Notre Dame Admissions recently hosted ND LIVE, an event for admitted students and families. On Tuesday, March 24, 1,051 admitted students joined Don Bishop, associate vice president, Christy Pratt, director of admissions and Joyce Lantz, director of recruitment and communications for a virtual welcome to Notre Dame. The event was hosted "live" from their individual homes. Students were given the opportunity to key in questions via a chat feature, and questions were answered live during the session. While Zoom is used for some outreach, this event was hosted by Platform Q Education.The ND Live event is in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We would normally invite our admitted students and their guests to campus, roll out the blue and gold carpet, and celebrate their success together with the Notre Dame community,” says Lantz. “But since we are unable to do that, we are inviting students to connect with us via a weekly newsletter, social media, our website and through ND LIVE and other interactive events.”
Bishop congratulated the students on their admission to Notre Dame and started the program with a PowerPoint presentation where he shared statistics about the incoming ND Class of 2024. Pratt spoke more about the admissions process, answering questions on topics such as AP exam scores as well as financial aid. Lantz moderated the live event.
On Wednesday night, admissions hosted a similar ND LIVE broadcast where current Notre Dame students joined from their homes and answered questions from admitted students and their families about student life and community. Eight hundred and eighty students attended that event.
In the coming weeks, ND LIVE will feature guests from career services, First Year of Studies, financial aid and student accounts, Keogh School of Global Affairs and the colleges. In addition, there will be ND LIVE events for international students and families as well as first generation students.
Additionally, a weekly newsletter will go out every Monday to admitted students and families. The content each week is thoughtfully selected and presented in a variety of online media.
The events went off without a hitch thanks to several members of the admissions office, including Shannon Rooney, content specialist, who has been the editor-in-chief on the weekly newsletter; Emily Evans, assistant director of new media, leading the social media initiatives; and Karen Putt, project management director, who has been essential in the coordination of outreach efforts.
“The entire enrollment division has been working together, albeit from their home offices, to develop ideas for interactive programming for our students and families,” says Lantz.
May 1 continues to be the confirmation deadline, explains Lantz, emphasizing that this is a time for flexibility and understanding. “We've asked students to contact their Notre Dame admissions counselor if they believe they may be unable to confirm enrollment by May 1. Admissions counselors are standing by and are happy to assist. Our offices are still open virtually and counselors are available via telephone and online chat.”