The CAST POWER Program
The CAST POWER Program supports recipients of select scholarships, including Nebraska Achievement and Emerging Leaders, as well as other invited first-year students interested in maximizing their success during the first year.
The CAST POWER Program includes enrollment and participation in a weekly zero-credit seminar, academic success coaching, and events designed to support college success both in and out of the classroom. The course covers topics on finding your purpose, supporting your well-being, getting connected to organizations and peers on campus, and more! Sections are offered on various days and times to fit the rest of your course schedule.
Optional: Four-Day Foundational Event
One feature of the POWER program is an optional Four-Day Foundational Event. The Four-Day Foundational Event gives you an opportunity to arrive on campus early and participate in a full schedule of activities designed to help you build friendships, connect to staff and faculty, visit campus resources, and learn tips on how to successfully navigate the college experience.
Led by success coaches and upper-class student peer mentors, the Foundational Event includes small group activities on academic, social, and emotional well-being and identity along with tours, scavenger hunts, and time to run needed campus errands before other students move in. By the end of the Foundational Event, students will feel more confident and comfortable on campus, having built friendships that carry into the fall semester.
The Foundational Event runs from Sunday, August 17 – Thursday, August 20. We will kick things off with an opening ceremony the evening of Sunday, August 17. Family and friends are welcome. If you're living on-campus, you'll get priority move-in on Sunday, August 17. If you're living off campus, you'll join us for all on-campus activities and events.
Space is limited—sign up early to save your spot!
Click Here to Register
First-Generation Students
Each year, we reserve 200 of our CAST POWER Program spots for first-generation college students for our First Husker Program. Students who join this program take place in the Four-Day Foundational Event in August and the fall seminar class. First-generation students not interested in particpating in the Four-Day Foundational Event can still participate in the seminar only option.
Learn more about First HuskerTransfer Students
In 2025, we're introducing a Transfer Student Track within the Four-Day Foundational Event, led by transfer student peer mentors, to help incoming transfers get to know campus, connect with fellow transfer students, and start building their UNL community through both shared and transfer-specific activities.
Learn more about Transfer Student Programs