Nan Paul Pazdernik ’90 and Brad Behrmann ’04 volunteer at the St. Louis Metro East Baccalaureate College Fair held at Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville, Ill., in February

College Fair Volunteers Get the LU Word Out

In banquet halls, cafeterias and gymnasiums from Burbank, Calif., to Watchung, N.J., alumni are volunteering to represent Lawrence at college fairs, chatting with prospective students and their parents and helping to raise the college’s visibility.

Each year Lawrence receives invitations to hundreds of college fairs across the country, some of which staff members are unable to attend. That’s where alumni volunteers step in to help.

Ben Kessler '97Ben Kessler ’97 has represented Lawrence at five college fairs in Michigan, talking with a dozen or so prospective students and their parents at each fair. “It’s exciting getting to teach more people about what a cool school Lawrence is, and I think it’s great for prospective students to get to discuss the school with an alum,” he said. “As a bonus, every fair I’ve worked at reminds me of some great moment from my time at Lawrence that I had forgotten about.”

Helping to recruit students is among the most important ways alumni can give back to Lawrence. Prospective students get a first-hand account of what it’s like to attend Lawrence, and alumni get to share their experiences and help promote the school to high school students for whom it would be a good fit. During the 2010-11 academic year, 249 alumni volunteered to represent Lawrence at 163 college fairs across the country.

Andrea Hendrickson“Alumni who represent Lawrence not only provide helpful information about the university and their own experience, but their presence at college fairs demonstrates their lasting affection and pride,” said Andrea Hendrickson ’04, assistant director of admissions and West Coast regional representative. “That is a statement both students and parents remember.”

In addition to discussing Lawrence’s small class size and the individualized attention students receive from professors, Kessler likes to talk about what a liberal arts education means in the long-run. “I also usually talk about liberal arts education, and how my experiences at Lawrence taught me not only how to succeed in my particular area of study, but also how to think critically and how to approach life with my mind open to new ideas and possibilities,” he said.