The presentation of the University of Windsor at the Ontario Universities Fair, September 28 to 30 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre was equal to any university in Ontario—and better than most, said Dietmar Lage, head of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures.

The event is a key opportunity to demonstrate to high school students the benefits of pursuing their education here. Dr. Lage said participating as part of the recruitment team gave him a great sense of pride.

“Flashy brochures and interesting Web pages are important for attracting students’ attention, but nothing is more important than spending 10 minutes talking about our excellent programming to potential students and their parents,” he said. “The nods of understanding and approval obtained through personal contact cannot be reproduced through any other medium.”

A team of 115 faculty, students and staff represented the University, the highest number yet of student ambassadors. The UWindsor booth was also its largest yet. The investment was worthwhile, said Dave Bussière, assistant vice-president, records and admissions.

“The number one goal is for us to contact as many prospective students as possible, and to have them sign up for us to contact them with more information,” he said. “We had an 84 per cent increase in the number of prospect names we collected—that’s huge.”

He thanked the staff and volunteers for what he termed a “substantial success” and invited University departments to build on that effort.

“The first visit prospective students make is usually online,” he said. “If program areas add a link to www.uwindsor.ca/moreinfo, they can encourage visitors to leave their contact information, so our recruitment staff can invite them to events and provide details about our program offerings.”

The next focus in the student recruitment cycle is encouraging attendance at the fall open house, November 9.