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Campus Review
February 26, 2013
Virtual Open House Visited by
Individuals from 48 States and 36 Countries
Freshman Students & F.I.R.S.T. Step Peer Mentors
Honored for Academic Achievement and Support
The Clayton State University Office of
Recruitment and Admissions’ Virtual
Open House on Thursday, Feb. 7, was a
major success, and undoubtedly started
many high school students towards hav-
ing their dreams made real.
According to Penny Brooks, associate
director, Recruitment and Marketing, the
Virtual Open House attracted a total of
609 individuals from 48 states and 36
countries. Most (70 percent) of the visi-
tors listed a 2013 graduation date, but 22
percent listed 2014, five percent listed
2015, and the remaining three percent
were either high school grads or were
younger than high school sophomores.
“We did a lot of email and phone-based
marketing prep work in advance of this
event, particularly geared towards stu-
dents who were high school-aged, and I
think it was fairly effective,” says Brooks.
“We in admissions will follow up with all
the event guests, with hopes that their vir-
tual visit to Clayton State was enticing.”
The Virtual Open House had five virtual
booths (Admissions, Financial Aid, On-
Campus Housing and Student Life, First-
Year Program, Academics) with staff pro-
viding chat opportunities for participants
throughout the event. Prospective stu-
dents, their family members, and others
were able to click into the booths and
receive answers to their questions in real
time. There were also live webcasts
scheduled throughout the event with
Clayton State faculty members speaking
about their major programs, academic
opportunities available at Clayton State,
and future career options. The admissions
staff also discussed Clayton State in gen-
eral and admissions requirements and
policies in particular. Participants were
also able to text questions to the presen-
ters and get their answers in real time.
For prospective students and their parents
who would like to see how their dreams
can be made real by visiting the Clayton
State campus in person, the next Open
House on campus will be held on
Saturday, Apr. 6, 2013.
The Clayton State University’s Office of
Orientation & New Student Programs’
F.I.R.S.T. Step Peer Mentoring launched
the University’s spring semester by recog-
nizing the academic achievement of the
those freshman students with mentors that
earned a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher
during their first semester at Clayton
State.
A Recognition Luncheon for those stu-
dents was held on Friday, Jan. 25, in the
Harry S. Downs Center. This was the first
event sponsored by the peer mentoring
program to honor those students for their
academic success as freshmen at Clayton
State.
The F.I.R.S.T. Step Peer Mentoring pro-
gram is a new program at Clayton State
that was launched the fall of 2012. This
program worked with 215 selected incom-
ing freshmen to assist them in their over-
all transition as college students through
the aid of their assigned peer mentor and
CSU 1022 instructor. This year, 88 stu-
dents were recognized and received an
academic medal of excellence.
Dr. Mark Daddona, associate vice presi-
dent of Enrollment Management and
Academic Success, opened the program
with a wonderful welcome, followed by
encouraging congratulatory remarks from
University President, Dr. Thomas J.
Hynes. A special video was shown in
which the mentees shared how having a
peer mentor was beneficial during their
first semester. The students then were pre-
sented with their medals and photos were
taken with their instructors.
The following students were recognized
during the program:
Aaron Alberto
Robert Andrews
Talana Armstrong
Sabrina Arnett
Thanishia Baker
Danethia Beckford
Brittney Bowman
Peer Mentors, cont’d., p. 15