[civsa] Saturday Tours

[Barkowski, Debra L.]

Hi Scott,

We have always had weekly Saturday tours.  Our prospective students appreciate having a weekend visit option - whether their prospective freshmen or transfer students - due to busy weekday schedules.  Even though the majority of our students are within a fairly commutable distance, we still see visitors every Saturday.  It is especially helpful for the out-of-town folks though.  We are a small, private university, so our groups would probably be smaller than yours a PAC12 school. They can be anywhere from one family to 6 or 7.

As for staffing, our counselors take a Saturday 9am - 12pm shift every six weeks or so. They just leave 3 hours early on Friday for comp time.  The counselor gives a 45-minute presentation to prospective freshmen which is followed by an ambassador giving a one-hour tour.  Then from 9:45 - 12:00, the counselor has three time slots to meet with prospective transfer students.  A student worker (not the tour guide) also works from 9 a.m. to Noon to greet and check in visitors, answer calls, complete office work and prepare for Monday's visitors.

Saturday tours are not always packed - it depends on the time of year.  Our spring tours can get busier with admitted students visiting though.

Debbie Barkowski
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, IL

From: listserv [mailto:listserv-bounces at civsa.org] On Behalf Of Scott Kirkessner
Sent: Monday, October 19, 2015 1:12 PM
To: 'listserv at civsa.org'
Subject: [civsa] Saturday Tours

Hello Friends!

Here in Utah, time with family is seen as very important, and the majority of institutions (the U included) only host Saturday tours approximately once a month.  I personally have not received much pushback from visitors, just an occasional disappointment here or there usually always from out of staters, but despite being a large PAC12 school, most people accept that we don't have regular Saturday tours.

I am calling out today to find your experience and have a few questions

1)      How often do you offer Saturday tours?

2)      If you don't offer Saturday tours every Saturday...

a.       What has guest reaction been?

b.      What has university reaction been?

c.       What's your average size?

3)      If you DO offer Saturday tours every Saturday

a.       Have you always done it that way or did you have to increase?

                                                               i.      What prompted moving to more Saturdays

b.      How do you schedule your Ambassadors and Office Staff?

c.       Are the Saturday tours always packed?

Thanks everyone!

Don't forget!  Registration for both the Student Development Institute and the Annual Conference are open!  Consider submitting a session proposal and register today!

Sincerely,

Scott Kirkessner, M.Ed.
Region One Director
Collegiate Information and Visitor Services Association
Office: 801-585-1995
Scott.Kirkessner at utah.edu<mailto:Scott.Kirkessner at utah.edu>
http://facebook.com/officialcivsa
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