Well, this will be my last post of the summer. On Monday, we will start welcoming our 2009 freshman class to UWEC for Orientation. It is an exciting time for them.....selecting classes, meeting roommates, checking out housing assignments. Our transfer students have been registering all along but many of them will sign up over the summer as well.
So, on the one hand, our work as an Admissions Office is done for another year. On the other, we will begin the cycle all over again for the class of 2010. Oh, yeah, and we are converting software systems which will keep us busy. Oh, yeah, and we're renovating and expanding our office. Oh, and we are trying to squeeze in vacations. Oh, yeah, and........and......:)
Best of luck to everyone and enjoy the summer.
Kris
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Happy Trails
Hey All - Well, our numbers look good, and we're ready to put these little dogies to bed. So, I'm gonna hop on my horse and ride it into the sunset....or into another Wyoming vacation, as the case might be.
Soon, the freshman class will be hitting our campus for Orientation in June, and we will start the cycle all over again for the class of 2010. But for now, enjoy the break.
Oh, and if you think you know what a "dogie" is, email me:) or post it.....no googling first.....
Kris
Soon, the freshman class will be hitting our campus for Orientation in June, and we will start the cycle all over again for the class of 2010. But for now, enjoy the break.
Oh, and if you think you know what a "dogie" is, email me:) or post it.....no googling first.....
Kris
Friday, May 1, 2009
May Day
May 1 is the date that all colleges and universities aim for. It is the day that students need to tell us their intentions on enrolling....either, "Yay, I'm coming in the fall," or "Sorry about that, but I am headed somewhere else." Although we do our best trying to predict what an 18-year old is going to do, it is hard.
Our year this year looks good but there are still a lot of unknowns. Will the economy mean that students might live at home and commute at higher numbers? I know I have received a few phone calls to that effect in the past few days. Will our competitors take more students off their waitlists? Will financial aid come through in the amount students expect? All of these factors come into play this time of year. For me, I'll know more on Monday when I get a report on cancellations.
Ultimately, I hope students make the best decision for themselves and make it based on the priorities that are important to them. But in the meantime, we all wait.....
Kris
Our year this year looks good but there are still a lot of unknowns. Will the economy mean that students might live at home and commute at higher numbers? I know I have received a few phone calls to that effect in the past few days. Will our competitors take more students off their waitlists? Will financial aid come through in the amount students expect? All of these factors come into play this time of year. For me, I'll know more on Monday when I get a report on cancellations.
Ultimately, I hope students make the best decision for themselves and make it based on the priorities that are important to them. But in the meantime, we all wait.....
Kris
Monday, April 20, 2009
safety first
Hi All - As I was listening to NPR on the drive in to work this morning, I was reminded that this is the anniversary of the Columbine HS shootings. Although Columbine sticks in many of our minds, the sad fact is that violence in schools is not a new phenomenon - in fact, the deadliest school violence occurred in 1927 in Bath, Michigan when a bombing left 45 people dead.
We are asked about campus safety frequently when talking to prospective students and parents. They are not necessarily interested in crime statistics - although some are - but rather are asking the basic question of whether their daughter or son will be safe.
I serve on a campus working group called the Emergency Response Team. The ERT has been testing and implementing a variety of protocols in case of a campus emergency. So far, we are finding that a combination of both high-tech and low-tech methods are effective in alerting the campus community to any kind of emergency - weather, human, etc. For example, we now have cell phones registered to send text messages; Voice over Internet Protocol phones which can display an alarm; an emergency screen that displays on our computers; loudspeakers in all buildings; and emergency messages that can be piped through our fire alarm system. For more information: http://emergency.uwec.edu/
Our campus police http://www.uwec.edu/police/index.htm works in tandem with the larger Eau Claire city police to respond to various emergencies and then, of course, less serious campus issues. Our campus has emergency phone in parking lots, an escort service for late-night walking assistance, locked residence halls, and lots of programming for safe choices regarding alcohol use and sexual encounters.
It's next to impossible to prepare for or prevent every random possibility. And we all need to use common sense as individuals. But I hope parents and students know that we take their safety very seriously and want the next 4 years of their lives to be healthy, challenging, productive, and safe ones.
Kris
We are asked about campus safety frequently when talking to prospective students and parents. They are not necessarily interested in crime statistics - although some are - but rather are asking the basic question of whether their daughter or son will be safe.
I serve on a campus working group called the Emergency Response Team. The ERT has been testing and implementing a variety of protocols in case of a campus emergency. So far, we are finding that a combination of both high-tech and low-tech methods are effective in alerting the campus community to any kind of emergency - weather, human, etc. For example, we now have cell phones registered to send text messages; Voice over Internet Protocol phones which can display an alarm; an emergency screen that displays on our computers; loudspeakers in all buildings; and emergency messages that can be piped through our fire alarm system. For more information: http://emergency.uwec.edu/
Our campus police http://www.uwec.edu/police/index.htm works in tandem with the larger Eau Claire city police to respond to various emergencies and then, of course, less serious campus issues. Our campus has emergency phone in parking lots, an escort service for late-night walking assistance, locked residence halls, and lots of programming for safe choices regarding alcohol use and sexual encounters.
It's next to impossible to prepare for or prevent every random possibility. And we all need to use common sense as individuals. But I hope parents and students know that we take their safety very seriously and want the next 4 years of their lives to be healthy, challenging, productive, and safe ones.
Kris
Monday, April 6, 2009
April showers bring May flowers...or do they?
Happy Monday, Everyone!
It's crunch month here in our office. April is the month where everything comes together. Students get financial aid/scholarship notifications, come back to visit campus, sign up for Orientation, and ultimately, make the final decision whether or not to attend. It keeps us on pins and needles sometimes...particularly this year with the economy making our predictions less certain.
Usually, an office like ours has years and years of statistical models that are pretty accurate in predicting how many of our admitted students will actually enroll. And here you all thought you were individuals with free will;-). We take into account tuition deposits, housing deposits, Orientation sign ups, what our competition is doing, etc. And usually, we're accurate with our predictions. One year, we were off by only one! :) This year? Sheesh. I don't know. Some indications suggest we're right on target and some say we might have more freshmen than we thought. It all depends on what is important to our families right now.
Potentially, with the economy being dicey, maybe students will stick closer to home so they can commute and save money. But maybe not. Maybe with our scholarship offers being down, some students may choose to go elsewhere where they have been offered one. But maybe not. It's kind of like doing your NCAA brackets...always a surprise or two.
What I am confident about is that we will have a great class. I have talked to many of you, and you are bright and full of passion, eager to start this exciting journey. And we are excited to welcome you. How many of you will there be this fall? Between 2000-2100 freshmen and 500-600 transfers. I'll know more after April......or May......or June.....:)
Kris
It's crunch month here in our office. April is the month where everything comes together. Students get financial aid/scholarship notifications, come back to visit campus, sign up for Orientation, and ultimately, make the final decision whether or not to attend. It keeps us on pins and needles sometimes...particularly this year with the economy making our predictions less certain.
Usually, an office like ours has years and years of statistical models that are pretty accurate in predicting how many of our admitted students will actually enroll. And here you all thought you were individuals with free will;-). We take into account tuition deposits, housing deposits, Orientation sign ups, what our competition is doing, etc. And usually, we're accurate with our predictions. One year, we were off by only one! :) This year? Sheesh. I don't know. Some indications suggest we're right on target and some say we might have more freshmen than we thought. It all depends on what is important to our families right now.
Potentially, with the economy being dicey, maybe students will stick closer to home so they can commute and save money. But maybe not. Maybe with our scholarship offers being down, some students may choose to go elsewhere where they have been offered one. But maybe not. It's kind of like doing your NCAA brackets...always a surprise or two.
What I am confident about is that we will have a great class. I have talked to many of you, and you are bright and full of passion, eager to start this exciting journey. And we are excited to welcome you. How many of you will there be this fall? Between 2000-2100 freshmen and 500-600 transfers. I'll know more after April......or May......or June.....:)
Kris
Monday, March 16, 2009
Spring Break
Spring Break on campus today, and it's supposed to be in the low 60s! Yay! It's quiet, and our office is catching up on paperwork and reading and general office work. We love students but it's also nice to have a little breathing room.
Some of our counselors are on the road this week....there's a swing of college fairs in Minnesota that we will attend so some of you folks in the Twin Cities may see them. Come out and say hello.
Our current students are doing all kinds of things for spring break. Many are enjoying some R&R but many are taking advantage of travel. Our women's concert chorale is in South Africa, for example. And softball and tennis are in Arizona and Florida, respectively, getting ready for their seasons. Oh, and we have another national champion in the men's weight throw at the DIII track and field championships. Congrats to Sam!
For you seniors, remember:
- File for financial aid if you haven't already
- Take placement exams
- Sign up for Orientation date on March 3oth
Enjoy the break.....
Kris
Some of our counselors are on the road this week....there's a swing of college fairs in Minnesota that we will attend so some of you folks in the Twin Cities may see them. Come out and say hello.
Our current students are doing all kinds of things for spring break. Many are enjoying some R&R but many are taking advantage of travel. Our women's concert chorale is in South Africa, for example. And softball and tennis are in Arizona and Florida, respectively, getting ready for their seasons. Oh, and we have another national champion in the men's weight throw at the DIII track and field championships. Congrats to Sam!
For you seniors, remember:
- File for financial aid if you haven't already
- Take placement exams
- Sign up for Orientation date on March 3oth
Enjoy the break.....
Kris
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
March Madness
Hey there. On a personal note, I just returned from a little R&R in sunny Florida. The Gulf Coast was amazing, and it was great to soak in the sun. I left the morning of the big snowstorm up here and came back when it was raining in Florida.....my timing was perfect:).
I also came back to March madness around here. Almost everyone who was on our postponed list knows their admissions decision. Unfortunately, we did not take a lot of them. We are also almost done with freshman scholarships and notifying students of their awards.
We also are gearing up for our Preview Day on Friday. It's almost full with about 300 people attending. It should be a great day.
Some random campus news: women's basketball is headed for NCAA postseason and we have a new site determined for our new student center, due to open 2012. Check out both stories on the homepage: http://www.uwec.edu/
Keeping this short this time.
Ciao.
Kris
I also came back to March madness around here. Almost everyone who was on our postponed list knows their admissions decision. Unfortunately, we did not take a lot of them. We are also almost done with freshman scholarships and notifying students of their awards.
We also are gearing up for our Preview Day on Friday. It's almost full with about 300 people attending. It should be a great day.
Some random campus news: women's basketball is headed for NCAA postseason and we have a new site determined for our new student center, due to open 2012. Check out both stories on the homepage: http://www.uwec.edu/
Keeping this short this time.
Ciao.
Kris
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