Record-breaking travel, “awesome”
tour guides, high turnout at campus events, and a new high in alumni interviews
are among the factors responsible for a new standard in applications this
season, according to Dan Lundquist, vice president
for admissions and financial aid.
At mid-week, staffers in Grant Hall
had received some 4,100 applications, eclipsing a College-best of 4,020 set in
2000.
“Running approximately 12 percent ahead
of last year, we expect to end up in the low- to mid-4,000s,” Lundquist said. “In
a year when many competitor colleges are flat – or even down slightly – we see
this response as no small validation of Union's
attractive combination of splendid heritage, excellent facilities and exciting
innovation.”
“Union has reflected
its great strengths through excellent national media exposure, innovative print
and web site communication and outstanding outreach to prospective students
throughout the country,” said Dianne Crozier, director of admissions. “As
students and their families look more critically at their college investment,
value becomes key. The closer they look, the better we look as a worthy, long-term
investment in quality.”
Several milestones presaged this
success, Lundquist said. Among them:
— Traveling staff conducted more than 500
off-campus events this fall and early winter, allowing one-on-one contact with
over 5,000 students and significant numbers of parents and counselors;
— Record-breaking turnout for the fall
multicultural weekend turnout, with 125 students visiting;
— Outreach travel that emphasized new initiatives including
connections with promising new high schools and community-based mentoring
organizations;
— Creative recruiting that produced a
Union-Hamilton-Hobart/William Smith-Conn. kayaking event for counselors in San
Francisco followed by school visits and a reception
for families. A similar series of events occurred in southern California.
Counselors continued to optimize joint travel (with our traditional group of
Colgate, Hamilton, and Skidmore);
— Counselor-to-campus events (“CRUSSH,” the most
popular – bar none – counselor tour in the United States that brings 50
counselors to Colgate, RPI, Union, Skidmore, Syracuse, and Hamilton) for
half-day visits; and
— Alumni interview requests have topped 700, some
200 more than usual. Most of these applicants have visited campus at least
once. With 12 senior interviewers assisting the admissions deans, staff are
conducting more interviews on campus, as well as experiencing record crowds at on-campus
Open Houses.
“We had awesome tour guides,
senior interns and student ambassadors,” said Kelly Herrington, associate dean.
Added Kate Elliott, admissions counselor, “people fell in love with Union, and with our students.”
Lilia Tiemann, coordinator of
alumni admissions, said, “We had a record-breaking number of visitors for
on-campus events in 2002. The campus sells itself. Domino effect … visitors
have already been here, done that. Therefore alumni interviews are up.”