Hundreds of freshmen and transfer students are expected to take part in UNLV's New Student Orientation this Thursday through Saturday (Aug. 24-26).

Estimates are that at least 2,000 students will participate in this year's orientation, which has an entirely different structure from orientations of past years, said Kelly Kehlbeck, program coordinator for off-campus students and orientation.

While in past years New Student Orientation has taken place in a number of sessions spread throughout the summer, this year all participating students will be on campus simultaneously just before classes begin on Aug. 28.

The kick-off will be at 9 a.m. Thursday when UNLV President Carol C. Harter speaks to the students. This event, which also will feature other UNLV administrators and student government president Paul Moradkhan, will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center.

During the three-day orientation, students will be able to choose from more than 170 program sessions on diverse topics such as the differences between high school and college, academic resources at UNLV, student leadership opportunities, campus computer services, the campus libraries, and time management.

Many of UNLV's colleges and departments also will host sessions about their programs during orientation. Additionally, several social events have been scheduled.

A number of programs for parents also will take place during orientation.

"We think this new format is going to be a big hit with the students," Kehlbeck said. "Having so many students participating in orientation at once is going to create such energy. And I know they're going to find our sessions both informative and fun.

"We changed from having several small orientation sessions to one big orientation for a number of reasons. One of our goals was to have orientation at the best possible time for the students and that seemed to be just before the start of classes. That way all of the information will be fresh in the students' minds as the semester begins.

"Also, most students will already have completed registration, so they can carry their class schedule with them as they tour their new 335-acre home and locate exactly where their classes will be."

For additional information about orientation, call 895-3221.