For the first time this fall semester, first-year students at Southeast Missouri State University enrolled in the "UI100: First-Year Seminar" course are using a completely custom textbook authored by faculty, staff, and students. The textbook, "First-Year Seminar: Connecting to Southeast," was the creation of the UI100 Advisory Committee chaired by Dr. Theresa Haug-Belvin, UI100 coordinator and instructor. Members of the committee include Katie Foshee, assistant director of Admissions for New Student Programs; Katlyn Griffin, assistant professor of information literacy in Kent Library; Laurie Wern Overmann, instructor in the Department of Mathematics; and Dr. Shonta Smith, associate professor in the Department of Elementary, Early and Special Education.

The UI100 Advisory Committee designed the textbook so students would be introduced to pertinent Southeast information during their first semester. Sections in the book include learning more about Southeast and the decision to attend college; information literacy; critical thinking; communication; the importance of involvement; being a responsible Redhawk; and learning about various academic resources. The book is meant to help students not only during their first-semester, but also during their entire academic career at Southeast.

Haug-Belvin, along with Dr. Natalie Danner, vice president of Custom Solutions for XanEdu Publishing, will present a session on the creation of the textbook at the 37th Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience in February in San Antonio, Texas.

"First-Year Seminar: Connecting to Southeast" is published by XanEdu and can be purchased in the Southeast Bookstore.