On Saturday, February 1, students across Niagara, Halton, Durham, York and Kitchener-Waterloo woke up to a surprise from Niagara College on their doorsteps.
Teams of staff from NC’s Recruitment and Marketing department made deliveries to the homes of over 75 newly admitted applicants, bringing with them acceptance letters, NC swag, and – in the case of a few students – cheques for $1,000 for Specialist High-Skills Major (SHSM) scholarships.
President Dan Patterson was among those hand-delivering offers of admission, and Keigan Wilkinson of Niagara Falls was one of the lucky recipients.
“We wanted to celebrate this milestone with applicants and their families in a unique and memorable way,” said NC president Dan Patterson. “Presenting their offers in person allows us to demonstrate our nature as a welcoming, passionate, and trailblazing college, and represents the first step in these students’ journeys toward success at Niagara College.”
When the team arrived to the Wilkinson residence, his father directed them down the street to the home where Wilkinson had spent the night with friends. Wilkinson, who attends Stamford Secondary, was offered admission to both the Broadcasting, Radio Television and Film Production program and the Game Development program. He was also presented with a $1,000 SHSM scholarship in the form of a giant cheque presented by Patterson himself.
“Nothing speaks more about the NC DNA than having our president join us on a road trip across the region to visit applicants,” said Phil Hayes, associate director, Recruitment.
NC’s SHSM scholarship recognizes the value of the SHSM Ministry of Education program which allows secondary school students the chance to hone their courses to fields that interest them and gain important skills on the job through co-op placements. NC is a leader in recognizing SHSM, awarding close to $420,000 in scholarships over the last four years.
In York Region, the Recruitment team decided to get creative to surprise applicant Deanna Trautmann who wasn’t at home on Saturday morning. Recruitment coordinator Ryan Teeter, who had already met Trautmann at a presentation at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School in Aurora, decided to surprise her at the Tim Hortons drive-thru window where she works part-time. Trautmann was admitted to the Hospitality – Hotel & Restaurant Operations program.
Deanna Trautmann with NC recruitment coordinator Ryan Teeter at the Tim Hortons in Stouffville where Trautmann was surprised with her offer of admission.
“I was extremely surprised when Ryan showed up in the drive-thru at work,” said Trautmann. “I was really happy that I had made it into Niagara College and it was even better because it was a real surprise. I never saw it coming.”
“The Recruitment and Marketing staff’s energy, enthusiasm and attention to detail – with support from the Registrar’s Office – are what made our outreach campaign to future students a success,” said Hayes. “They went above and beyond to surprise students. Not many colleges have delivered an offer of acceptance through a drive-thru window!”
Recruiters documented their adventures throughout Niagara, Halton, Durham, York and Kitchener-Waterloo on Instagram and Twitter, sharing stories, photos and videos that captured the excitement of students and their parents. Some applicants had caught wind of the offer blitz through social media before recruiters arrived at their doors, many hoping they would be next to receive a visit.
NC’s Offer Blitz – which ran for the second year – comes at a critical time in the recruitment cycle, as colleges send out their offers of admission and applicants weigh their options. Being visible in the community and dynamic on social media are ways for the College to show students what makes NC so unique. Although only a small sample size of applicants received these visits, over 300,000 impressions have been made on social media to date related to this campaign, and the number keeps growing.
