Faculty, staff encouraged to talk to students about summer options
April 29, 2015
Registration for Purdue's 2015 summer courses is now open, and Blake Nemelka, Purdue's new director of summer session, is encouraging faculty and staff to talk to students about their summer plans.
Nemelka says the goal is to encourage students to think about how they use their time in the summer -- and how they can use that time wisely.
"The way I see it, we all succeed when we ask, 'What are your summer plans?' and the student responds with something engaging and meaningful," Nemelka says. "We need to guide students to spend their summers in a productive and enriching way, be it through coursework, internships, study abroad opportunities or a job related to their field of study."
Nemelka says the Think Summer website provides students with a good starting point if they're considering summer coursework. The site includes a list of over 250 undergraduate courses that Purdue guarantees will be taught each summer for the next two years. The courses span offerings for freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors in nearly every academic department. Many of the classes are large-enrollment sections that are part of the core curriculum.
The website also offers information about summer housing options and local activities for those staying on campus. In addition, the site provides details on how to find internships and study abroad opportunities.
Taking courses during the summer helps students move quickly, flexibly and affordably in their academic careers, Nemelka says. Doing so also provides students with greater flexibility to incorporate internships, study abroad and undergraduate research into their Purdue experience.
Nemelka thanks faculty and staff for continually promoting summer session involvement and hopes to build on that partnership. Nemelka became director of summer session in early April after serving as a production manager in Purdue’s Office of Enrollment Management. Before coming to Purdue, he worked at Dixie State University as an enrollment services manager and an adjunct professor. Nemelka earned his bachelor's degree in business from Utah State University and his master's degree in education administration from Vanderbilt University.
He can be reached at bnemelka@purdue.edu or 49-45296.
