Students see many new faces at summer orientation, but the face behind the event is retiring at the end of the month.

Ardys Ulrichson, director of Campus Visits and Orientation, is leaving Iowa State after 16 years of service.

“Ardys has had a long commitment to service at Iowa State,” said Chad Harris, undergraduate adviser for the Cyclone Aids program. “She is a very hardworking individual who loved her job and the people she worked with.”

Ulrichson worked both as the vice provost for Student Affairs and in the student financial aid departments before settling into Campus Visits and Orientation in 1996.

She has since implemented and overseen the development of new programs such as STARS and New Student Days. STARS consists of student volunteers who lead campus tours and participate in panel discussions during the Experience Iowa State (EIS) programs.

“Students who attend EIS are able to hear about the university through a student perspective,” Ulrichson said.

Although programs such as EIS and orientation are time consuming, she said they are well worth the time and effort because they enable students to get a true understanding of Iowa State.

“Although [Ulrichson] did not start the Cyclone Aide program, she certainly has made it a premiere leadership position on campus, as well as using it as a means to improve Iowa State’s outstanding orientation program,” said Harris, junior in political science.

Ulrichson said orientation is important for both new students and their families.

“The best part is seeing the students and their families transform while they are at orientation,” she said. “When they arrive, there is usually a lot of tension and conflict between the parents and the student.”

However, as the program progresses, Ulrichson said students gain the confidence they need to leave orientation feeling good about their decision to attend Iowa State.

“It’s not that the students won’t still have problems, but we have [helped] them set realistic goals and expectations,” she said.

Ulrichson said her department is always trying to make sure the orientation program fits the needs of students.

“We are constantly evaluating our program to meet the changing aspects and needs of the students,” she said. “We want to make it more helpful and convenient for the students.”

One way Ulrichson said the department has made the move easier and more convenient for students is the implementation of New Student Days. Ulrichson said the program is designed to be a continuation of the information students learned in June at orientation.

“It’s a more timely way to get information out to students — some things in June, some things in August,” she said. “Some things students are just more ready to receive right as classes start rather than at the beginning of the summer, and it’s been fun getting that started.”

Following her retirement, Ulrichson plans to travel and spend more time with her family, which includes her three children and four grandchildren. In the fall semester 2000, she and her husband, Dean Ulrichson, professor of chemical engineering, plan to be located in Brisbane, Australia.