Neeley Onboarding Experience Builds Community from Day One
As a new class of business students prepares to begin the fall semester, the Neeley School of Business is introducing students to a coordinated onboarding experience designed to build community from day one. Building on Texas Christian University's world-class orientation program, Neeley connects students with peers, mentors and professional development resources before classes begin, helping them navigate both the university and the business school.
Neeley’s onboarding experience introduces students to the people, programs and opportunities that define the business school while fostering relationships that support academic, professional and personal success.
Orientation and Frogs First
The journey starts with the university’s orientation, which helps students build a
strong foundation and connection to the broader TCU community. Orientation introduces
students to campus life and academic programs. Neeley’s undergraduate student team
collaborates with TCU Admissions’ orientation and first-year programmatic efforts
to meet with incoming students, introducing them to the community and showcasing the
opportunities that lie ahead.
Emily Ivey, TCU's director of New Student & Family Programs, said orientation is intentionally designed to help students feel known, supported and connected from the moment they arrive on campus.
“It’s the purple carpet. We prioritize relationships and community-building,” Ivey said. “It’s at the core of how we build our schedule, train our orientation leaders and work with campus partners involved in orientation. We ensure students leave knowing at least one person at TCU to guide and support them along the way. Ultimately, we roll out the purple carpet at every moment to help them leave feeling like a part of TCU.”
That introduction continues through Frogs First, TCU's welcome week that helps students transition into campus life through academic, social and engagement experiences before the first day of classes. As part of the program, the business school will host its annual Neeley Open House on Thursday, Aug. 20, welcoming new business students into the school, connecting them with faculty, staff and student leaders, and introducing the resources and opportunities that will shape their experience. Together, Orientation and Frogs First create the foundation for the more personalized, year-round support students receive through Neeley's onboarding experience.
Welcome 2 Neeley
After the semester begins, newly enrolled business school students will participate
in Welcome 2 Neeley, an introduction to the people, programs and opportunities that
define the Neeley experience. Through small-group sessions led by upperclassmen who
serve as professional development and career coaches, students begin building relationships,
asking questions and discovering ways to get involved beyond the classroom.
The 50-minute sessions are intentionally held in small groups, allowing coaches to tailor conversations to specific student interests and experiences. Since its pilot in spring 2025, Welcome 2 Neeley has expanded to serve nearly 1,000 new students each year.
Associate Director of the Professional Development Center Kevin Kiley said the program was designed to help students begin engaging with the business school from the moment they arrive.
“Having seen thousands of positive student outcomes upon graduation, we know that early engagement outside the classroom is a key element to a student’s success. We wanted our new students to feel a sense of welcome and belonging; to know about the programs, resources and opportunities available to them; and to be encouraged to get involved early in their time here. Welcome 2 Neeley checks all those boxes,” Kiley said.
The peer-led model gives students an early understanding of the resources, organizations and experiential opportunities available across Neeley while helping them envision their own path through the business school. Student leaders have also observed increased participation in organizations and programs as students become aware of opportunities earlier in their college experience.
“Part of the secret sauce for this initiative is its peer-to-peer setting. While faculty and staff play critical roles at Neeley, students sometimes absorb things more readily when they hear it from one of their peers. The Professional Development Center and Alcon Career Center coaches also serve as role models. By connecting with them, new students can more easily envision the kind of student they themselves can become,” Kiley added.
Neeley Next Step Mentorship Program
While Welcome 2 Neeley introduces students to the broader Neeley community, Neeley Next Step mentoring extends that support through one-on-one connection. Founded and led by students as
a BNSF Neeley Leadership Program impact project, the eight-week program pairs first-year and transfer students with
experienced upperclassmen who help them navigate majors, campus involvement and the
transition into business school.
Ellie Grau, a senior marketing and political science major and past president for the Next Step program, first joined the program as a mentee. Today, she credits those relationships with shaping her own Neeley experience.
“My favorite part of the program is the relationships I’ve made. I’ve met so many people who are outside of my usual bubble that I wouldn’t have met without this program. I am so thankful that this program has given me the ability to do that,” said Grau, giving special credit to her mentee Margaret Schnieders.
Schnieders, a junior finance and political science major who transferred into Neeley last year, said the experience gave her the confidence to navigate opportunities across the business school.
“From a mentee standpoint, I think what's so special is the level of confidence that changed for me by the end of the semester. I was really lost going into Neeley. I had no idea of the Professional Development Center, the Alcon Career Center, or what to be involved in. And the meetings completely changed my outlook on Neeley. I was so scared to walk into Neeley, but seeing Ellie once a week really helped me figure out where my confidence lies, what I wanted to do,” said Schnieders, who will be the Neeley Next Step president this fall semester.
For many students, the Neeley experience begins well before the first day of class. By combining university orientation, peer coaching and student mentorship into a connected onboarding experience, Neeley helps new students build confidence, relationships and a sense of belonging from the moment they arrive on campus
-Winter Harris, writer, Neeley Communications