SUNY Brockport hosted its second fall open house on Nov. 11 inviting all prospective students and their families to come and see what the university has to offer. The open house drew hundreds of visitors to the campus which proved to be a successful turnout.
The open house was initially held in the Special Events & Reaction Center where visitors could meet with advisors and staff from a wide variety of different organizations and departments on campus. Then, president Heidi Macpherson and admissions staff gave welcoming speeches to the students and their families. Visitors were escorted to different buildings that hosted their own academic fairs based on students’ majors of interest.
The open house also offered individual workshop sessions such as transferring, scholarships, financial aid, and more. The event ended with campus tours for those who were interested.
SUNY Brockport director of undergraduate admissions, Robert Wyant believes the university has many appealing elements that draw new students in.
“There’s so many different layers that go into why a student may choose a college or university,” Wyant said. “Affordability is our big message and we try to tackle the college loan debt as best we can by offering scholarships and a very generous scholarship program so that’s our hope. “Also our academic program is always evolving and we want to make sure that we are always on the cutting edge of what students are looking for.”
Student ambassadors and admissions staff were also available to answer any questions or concerns for prospective students. SUNY Brockport Academic advisor Patrick Walter was one of the many faculty members on hand for the open house.
“[Students] can learn that Brockport is a wonderful, warm and welcoming place with incredible academics and incredible sports services. Whether you`re a freshman or a transfer student, we have something to offer everybody,” Walter said.
Students considering colleges were encouraged to participate in the open-door event with no pressure or stress of making a specific decision, but instead just gathering any information they may have wanted.
Information tables at the open house like the one for the Academic Success Center had 20 to 30 people lined up waiting to learn as much as they could. SUNY Brockport incoming freshman Madison Ballone attended the open house.
“So I found out [about the open house] from the tennis coach, I’ve been in contact with him and he said that he wanted me to come to an open house and it just so happens to be that I got accepted on Monday and I haven’t visited here yet. This was my top school and it worked out perfectly that I could come and visit,” Ballone said.
Ballone was interested in applying to SUNY Brockport after hearing about its positive reputation. Student Gideon Hendrix is interested in transferring to SUNY Brockport for the same reason.
“I heard it`s one of the best SUNY schools in the area and it`s pretty local,” Hendrix said.
With SUNY Brockport experiencing its largest incoming freshman class in nearly 50 years this past semester, they hope holding events like this will continue the upward trend of high enrollment.
