Jacob Waring – Reporter
Prospective students visited Southern to explore their educational options at the Undergraduate Open House and Graduate Open House.
Graduate prospectives visited the campus on Thursday, Oct. 4 while high schoolers visited on Sunday, Oct. 7.
At the Graduate Open House President Joe Bertolino said he has confidence in the university’s graduate programs, and how the students end up serving Connecticut as a whole.
“We have high quality graduate programs here at the university,” said Bertolino. “I’m hoping some [prospective students] will come out to experience what we have, see what we have and explore because a lot of our graduates wind up serving the state in multiple positive ways.”
Lisa Galvin, director of graduate admissions, who organized the Graduate Open House, said they had a nice steady flow of students, and they expected them to come in waves due to their own personal scheduling.
She said she expected the turnout to meet or beat previous years.
“We give them general information about graduate admissions and the process,” said Galavin. “We provide them with refreshments and takeaways. We provide them all of the graduate programs that are represented here by the graduate faculty who are the coordinators of those programs. We also have financial aid registrar, student account areas as well. So, prospective students can get all their questions answered in one place.”
Jose Galvan, interim dean for the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, has been helping students by addressing certain aspects of various programs.
“There are certain procedures that are not very well understood by students going through the programs,” said Galvan I’ve been working with individuals within various offices to try to address some of these issues.”
Despite having virtually no connection to the Undergraduate Open House, she said they are all in enrollment management and have an eye on enrollment despite different targeted demographics.
The undergraduate open house had multiple informational sessions held throughout the campus to aid prospective students and their family understand how to pay for college, living on campus, getting an overview of the nursing program and more.
On campus tours were conducted to showcase the campus and a Student Activities Fair on the Academic Quad that showcased what clubs and organizations are on campus.
Gabby Rousseau, a public health major, and volunteer at the Undergraduate Open House said volunteers were placed wherever they’re needed.
“There’s sections, like departments for people who do the tours. “There’s people that give directions. There are people who are representing on campus halls. It’s completely volunteer,” said Rousseau.
Terricita Sass, the associate vice president for enrollment management said the Undergraduate Open House is a campus-wide collaboration.
“It is an university event,” said Sass. “There’s a lot of offices from all across campus who are responsible for pulling this together. So, we work in very close collaboration with our partners in student affairs, and we have persons from every area of the campus.”
Sass also said the event is going very well. The Assistant Director of Admissions, Tim Belcher, said Admissions overall was the linchpin that held this event together as he is one of the coordinators of the event. There will be upwards of 3,000 total people on campus, and 600 of them are prospective students on campus.
“It’s a big event, you know,” said Belcher. “When you actually see it and when you pull it off on the day of…when you see all that effort, all those hours put into planning and see it come to fruition, it’s a rewarding day as well.”
Photo Credit: Jacob Waring
