George Washington University President Steven Knapp and Provost Steven Lerman joined more than 100 staff and student volunteers on March 26 in calling to congratulate accepted applicants of the class of 2017. It was part of a three-day effort to connect current Colonials with roughly 6,000 prospective students.
GW received more than 22,000 admission applications for the 2013-14 academic year and accepted about a third of them. The university posted its results March 22 and mailed welcome packets March 27, but many applicants may not have been expecting a personal call from the university.
“This is something that is tremendously important and could make the difference between somebody choosing to come to George Washington or going somewhere else,” Dr. Knapp told volunteers, who included a mix of current students, admissions staff and staff from other university offices.
Karen Felton, director of admissions, explained the purpose of the program is to connect with incoming freshmen, encourage excitement and enthusiasm about GW and provide them with key next steps to take toward enrollment.
“An important consideration for students when making their final college choice is how connected they feel to the campus community. Matching our newly admitted students with current members of the GW family could be the deciding factor in their choice of GW,” Ms. Felton said. “It demonstrates that we offer a strong fit for them based on their background and experiences.”
Dr. Knapp participated in a pilot of this program in December when GW community members called 600 Early Decision 1 applicants.
On March 26, Dr. Knapp dialed numbers from Connecticut to California, connecting with both prospective Colonials and their families. He reached excited students with a variety of areas of interest—international studies, political science and communications, among others—and talked to them about potential majors, the benefits of living in the nation’s capital and potential dates for touring the GW campus.
“What could be more exciting than being welcomed to GW by the president?” Ms. Felton said. “I feel certain that every student with whom he spoke will remember their conversation as a special 'only at GW’ moment. I suspect it will influence them to even more seriously consider our offer of admission.”