Glendon’s Fall Campus Day draws record crowd

Some 850 visitors, a record number, responded to Glendon’s invitation to Fall Campus Day 2009 on Nov. 8, a balmy fall Sunday.

The program had been carefully planned out and organized by the Glendon Student Recruitment & Applicant Relations team and was held, as usual, on the same weekend as the event at the Keele campus (see Headline News).

Right: One of many campus tours ready to start

Prospective students and their parents travelled from as far as Thunder Bay, Ottawa, Chatham and Windsor, Ontario.

The day’s program started with a welcome and continental breakfast in the new Student Lounge in B Wing of York Hall – next door to the Welcome Centre, the new home of Recruitment Services. The Glendon Musical Ensemble’s choir provided a welcoming ambiance of jazz, spirituals and classical music, while visitors enjoyed pastries, fruit and coffee and planned out their day.

Left: York translation Professor Andrew Clifford talks to prospective students and parents at the translation kiosk

A new addition to the usual sessions, a general introduction to the campus, titled Discover Glendon, provided an outline of Glendon’s mission, campus environment and sense of community. Visitors could then choose among four themed presentations: Your Academic Path, Admissions and Money Matters, Go Global and University 101 for Parents. Since every one of these sessions was offered four times; no one had to miss any of the information. 

During the entire day, visitors could also take campus tours led by Glendon student volunteers. One of the most popular activities of the day was a visit to the residence open house, which enabled prospective students and their families to see an actual residence room, talk to residents and hear about residence activities.

The information fair set up in the dining hall welcomed visitors and gave them an opportunity to talk with professors and staff members at individual kiosks. Several representatives from the Keele campus also volunteered their time to help with the program, including Ken Withers, director of Recruitment & Applicant Relations; Johanne Nolan, bilingual admissions assessor; and Beth Alaksa, coordinator of International Mobility Programs at York International.

Left: Kristy Weenen (right) with her mother

Visitors were enthusiastic about the programs and the Glendon environment. Kristy Weenen, a Grade 11 student from Ajax High School, said, “I have been in core French since Grade 4 and I am eager to become really fluent in French. I would like to study psychology and obtain a French and Spanish translation certificate. I fell in love with the Glendon campus as soon as I saw it .”

Fatima Gassama is a bilingual student from Le Collège Français in Toronto. “I want to continue my studies in French and Glendon seems the obvious choice. I like to discuss and debate, but I think I need to learn how to organize my ideas and to have a better understanding of how people think,” said Gassama. “I plan to combine psychology, history and the law in my studies, because I hope to become a lawyer. The possibility of going on an exchange in third year is also very exciting. I want to go to Australia.”  

Right: Potential Glendon students and friends Fatima Gassama (left) and Jasmine Hailu

Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School student Jasmine Hailu also hopes to find the perfect program for her plans at Glendon. “I love mathematics and science and want to find a way to build these into a law career,” said Hailu. “I came to find out more about Glendon’s courses and I am impressed with the opportunity to learn about the programs directly from the professors who teach them."

Also at Glendon’s open house were Nicole Chau and her mother, who were impressed with what they experienced there. “I am interested in improving my French and would like to study psychology,” said Chau. “My future plans are for a career in the public service and Glendon is a great place to prepare for this.”  

Left: Nicole Chau and her mother

Miranda Miller comes from Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute. When a Glendon representative came to her French class, the information she gathered motivated her to come and see Glendon for herself. But, in fact, she had already heard a great deal about the campus because her family has friends among the faculty members. “I don’t know yet what I want to choose as my future career,” said Miller. “But I am fluently trilingual in French, Spanish and English, so the international BA and humanities in general interest me. I like the idea of the small classes, and the opportunity to do my third year abroad sounds great.”    

Miller and her parents expressed their appreciation of the day’s informative, well-organized programs, and the friendliness of everyone concerned. “The move from secondary school to university is a big jump,” said her father, consul general of Argentina in Toronto, Julio Miller. “There is a great need to be well-informed and the programs of this day have been very helpful. In today’s workplace, we need ‘renaissance’ people with a wide range of knowledge. A well-rounded liberal arts education, such as what Glendon offers, is more important than ever in today’s global, multicultural world.”

Left: Hundreds visited Glendon campus during its Fall Campus Day

Fall Campus Day was organized and mounted by the Recruitment team of Léa Bertrand, Safia Dakri, Suzi Moore, Carol Yorkden-Chamberlain, Megan Sweeney and Tobi Strohan, under the leadership of manager of Recruitment & Liaison Isabelle Creusot. Members of the faculty, staff and students devoted their time to promoting Glendon and its future students.

For more information, visit the post-event 2009 Fall Campus Day Web site.