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July 29, 2002--Three Saturdays in July were days of discovery for prospective students and their families as they were introduced to the University and its rich academic opportunities and activities. These summer open houses, called Delaware Discovery Days, were held July 13, 20 and 27, and the final event of the three was the single most well-attended recruitment program in admissions history, attracting some 3,400 persons.
Each Discovery Day began at the Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center and included an information fair from 9-11:30 a.m. with faculty, staff and students from more than 50 academic and service departments. The days also included student-led walking tours of the campus, residence hall open houses and information sessions on pre-med and pre-law, the Honors Program, housing and admissions and financial aid.
Faye Duffy, senior associate director in enrollment services who coordinates all on-campus programs for admissions, said “We had a total of more than 7,700 visitors at all three programs this year, compared to over 7,000 in 2001 and over 5,700 in 1999.
“In fact, the July 27 event was the single most well attended recruitment program ever in admissions history. Over 3,400 total people, and over 1,100 students attended this one day event.”
The most common states represented were Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Connecticut and Massachusetts. A few visitors came from as far away as Florida and Illinois.
Delaware Preview Days (the precursor to Discovery Days) began in the summer of 1988. The format and name were changed to Discovery Days in 1998.
“Most comments from visitors mention how well organized and comprehensive the day is, and a few have mentioned that it's the best college visit program in which they have participated,” Duffy said. “Other common comments mentioned how helpful all of the more than 100 Blue Hen Ambassadors were throughout the day.”
Mike McCloskey, admissions counselor, and Bonnie Alunni, assistant director of admissions, played a major role in planning this year’s Discovery Days programs.
Photos by Eric Crossan
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