Crowds on UC s Campus Swell Feb. 16 For Presidents Day Open House

Presidents Day Open House Registration Information

Hundreds of high school students will blend into the crowds of UC’s college students on Presidents Day, beginning at 12:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 16, as UC Admissions hosts its annual February open house for prospective students. Thomas Canepa, associate vice president for UC Admissions, says the February open house traditionally has been UC Admissions’ largest open house event for the past few years.

“This is an opportunity for prospective students and guests to experience UC in an afternoon,” says open house coordinator LaDreka Karikari, senior admissions officer. “Participants have the opportunity to meet with various UC departments and student organizations, listen to a college presentation from the college of their choice and enjoy a campus tour led by a current UC student.”

The number of high school students expected for the event could reach as high as 700, with the total number of guests reaching more than 2,000, as parents join prospective students in exploring UC’s academics, campus life, student life and financial aid, which, according to a new national survey, is a key concern amid the nation’s economic crisis.

Results of the survey released this month by Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Policy are identifying two significant shifts in the American viewpoint of a college education. First, the survey finds that increasing numbers of Americans not only feel that a college degree is important, but also that it’s a necessity for future success.

Second, the poll of 1,009 adults found that amid the recession, more than two-thirds (67 percent) of those surveyed felt a higher education was growing out of reach – the highest documented level since the two organizations started tracking those national attitudes over six different periods since 1993.

“A program such as UC’s Cincinnati Pride Grant, which, combined with federal, state and institutional aid, provides full tuition and a book allowance for qualifying graduates of Cincinnati Public Schools, is one example of how UC is working to ensure access to higher education, as well as our efforts associated with the Strive partnership, which aims to eliminate financial barriers and bring some form of postsecondary education to every child in the Cincinnati USA region,” Canepa says.

Early UC Admissions statistics are reflecting that national opinion that a college education remains a vital investment. Total applications in late January for next fall’s freshmen were up nine percent over the same period in 2008.

“Increasing numbers of students and parents are visiting the campus,” Canepa says. “They’ve heard about the enhancements to both the physical and academic components of the campus and they want to see what the new UC is all about.”

Pollsters say the Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education Policy survey’s findings send a message to higher education institutions and policymakers in terms of accountability with the public’s investment in a higher education. UC representatives played a national role in designing the Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA), a national initiative to demonstrate accountability in education and to create a better understanding of the responsibilities of four-year public colleges and universities. UC was also the first university in Ohio to post its VSA “College Portrait” to the Web – a reporting system for students, prospective students, parents, community leaders, lawmakers and the public to compare the undergraduate college experience with other public institutions.

Presidents Day Open House Schedule

Monday, Feb. 16, 2009

12:30-1:30 p.m., Tangeman University Center (TUC) Atrium and Great Hall Lobby
Information Fair – The fair features information booths represented by all of UC’s colleges as well as departments, including student organizations, UC’s cooperative education program and UC International.

1:30 p.m., Great Hall, TUC

• Welcome and Keynote – Thomas Canepa, associate vice president for UC Admissions
• Scholarships and Student Financial Aid – Linda Hayes, assistant director, Student Financial Aid
• College Representation – College of Applied Science (CAS); McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S); College of Engineering; College of Business; College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH); Center for Access and Transition (CAT)

1:30 p.m., Room 400, TUC

• Welcome – Jon Mays director, Office of Admissions
• Keynote presentation – Caroline Miller, senior associate vice president for Enrollment Management
• Admissions Presentation – Bryan Fox, senior officer, UC Admissions
• Scholarships and Student Financial Aid – Jason Slayton, financial aid advisor, Student Financial Aid
• College Representation – College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP); College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)

1:30 p.m., MainStreet Cinema, TUC

• Welcome and keynote  – Jill Byers, associate director of UC Admissions
• Admissions Presentation – Pamela Kiesling, assistant director, UC Admissions
• Scholarships and Student Financial Aid – Mo Smith, program manager, Student Financial Aid
• College Representation – College of Allied Health, College of Nursing

2:30-3:30 p.m., Open Houses

• College of Allied Health Sciences
• CAS
• A&S
• College of Business
• CCM
• DAAP
• College of Engineering
• College of Nursing
• CAT
• CECH    

3:30 p.m. Campus and Residence Hall Tour