Adam Mullin ’20, a Hawk Host, carried out a Facebook Live walking tour of Hawk Hill on March 18. Robert Cusella, associate director of admission, streamed the tour from his phone. He and 4,600 viewers followed Mullin as he circled, in an unconventional tour route, from Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena to Lapsley Lane. 

The live streamed tour was part of Admission’s transition to run solely virtual due to St. Joe’s canceling all university events for the remainder of the spring semester as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The events included their Walk with a Hawk Shadow Days, Admitted Students Day and the spring open house.

With none of the academic buildings open to show and no in-person tour groups to interact with, Mullin said it was not the ideal circumstances for a tour.

“It was definitely challenging. I’m used to the live feedback and questions by families, the bustle and peers around campus,” Mullin said. “But overall I think it was a good effort by Admission to try to reach out and meet seniors and juniors in high school where they’re at and to say, ‘These aren’t the best of circumstances, but we are going to try our best to give you a look at our campus and highlight a few of our top programs.’” 

Mullin said that one or two Admission counselors joined the almost 50 minute live stream to answer questions that were posted by viewers in an effort to still have communication. 

Along with the live streamed tour, Maureen Mathis, director of undergraduate admission, said Admission is actively reworking the best ways to showcase the university and communicate with prospective students. The normally scheduled 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily information sessions now take place virtually via Zoom. Admission counselors are also reaching out to all admitted students to offer and schedule individual appointments via phone call.  

“Every day, there are new ideas and we see what other schools are doing,” Mathis said. “But in the end, we need to make a plan that we can move forward with and that is flexible so that we can give [prospective] students the best information possible to make decisions.”

At the beginning of the year, Admission held several webinars on different topics such as financial aid and the John P. McNulty Scholars Program. Mathis said Admission will be bringing this back, hosting a series of webinars for admitted students. 

“This is something that we have started prior to campus going online and working remotely,” Mathis said. “We have a collection of them, but they are not 100% finalized yet because we need to connect with the faculty, students and administrators that are going to be hosting them. But hopefully you will begin to see the options we have available.” 

According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the coronavirus pandemic has led approximately 350 colleges and universities nationwide to extend their admission deposit deadline beyond May 1. For St. Joe’s, the deadline still stands at May 1. 

Karen Pellegrino, vice president of enrollment management, wrote in an email to The Hawk Admission is currently monitoring the question of an extension of the deadline very closely. 

“Currently, very few of our direct competitors are on the list [of extended deadlines], but we are continuing to review the list and monitor any changes,” Pellegrino said.

Pellegrino said Admission is granting an extension to any applicant who contacts them saying they need more time to make their final college decision. 

“We have not ruled out extending the enrollment deadline,” Pellegrino said. “However, to date, very few students have contacted us to request an extension, and we have been in touch personally with many of our admitted students.”

With the transition to a virtual platform, Hawk Hosts haven’t yet found their place to contribute. However, Mullin thinks this will shift in the next week or two. 

“[Admission] just, at the end of last week, sent out this form asking us if we feel comfortable reaching out to students one-on-one via email, Zoom, phone calls or small groups on social media,” Mullin said. “Honestly, with the shift online, a lot of [Hawk Hosts] are ready and more than willing to recognize that this is a pivotal time for seniors in high school still trying to make their final decisions. We want to be really present and really be able to connect with these individuals.”

The challenge that makes these virtual interactions difficult, Mullin said, is that prospective students don’t get that implicit feeling of walking onto a campus and getting a feel for the culture. But in the end, he said he is sure the same student spirit will transfer over well into the virtual events. 

“I think they’ll quickly, from all the virtual events, get a good feel for who St. Joe’s students are and what the community strives to be,” Mullin said. “In that way, it’s completely the same.”