“This is a really special time for Michigan State,” Simon said. “We’ve got alumni who are here, we’ve got faculty helping move (students) into the residence halls. ... You see all of the green shirts and I really think that represents Michigan State well.”

As they make their rounds, Simon and the “crew” that follows her, a mix of students and faculty ranging from communications directors to journalism majors, end up visiting students and their families located at each neighborhood.

Packaging freshman Brendan O’Connor and his family were able to meet Simon and talk with her as she made her rounds.

“I thought it was really cool to see the president of such a big school just walking around, meeting the new students in a pretty casual way,” he said. “I’d say it’s very important in being comfortable and trusting (faculty and administration) because they pretty much run everything around here and so it's good to know them and feel a sense of trust."

While she primarily focuses on getting to know freshmen students on move-in day, Simon said she also enjoys talking to parents who attended MSU about what they think has changed and what has stayed the same.

Both of Brendan’s parents, Paul and Susan O’Connor, attended MSU and said they believe it has progressed since they were students.

“There’s lots of new investments — I see a lot of growth and new buildings,” Paul O’Connor said.

Simon said she tries to find out what kind of role new students would like the university to play in their future plans.

“One of the questions I ask is, five or six years down the road, what do you want to do?" Simon said. 

For Simon, communication with students is key, and she said she tries to interact with all students, not just freshmen, in a variety of ways.

“It (interaction) comes from when I will spend time meeting people in the residence halls and it's one-on-one," Simon said. "But when you think about a network of communication, which is what we have now, people write to the President’s office, we keep track of all those.”

While Simon’s interaction with students on move-in day is constant and visible, Simon said she stands for something more. When she goes out to talk to families, she acts as an symbol for all of the administration, she said.

“What I say to folks is, 'this is yours,'" Simon said. "You may have some prior knowledge of the university from your parents or from a brother or sister or from a friend who’s attended the university, but this is your journey and your experience. And they’ll become your memories.”