THUNDER BAY — Fall is in the air, and students at Lakehead University are starting the school year with the president’s welcome breakfast.
On Tuesday, new and returning students were welcomed with free pancakes in the university's Agora, part of an effort to making the first day a positive experience.
“I just love this time of year. It's such a fabulous time,” said university president, Gillian Siddall.
Student information booths also lined the walking path outside of the Agora, but Siddall said pancakes were the highlight.
“They're all enjoying pancakes, they're chatting with faculty and with student services staff, and I just wouldn't miss it,” she said.
The first-day breakfast allows international and domestic students to feel at home, she said.
“Some of them have come from all over the world to be here, and you can just see their excitement,” she said.
“It's a big adjustment for students from Canada to come to a new university, and there's even more adjustment if you're coming from another country.”
Providing students with a quality experience and services is what’s needed, Siddall said.
“We do everything we can to make them feel welcome, to give them what they need, help them figure out how to get around the city, how to get around the university, and just provide all the resources they need,” she said.
Having Siddall serve pancakes provides a direct connection with students, said Paula Jean Broderick, director of student success.
“It shows that Lakehead is a really tight-knit community, which is one of the things that makes it unique,” Broderick said.
“The fact that they can interact and engage with our president, with their professors, with the staff, is really important to the community here. And so by having her serve pancakes, they can see how they are in touch and the senior execs are in touch with the student experience.”
What truly makes the local university unique is how the senior staff is approachable, Broderick said.
The students also had the option to enter a contest for several prizes at the welcome breakfast.
“A lot of students come to campus with lots of things like bedding and computers and other things, but they're missing other pieces,” she said.
With laptops, water bottles, and other household items available in the contest, Broderick said providing students with the things they may have forgot about is important.