University hopes luncheon will increase enrollment

Newly admitted Kent State freshmen from more than 15 states spent Friday experiencing the campus and their majors first hand.

The Admitted Student Day and Luncheon was added this year to accommodate out of state students who have to drive multiple hours to get to Kent State.

“Because we’re offering them a day of events, they can come the night before and they can spend the day with us,” said Amber Prekler, assistant director of the admissions office. “We’ve found that if we get a student to campus, they’re more likely to apply, they’re more likely to enroll and they’re more likely to come in the fall.”

All students in attendance have been accepted to Kent State but not all are committed to attending.

The all-day program started at 10 a.m. with a welcome and introduction from Director of the Office of Admissions, Nancy DellaVecchia, and Kent Sate President Lester Lefton. Students then broke into academic sessions according to their intended major.

“It’s a really high possibility I’ll come here now that I’ve seen the school and got a chance to meet people,” said Marie Nehr, who attended the School of Fashion Design and Merchandising academic session.

The admitted students met professors and current students from the college and got a chance to see some of the buildings they will be studying in if they decide to attend Kent State.

“We got to see a fashion fundamentals class,” Nehr said. “We also got to hear seniors’ feedback about the New York and Florence programs.”

Jesse Leister, a high school senior from Bedford, Mass., said he enjoyed touring the architecture building.

“Of all the schools I’ve seen, I liked this one the best,” Leister said.

After the academic sessions, students and their parents were encouraged to explore the campus on their own. A welcome reception was set up in the Student Multicultural Center and a panel of students was available in the Kiva if they had any questions.

Residence Services staff members were also available at the model rooms in Eastway if families wanted to see them.

“This is definitely my top choice,” Leister said.

Contact student affairs reporter Lindsy Neer at [email protected].