For more than five years, San Diego Mesa College has been offering Summer CRUISE—Creating Rich Unique Intellectual Student Experiences – for incoming students. This summer, Mesa offered six CRUISE sessions from June – August. As of Aug. 1, CRUISE has served more than 800 incoming students, and by the time all sessions are done, will have assisted over 1,000 students, which is a record-breaking number for the program’s five years of service.
Sessions are completely free and available to recent high school graduates and those who are first-time or returning college students. The CRUISE program introduces incoming students to the academic, professional, and personal campus resources available to them. The program also prepares them for math and English requirements and provides a chance to work alongside faculty and a team of 16 Peer Navigators, all while creating a unique support system among their peers.
The program also offers special sessions for new students transitioning from Continuing Education, the Armed Forces, and Adult Learners who have not attended college. This year, we even established an orientation for Student Athletes and San Diego Promise scholarship recipients to better tailor information and resources to their needs. During CRUISE, students can meet other students along with their personal Peer Navigator; work one-on-one with faculty who are committed to student success; get exposure to campus resources, student programming, and clubs; participate in academic and counseling workshops with faculty and staff; and receive support for their entire academic year at Mesa.
Currently, there are more than 160 students registered for the final session in August, which will wrap up the 2019 Summer CRUISE program. For more information on Summer CRUISE, visit the CRUISE Program webpage, or call 619-388-2757, or email: [email protected].