Although this text speaks with the voices of its three authors, it represents contributions from many other people. We gratefully acknowledge those contributions and thank these individuals whose special expertise has made it possible to introduce new students to their college experience through the holistic approach we deeply believe in.

Amber Manning-Oullette provided guidance on revising the chapter “Maintaining Wellness and Relationships in a Diverse World.” Amber is currently a lecturer at Iowa State University. She holds a B.S. in Psychology, an M.S. in Counselor Education, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Higher Education.

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Lea Susan Engle was an essential contributor to the coverage of information literacy. Lea is a former Assistant Professor and first-year experience librarian at Texas A&M University and is currently a Training and Outreach Coordinator in Learning Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Lea earned a B.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park, and holds an M.S. in Information Studies and an M.A. in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.

Casey Reid was a vital contributor to the chapter that discusses time management. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Professional Writing and an M.A. in Writing from Missouri State University. She is now a Ph.D. candidate in English from Old Dominion University. For seven years, she was an English faculty member at Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. She is currently employed at East Central College in Missouri, where she has overhauled the first-year experience course and started a peer coaching program.

The chapter “Making the Right Career Choice” was shaped by Heather N. Maietta, the former Associate Vice President of Career and Corporate Engagement at Merrimack College. Heather has presented or co-presented nationally on topics related to career and professional preparation and is a Certified Career Development Facilitator Instructor through the National Career Development Association. Heather has authored articles and research reports in several publications, including About Campus, Career Convergence, and ESource.

Chris Gurrie is Assistant Professor of Speech at the University of Tampa. Gurrie is an active public speaker and participates in invited lectures, workshops, and conferences in the areas of faculty development, first-year life and leadership, communicating effectively with PowerPoint, and communication and immediacy. He contributed the first generation of Tech Tips that were adapted for this new text and wrote the Guide to Teaching with YouTube, available as part of the Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank.