A stay-at-home order is not keeping Notre Dame College from connecting with its new and prospective students.
Notre Dame’s Office of Admissions has been conducting live Instagram sessions featuring members of its campus community, added an interactive guidebook to welcome students who have been accepted to the College and will be providing online orientation sessions for new and transfer undergraduates beginning Wednesday, May 20.
The College also continues with its hallmark one-on-one outreach and timely admissions decisions for new and transfer students.
“Before the disruption of COVID-19, our number one priority was the student. When students visited Notre Dame College, our goal was to show them the individual attention, personal touch and family atmosphere they will receive when they become a Falcon for Life. Although social distancing has caused us to cancel all on-campus recruitment events and visits to campus, our priorities have not changed,” said Beth Ford, vice president of enrollment at the College.
While Notre Dame has always offered a virtual tour of the campus available online and through its social media channels, the College’s admissions counselors and athletic coaches are engaging with future Falcons scholars and sports recruits through video phone calls and conference get-togethers as well as email and other interactive outreach during the social distancing of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The staff and faculty at Notre Dame College understand the importance of meeting the students where they are by staying connected through text messages, phone calls and Zoom meetings with students and their families,” Ford said. “There is no delay on our end with admissions decisions, financial aid award letters and transcript evaluations for transfer students.”
Video messages include guidance about filing for financial aid and information on scholarships available in STEMM fields at the College, among others.
Live Media
Notre Dame’s “Pop-up Admissions Chat” on Instagram Live (@notredameohio) has featured Ally and Jake Chestnut. Ally Chestnut is assistant director of enrollment at the College, and Jake Chestnut is a Notre Dame football coach. Both are 2017 graduates of the College who were married on campus in 2019, which is another way to demonstrate the importance of a family atmosphere at Notre Dame, according to Ford.
The husband and wife shared stories from when they were students as well as provided information and answered questions about the campus, admissions process and how to become a Notre Dame Falcon for Life.
Interactive Orientation
The online “flipbook” for newly accepted students features life-like photos form student academics, organizations and athletics with tips on how future Falcons can become active on campus before arriving in person.
One of the best opportunities for new undergraduates, and their families, to connect with campus while staying at home is through online orientation. Students will make new friends and establish connections with the campus community while learning about academic and community expectations and receiving guidance from an academic advisor, all in a virtual environment.
“Since the financial situation of families may have changed over the last few months, we have eliminated the $125 orientation fee from the enrollment deposit,” Ford added.
The online orientation, which features a special module for family and guests, contains information about college-wide resources, services and policies. The final piece to the orientation process is Welcome Week, which is expected to take place in person on campus from Thursday, August 27, through Saturday, August 30.
Video Greetings
The Notre Dame Facebook page also is highlighting multimedia messages, including one from Tracey T. Meilander, Ph.D., Marie Goetz Geier Distinguished Professor of STEM, associate professor of biology and Choose Ohio First STEMM @ NDC program director at the College. Meilander discusses the student services, financial aid and state recognition available to biology, chemistry and environmental majors through the Choose Ohio First STEMM scholarship program at Notre Dame.
The Notre Dame Facebook page features the virtual campus tour, too.
The College President J. Michael Pressimone, Ed.D., also is sending weekly video messages to potential and returning students as well as alumni, faculty, staff, community members and friends of the College to bring the Notre Dame family together.
The president’s videos and one with guidance from Allison McBrady, the director of financial aid at the College, all are available on the Notre Dame YouTube channel.
Online Options
Notre Dame presents several options for online degrees and summer classes as well as its on-site programs. Summer courses begin online May 11. Students can apply now for summer or fall.
The College continually provides opportunities for virtual as well as in-person individual advising, tutoring and other support services, especially for nontraditional students, through its Finn Center for Adult, Graduate and Professional Programs.
April 2020
About Notre Dame College
For almost a century, Notre Dame College has educated a diverse population in the liberal arts for personal, professional and global responsibility. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922, the College has grown strategically to keep pace with the rapidly changing needs of students and the dramatic changes in higher education. But it has never lost sight of its emphasis on teaching students not only how to make a good living but also how to live a good life.
Today, the College offers bachelor’s degrees in 30 disciplines plus a variety of master’s degrees, certification programs and continuing and professional development programs for adult learners on campus and online. Notre Dame College offers NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic programs for men and women and is located in a picturesque residential neighborhood just 25 minutes from the heart of Cleveland. Hallmarks of the Notre Dame experience include stimulating academics, personalized attention of dedicated faculty and staff, and small class sizes.
Notre Dame College is located at 4545 College Road in South Euclid. For further information contact Brian Johnston, chief communications officer, at 216.373.5252 or bjohnston@ndc.edu.