Spring Open House has Large Turnout

by Nick Caramico
edited by Phil Enright

A new format for spring open house brought 526 prospective students and family to campus on Saturday.

According to the Admissions Department, prospective student attendance was the same for spring open house as the new winter open house, with a slight decrease in family accompaniment. Adding a new winter open house did not lead to the decrease in interest for the more traditional spring event. Both of the events this year saw a large increase in attendance over the 2009 fall open house.

In previous years, different presentations were scheduled throughout the day where clubs and departments spoke to incoming freshmen. This spring, open house took a more laid back approach where all departments were represented during one presentation in Pierce Hall. After the main presentation, club representatives greeted families in the library courtyard. Tours then ran throughout the day, stopping in different areas to talk with current students in areas such as athletics and the Pierce Media Group.

According to the Admissions department, the few presentations about academic life, athletics, student life, and financial aid were all well attended. Having a strong, visible student presence throughout the day was one of the focuses of admissions. “This new format gave faculty more of an opportunity for face-to-face time with prospective students, which led them to a better understanding of what we have to offer,” said Dr. Kristen Nevious, Director of the Fitzwater Center.

Outside of Marcucella Hall and the library courtyard were lined with tables representing the different clubs and organizations on campus. Faculty members from a variety of majors stayed in Pierce Hall following the main presentation to help possible students better understand the majors offered. Committed freshmen for the fall semester sat with faculty to select classes for their first semester at college.

The revised format let tour guides spend more time in areas such as residential life, the Fitzwater Center, and athletics. This change allowed families to interact more closely with current Franklin Pierce students and get a better feel for the different departments. “I think the new format gave people a better idea of how the station runs. Tours spent more time in the studio talking to us,” said Eric Taverna, FPTV Programming Director, who spent the day greeting families in the Fitzwater Center studio.

The nice weather, large turnout, and revised format led Admissions to receive a large number of positive emails. “It was a great day. There was lots of energy and enthusiasm from the FPU community that was positively felt by our prospective students and their parents.” Said Quimby. Photographs of the event can be found on Franklin Pierce University’s Facebook page.