In an effort to reach out to students who are far from home, the Baker University Student Affairs office created the out-of-staters program.

This program allows students who are not from Kansas to connect with a faculty or staff member prior to coming to the university.

“It’s all volunteer … we ask them to make connections before they arrive to Baker so they can answer questions that they might have,” Dean of Students Cassy Bailey said.

Students from as far as Florida to Massachusetts come to Baker to get the education that they want, but getting familiar with the area and trying to meet new people can be more of a challenge.

The program matches students with faculty or staff members that are also from their state or near their area.

The volunteers are expected to reach out to their particular students during the summer and get to know them before coming to Baker. They are also relied on to keep in touch with how the student is doing during time at Baker and make sure that they feel at home.

“Making people feel at home or giving them a connection is just one more way to help us with retention and, most importantly, help students succeed,” Bailey said.