Bear Cub Connection Program

Transitions can be hard, but the Bear Cub Connection Program is here to help at KU!

Through the support of Cub Coaches and a graduate student overseeing the program, first-year students receive help with their transition from high school and their acclimation to college.

All first-year students will be enrolled in the program. Students will be informed they will be enrolled in the program and assigned a Cub Coach unless they decide to opt out of the program. Instructions on how to opt out are provided via email every June, and students can opt out at any point.

  • Program Highlights
    • Access to a Cub Coach, who is an experienced, returning KU student working within the Office of Residence Life, Housing, and Dining. Cub Coaches are assigned a cohort of first-year students to connect with individually and provide social and academic support to help new students feel part of the KU Community.
    • Invitation to Bear Tracks, a program series covering topics that will help first-year students be successful. Bear Tracks connects students with a conglomeration of campus offices who will facilitate these programs on the residential side of campus (South campus).
    • MORE Social Opportunities! Social programs for the entire first-year class, as well as the individual cohorts, will be offered, including cohort dinners and shared participation in campus traditions.
    • Dedicated Tutoring Times: Study Halls featuring tutoring for students in the Bear Cub Connection program will be offered Sunday through Thursday for 2 hours. The sessions will be held in the residence halls and proctored by at least one Cub Coach. 
    • Closer access to faculty through the Faculty Series, a series of exclusive opportunities for students and faculty to interact outside of classroom hours through social programming, meals, discussions, and receptions.
    • Through a Service-Learning experience, Cub Cohorts have the opportunity to come together to give back to the campus and surrounding communities.
  • Program Completion Incentives for First-Year Students

    Participation in all the above Program Highlights are incentivized by milestone giveaways, Flex Dollars, and more!

    If first-year students complete the following, they will be entered into a drawing for a FREE Diamond meal plan for the following semester:

    • One tutoring/study hall session per week
    • One social program that is planned for the first-year students per semester
    • One Bear Tracks Program per month
    • One cohort interaction per semester
    • One cohort dinner per semester
    • One Residence Life-planned faculty initiative per semester
    • One CA-planned program per semester
    • One approved Campus Tradition per semester
    • One Hall Council meeting per semester
    • One faculty office hour per semester
    • One meeting with your Cub Coach per semester