive, vibrant and modern designs. They also appreciated Advantage Design Group’s organization and experience building online orientations that are appealing to students. ADG and GTC worked well together on every level!
They have appreciated the differences in our college community and have showcased that.
Elizabeth Mann
Assistant Dean - Public Service, Arts & Sciences Division
Greenville Technical College
Howard University was in the process of revamping their new student orientation overall. They needed to bring a new fresh perspective that was modern and met students where they are technologically – where they have been trained to be. Charles Prince, Director of Student Success and Transition, talks about the importance of finding the right external partners and how Advantage Design Group helped them to provide the modernization they needed as well as keeping their school history in-sync with their message.
The team has always been attentive to our details, our traditions and our history. It has been a very rewarding experience.
Charles Prince
Director, Office of Student Success and Transition
Howard University
After researching several companies, Sonoma State University chose Advantage Design Group and was thrilled with their decision. They didn’t know what to expect when developing a new student online orientation and Advantage Design Group was informative, organized and ensured the entire process, from technical issues to videography, went smoothly. They brought a comfort level to the team that was unsurpassed.
They have other clients but you wouldn’t know it because they make you feel so special. Absolutely the best thing I have done as an orientation coordinator so far.
Colleen Mahoney
Orientations and New Student Programs Coordinator
Sonoma State University
"Thank you for coming to our campus. (Your videographers) were great – very knowledgeable and professional...and patient with our students!"
Rachel Stark
Program Director of Orientation
Temple University
"In a world where companies and individuals promise much, but deliver little, Advantage Design Group truly stands out! ADG met all of my expectations regarding design quality, brand customization, usability, and timeframe for completion. On top of that, they are friendly, professional, responsive and just plain nice to work with. Their product is also very affordable, especially when you consider the high level of quality and service that they provide compared to their competitors."
Martha Wilson
Assistant Director, First Year Experience & Orientation
Utah Valley University
Florida International University had to accommodate their growing population of 54,000 students, including 8,000 transfer students each year. As the 4th largest university in the country, they needed to serve transfer students more efficiently since there was not enough time, staff or advisors to serve them all. So building an online orientation became a valuable resource for them, and Advantage Design Group went above and beyond as their conduit to the technology, logistics, and custom branded design of the program.
"The look and feel of our orientation was very important to us and we were really impressed by Advantage Design Group."
Korrin Anderson
Associate Director, Orientation and Parent Programs
Florida International University
"We needed to accommodate a growing number of topics, as well as several user-specific tracks. The technology allowed for trackable logins and it served up unique content by the school and student type."
Rick Gray
Associate Director, Orientation and Family Programs & Services
George Mason University
"Their talented staff of project managers, web designers, and programmers worked tirelessly to help us create an orientation that went above and beyond our expectations. They always came from a place of YES!"
Rachel Veretto
Program Coordinator First Year Experience
Aims Community College
"Your video team is amazing...it was clear that they were here to give us the best video possible and the commitment to quality was evident."
Christy Sheilds
New Student Orientation Coordinator
Wake Technical Community College