Bellarmine Creates New Transfer Student Resources

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With 104 undergraduate transfer students this semester, the highest number since 2009, and 245 transfer students total, Bellarmine created a set of resources to assist these students as they transition to a new university environment.  

“Our average number of new fall transfers over the prior five years is 83, so it is definitely an increase over recent years,” Carlyn Nugent, director of institutional research, said.  

When transfer student, Avery Willes, came to Bellarmine in the spring of 2025, he didn’t have a Week of Welcome.  

“It (transferring) was really scary. You miss out on those chances to make those connections right away," Willes, a senior transfer student double-majoring in theology and psychology clinical and counseling, said.  

Having transferred as a junior from Ivy Tech in Indiana, Willes was unable to have a proper orientation because Week of Welcome is strictly for incoming students who come to Bellarmine straight from high school.   

"I missed out on campus resources," Willes said.  

As a transfer, Willes didn't immediately learn about what resources were available to him unlike other students did during Week of Welcome.  

At the same time first-year students attended Week of Welcome; incoming transfers experienced their very own welcome during the new student orientation created specifically for them. 

At this orientation, transfer students had the opportunity to learn about events and student organizations on campus. They also heard from advisers and learned about student resources available such as the Dean of Students Office, the Student Success Center, the Career Development Center and the Student Activities Center.  

“When you go somewhere where... they go out of their way to tell you what is offered, I think it makes the process of transitioning into a new place a lot easier,” Emily Roberts, a graduate assistant with the Student Activity Center, said.  

Roberts advises first-time transfers and commuters in the hopes of helping students acclimate to the new environment. As one of the advisers who spoke at the transfer student orientation, she said that “transfers want to make the most of their experience.”  

One way transfer students can make the most of their experience is with the Student Government Association located in the Student Activities Center on the ground floor of Centro. The transfer student representative position is a single, elected position and is a way for transfer students to have a voice on campus.  

As a transfer student rep, a student will have the opportunity to be a bridge between the student body – particularly transfer students – and the administration. 

To apply for this SGA transfer position, students can contact Kelsea Jenkins, SGA president, at kjenkins2@bellarmine.edu.  

There are also mentors available to help transfer students learn how to make the most of their Bellarmine experience by sharing their stories. 

“I want to make it (transferring) easier than it was for me,” Layah Hodges, a former transfer student and graduate assistant for the Student Success Center, said.  

Students can find Hodges’s office in the honors level of the library in room B15. 

With these resources available for both incoming and current transfers, students like Willes will no longer come into Bellarmine without an orientation or lack of support. Instead, they will find community and a sense of belonging.  

“To be able to know that you can find those (community and resources) ... that’s helpful. I really like that,” Willes said.