Considering the city is only 90 miles to our west, it's no surprise that a good number of applications and admitted students come from the Chicago area. To try to reach as many students as possible, the ND Clubs of Chicago, DuPage County and Lake County have coordinated their Early Action admitted students receptions, all to be held on a single weekend in January. The invitation is at the bottom of the post.
This might be a good idea for clubs that would like to do something, but are struggling with what to do or how to pay for it. If you are in an area where there are a multiple clubs, consider throwing a joint reception for any admitted students. In the end, our main concern is reaching out to the students and doing our best to get them to Notre Dame, not club boundaries.
Thanks to everyone for their help--please keep the ideas and best practices coming!
The Chicago-area invitation:
Early Action Party
For you and your family to meet ND students & parents
It might be too late to plan this year's send-off, but here's a recap of the Lake County, IL send-off for future ideas and planning. This example really illustrates the important of contact--constant contact--with the students and their families. Thanks to everyone involved who made the event a success!
I just wanted to let you know how our Send-Off went on Sunday. I think it was a really good event, considering that it started POURING rain 10 minutes before the party (and everything was set up to be an outdoor party!) So the first few people who came were gracious enough to grab what they could and bring it inside.
We had 21 incoming freshmen, about 35 parents, 5 current students, a few current-student parents, and about 7 alums. So about 75 in total. (Now you know why I wanted this to be outside.)
We have had a good turn-out for the past 2 or 3 years, which I attribute to contacting the kids multiple times throughout the summer. In June we mailed out a "save-the-date" notice to all of the incoming freshmen, with a short letter explaining what the Freshman Send-Off is all about. We also mention that there is a drawing for 2 football tickets for every student present, and we tell them that every student at the Send-Off will get "The Shirt." Then we mail out invitations in July, about 3 weeks before the event. Then I e-mail every student who I haven't heard from the week before the event, just to find out if they can come or not, and to remind them that their parents are also welcome to attend. I think that receiving two hard-copy notices in the mail really helps to remind the students, and then a follow-up e-mail is good just in case there are some kids who might have forgotten about it or lost the invitation. I know that contacting the kids several times like this is probably not feasible for larger Clubs like the Chicago Club, but for Clubs with 25 or fewer incoming freshmen, I think it really helps to increase the turn-out.
From John McMannis of the Notre Dame Club of Houston:
The Official Send-Off is a mass and then get together. Last year, we had a separate mass on a Sunday afternoon specifically for the students. So it was smaller, more intimate and definitely dedicated to the students. This year we had it at the Co-Cathedral as part of their regular Sunday mass. There was a blessing for the students but not as personal. The get together is then immediately after mass where we have a meal and then break into groups. The Parents of the students meet with older alumni and other parents, and the students meet with other students. Both parents and students seem to enjoy this.
We also have a separate get together (dinner) for the incoming class and the Class before them. So this year, the Classes of 2012 and 2013 are going to go to Dave and Buster’s for their “Eat and Play” deal. Last year they went to Kemah (on the Gulf with a boardwalk and rides. All of the students really like this get together without parental oversight.
In addition, we invite the incoming class to our various service project that we have over the summer. There are a few that participate.
Looking for an idea for your student/freshman send-off this fall? Here's another (which works especially well for smaller clubs) from Jim Mulvaney of the ND Club of Eastern Illinois:
The Notre Dame Club of Eastern Illinois will have its Student Send Off on Friday, August 7th. The event is at the Danville Stadium. There is a Summer Collegiate Baseball Prospect League game between the Danville Dans and the DuBois County, Indiana. The Prospect League is sanctioned by the NCAA. Teams use wood bats.
The four first year students will be given "The Shirt - 2009" as a gift from the Club and will throw out the first pitch. There is a Terrace behind home plate for the students to sit during the game and all will be recognized on the score board. The Terrace seating will allow the students to get to know each other during the game.
Tickets for the game and food and beverages will be provided for the students, their family and friends.
The night will be a good night for the new and returning students.
I have received a few ideas for send off events, and I will continue to post more as they come in, but here is what I have so far:
From Paul Stevenson, ASC for the ND Club of St. Joseph Valley: Something that worked well for student send-offs for our club was a softball game and cookout. We used to play at the old Notre Dame softball field; the game pitted the alumni and parents against the students. We had to change it the past two years to just a picnic, due to all the stadium construction. But for eight years, it was a fun and competitive event.
From Christopher May, ASC for the ND Club of Philadelphia:On the August send-off, we have a constant agenda which seems to work. The key points are students talking with students and parents talking with parents.
A general outline of putting together a send-off can be found on page 15 of the ASC Handbook.
Please keep the ideas coming--either in the comments to this post or to me via e-mail!
Kerry Roscoe, the Ventura County (CA) ASC, forwarded this e-mail she received from a mom of an incoming first year student. I'm not sure any of us realize the impact we have on these students and families until we read something like this.
Please let me know if you need any ideas or suggestions for your send-off. Also, feel free to send me any feedback you have received from incoming students and parents--I'd love to build a database of comments and ideas!
Enjoy the message, and thanks for all of your hard work, Kerry!
Kerry,
Thank you so much for sending the photos! These will be sent to proud relatives and friends.
I’d also like to thank you for inviting our family to the gathering yesterday. That get-together did more to calm our family than all the literature that we’ve collected so far from the University itself! There is something about watching your first head off to a new life that includes both the anticipation and expectation of success and the baited breath of anxiety due to the unknown environment that she is about to enter. Your gathering helped us abate and belay the latter.
The families that were also anticipating the maiden flight of their first allowed me to see that were not alone in our anxieties and thus your gathering gave us a community with which we can share our concerns, exchange information, and bond through our (happy though it is) child’s departure. The families that were veterans at this – through sharing their wisdom, experience, and love for and pride in their child – be it measured by mental, physical, or spiritual accomplishments - calmed us, as we now have an idea of the type of families to which our child will enter. And the current students – through their insight, and excitement for their education, and their concern for each other – as well as those matriculating - gave me the greatest sense of serenity, as they were the true indication of both community and family of which my child will be part. And I am grateful, for they appear to be the type of family I would choose were I given one.
All that to say, thank you. This is a great thing you do and I appreciate you for it. When things get settled, I would like to know more about how I may help in providing such a service.
When students come to visit campus, they often request visits with professors and other academic individuals on campus. This article, originally published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, discusses the role of professors in the recruitment process.
Each spring, we hold admitted student receptions on select Thursday nights. These are open houses for admitted students where they can meet professors and other staff members from campus in an informal setting. The programs allow the students to see the personal and caring side of some of the leading academics on campus.
A few weeks ago, the Washington, DC Club held their admitted students reception. After the very successful event, Ann Rimkus, the Club's ASC, sent our office an e-mail with some of the event's details.
Feel free to read over Ann's e-mail and then contact her if you have any questions or comments.
Also, if you would like to share your club's ideas and events with other ASCs, please e-mail me your comments and I'll post them on this blog!
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