In 2001 I believe, in my second year as Vice President for Student Affairs at Albany State University in Georgia, I started what I called the freshman lunch program. During orientation, I told students and their parents that it was important for them to get connected to people on campus, so if they would gather 2 or 3 friends, we would go to lunch and talk.

Of course, most didn't take me up on the offer. I mean, would a VP REALLY take us to lunch? But I did, and each year the program grew. By the time I left, I had lots of upperclass students coming saying they didn't get their freshman lunch!

So during my first fall at Philander Smith College, now as a president, I kept the program going. So now it really is mind blowing for students and parents- the PRESIDENT is offering to take me to lunch? Nah, can't be true. But each year more and more students have accepted the challenge.

So our 2009 freshmen have taken the program (and my wallet) to new levels. I have already had lunch with about 29% of the freshman class, higher than any of the past three years when I started tracking this program. And I still have a full semester to go!

The conversation is based on research questions designed to determine how things are going for new students. Of course, retention during the first year is critical as students face homesickness, adjusting to college both in and out of class, and academic difficulty. So I ask questions such as "Use a simile to describe your first semester in college" and "What's the best/worst part of being a college student".

So I am able to get some good feedback from students on their experience, as well as learn students names and something about them.

The Prez