At least 950 miles away from Syracuse’s cold, snowy winters, a new university recruitment office opened in Atlanta, Ga., earlier this month.

Recruiters for Syracuse University said they hope the office will add geographical diversity to the student body by attracting students from Southeastern states.

While the current first-year class is made up of students from across the United States and more than 30 countries, about 72 percent of the students come from the Northeast, said Nancy Rothschild, the associate dean of admissions at SU. Nine percent of students come from the South, the Southeast and Washington, D.C.

‘We have seen a steady increase in interest from the Southeast, especially in Georgia and Florida,’ Rothschild said. ‘We believe that there is also potential to attract more students from North Carolina and South Carolina.’

The newest office in Atlanta is one of several regional recruitment offices. The university also has offices in New York City and Los Angeles.

The Atlanta office will oversee admissions activities from the Carolinas down to Florida. Interested students will have the opportunity to attend information sessions and participate in interviews. The office will also host events for accepted students.

JoAnne Phang, the regional director of admissions for the Southeast, will spend most of her fall traveling around the area, conducting interviews, attending college fairs and visiting high schools.

The goal of the new recruitment office is to allow students to get to know SU on a more personal level, without having to travel there, Phang said in an e-mail.

‘It helps to personalize their college search and make them aware of Syracuse as an option,’ Phang said.

Before the Atlanta office, admissions officers would rely on isolated trips to attend college fairs in the region.

Addy Gallagher, a freshman in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management who hails from Westchester County, N.Y., said she hopes the office is successful in increasing the student body’s geographical diversity.

‘It would be fun if there were more people from other parts of the country,’ Gallagher said. ‘I want to hear different stories about different places.’

Though the benefits of the office will not be immediately seen, admissions officers said they are hopeful of its future success.

‘It will take time to establish ourselves in the area,’ Rothschild said, ‘but by providing a dedicated presence in the area, we hope to deepen and expand university relations in the region.’

mjfahner@syr.edu

 

Published on September 19, 2010 at 12:00 pm