Feature
September 04, 2008Admissions Office Expands Search for Students in Southern California and Online
As Saint Mary’s welcomes the largest freshman class in its history, the Admissions Office is already hard at work identifying prospective students for next year.“We’re expanding the applicant pool and looking at areas with potential growth,” says Dorothy Jones, dean of admissions.
Those areas include both this world and the virtual one, as regional assistant director of admissions Kevin Miller sets up shop full-time in Southern California and assistant director of admissions Joel Sweeney devotes his attention to the use of Web 2.0 technology in recruitment.
Miller moves to the
San Fernando Valley on Sept. 23, where he says he will serve as “SMC away from SMC.”
In 2007, 110 Saint Mary’s freshmen (18 percent of the class) hailed from Southern
California, but the Admissions Office is counting on the personal touch to elevate the
College’s profile in Santa Barbara, San Diego and all points in between.
“I’ll be canvassing Los Angeles and Orange County, interviewing students, visiting high schools and community colleges and reaching out to alumni in an area where there’s already a strong volunteer component,” Miller says.
Sweeney remains in
Moraga, but will serve as the College’s liaison to any prospective student with a modem
and a Facebook page.
“We’re setting up Saint Mary’s–specific sites on MySpace, YouTube, Facebook and whatever else is out there,” Sweeney says. “If you want to talk to admissions officers or current students, you can ‘friend’ us and there’s one less step to make.”
The College also plans to maintain My SMC, the social networking site it launched in the spring that allows accepted students to learn about Saint Mary’s from students who are already here.
“I’m excited about getting current students involved as bloggers and to get them to post video and photos—it’s a great way to connect with prospective students,” Sweeney says.
For more information on Saint Mary’s admission recruiting efforts in Southern California, contact Miller at kfm1@stmarys-ca.edu.
To learn more about the College’s Web 2.0 presence, contact Sweeney at js15@stmarys-ca.edu.
