“Living in student housing has been shown to improve student academic performance,” says Dr. Joyce Jones, vice president for student services. “We offer various programs at University Village to promote academic success. Through this Resident Academic Rewards program, we want to communicate this to students and to recognize those residents who achieve these academic goals.”

Making the Dean’s List (3.66 grade point average) for a semester will earn $250 in JagCard cash while achieving a 3.0 GPA will earn $100 in JagCard cash. To receive the reward, students must be in good standing with the university and meet the following eligibility requirements:

• have completed at least 9 credit hours in courses at the 1000 level or above
• have no K grades or grades of I, F, or WF for that semester, and
• have a minimum overall institutional GPA of at least 2.0.

The Registrar’s Office will determine which students have earned the rewards each semester. A list of the reward winners will be sent to the JagCard Office and to the property manager at University Village.

“We are excited to be offering this new academic reward program to residents of University Village,” Dr. Jones adds. “We have students who are serious about their education, and this is one way that we can encourage them to excel in the classroom.”

Incoming students and their families will have an opportunity to learn more about student organizations and how to enrich their academic experience through leadership, team building, and promoting unity on campus and in the community. Faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni, dressed in blue, white, red and showing their ASU pride, will also be on hand to welcome the new students.

This event is sponsored by the Office of Student Development. For more information, call ASU’s Office of Student Development at 706-729-2351.

The cruising class will depart from Charleston, S.C., on Dec. 15 and visit ports of call such as Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; and Key West, Fla., before returning to Charleston on Dec. 22. And if earning credit wasn’t enough, at $750, Cruising for Credit is the least expensive study abroad program ASU has ever offered.

“This is such a unique and useful program for our students because it allows them to experience wonderful parts of the world that are relatively nearby and learn from that in a relaxing atmosphere,” says Holly Carter, assistant vice president for International Affairs.

Students have the choice of gaining credit for two, one-hour classes while on the cruise. Writing on the High Seas: Travel Articles from the Caribbean allows students to write about their experiences with the ports of call, shipboard activities, and the people and cultures they encounter. The results will be published in a special section of The Bell Ringer, ASU’s student newspaper. Wellness Selected Topics, the second class, includes instruction in activities like badminton, shuffle board, volleyball, walking, and swimming while on the cruise.

Participating students will be housed in a shared room on the Norwegian Majesty, of the Norwegian cruise line fleet. This ship has a variety of restaurants, fitness, and entertainment opportunities. The price of the trip includes all meals and services, field trips in the ports of call, and an International Student Identity Card.