While most think of a summer on a college campus as quiet, Towson University is about to get a lot busier.

This summer, TU and New Student and Family Programs (NSFP) will welcome more than 3,100 new students and their families to campus for New Student Orientation.

The full-day program helps first-year and transfer students prepare for life at TU while connecting with classmates and campus resources.

Offered across 16 summer sessions, New Student Orientation provides students and families with the information they need before Move-In and the start of the fall semester.

“The New Student and Family Programs team is so excited to welcome the newest class of Tigers this summer,” says NSFP Director Kathryn Knaus.

“We are ready to support their transition and integration to the TU community. The one-day summer orientation sessions are a great way for our incoming students to stay connected to TU, spent time on campus and engage with their peers.”

What students/families can expect

Orientation is a full day of information and activities for students and their families.

During the day, students will learn about life at TU, including housing, parking, dining, health services and other resources designed to help them feel at home on campus.

Students will also tour their college and learn more about how their major can connect to future career opportunities through the Career Center. They will meet housing communities, connect with academic advisers and participate in activities designed to help them get to know fellow incoming students.

Families will have access to programming tailored specifically to them, including sessions on supporting their Tigers, navigating financial aid, campus safety, meeting TU’s dean of students and joining the Towson University Family Network.

The day will include a continental breakfast and complimentary lunch. Several departments across TU will also provide giveaways and swag to help celebrate new Tigers.

Students pose for a photo with their orientation group at the Tiger Statue near the University Union

Orientation Leaders

Orientation leaders, returning TU students, spend their summers welcoming new Tigers to campus.

Throughout the summer, they answer questions and help students and families navigate orientation.

“If you have a question, ask an OL—if they don’t know, they’ll find you an answer,” Knaus says. “I am so proud of the orientation leaders who will spend their summers creating connections with and between new students; they are shining examples of what is possible as a TU student.”

Xavier Hughes is an orientation leader this summer. The junior mass communication major says it was his orientation experience that inspired him to become an orientation leader.

“My orientation leader reassured me that TU was a place where I could be the best version of myself,” Hughes says. “They answered my questions, shared their own experiences and maintained a positive attitude throughout the entire program. I wanted to provide that same welcoming experience for incoming students.”

A pilot program for honors and veteran students

 With a new year of orientation, NSFP is introducing a pilot program designed to help specialized student populations build community.

NSFP is partnering with the Honors College and the Military & Veterans Center to develop special programming on selected days that will help students involved with those programs learn more about the services available to them.

Students are not required to attend on these dates—which can be found when signing up for orientation—but those who do will meet peers who will be engaging in similar experiences during their first year and get to know the faculty and staff members who will support them.

Students at TU Logo Statue

New Student Orientation Schedule

Check out a more in-depth look at what to expect when you come to New Student Orientation. 

New Student and Family Programs Download the Orientation Schedule

Meet director Kathryn Knaus

New Student and Family Programs Director Kathryn Knaus

The 2026 New Student Orientation will be the first for Knaus as director of NSFP. She was named to the position this past February.

While it is her first orientation as director, Knaus has worked in orientation programs for more than a decade, beginning as an orientation leader at Elon University in 2010.

Knaus has been at TU since 2017, initially hired as assistant director of NSFP with a focus on families and first-year experience partnerships. She was later promoted to associate director before reaching the director position this year.

During her time at Towson University, she has been recognized by the National Orientation Directors Association for her work in new student orientation.

“I’m so honored to have the opportunity to grow within the TU community in this new role,” Knaus says. “TU students and their families are so special and deserve all the support and care we can give them.”