On The Road Erskine College
Members of Erskine’s admissions staff hit the road in the fall of 2023, bring- ing the Erskine spirit to college fairs and other key recruiting events. “College fair travel is a tradition going back several decades,” says Senior Director of Enrollment Gabe Hollingsworth. “College fairs provide prospective students and families the opportunity to meet with college representatives from all sorts of schools in one place,” Hollingsworth said. Seven members of the Erskine Admissions Team, including Hollingsworth, have journeyed not only to college fairs, but also to high school lunch visits, guidance counselor meetings, and speaking engagements in individual high schools. Admissions staff members Robin Broome and Jamie Williams, for example, have notched up many hours and miles during the fall semester while traveling for Erskine. Broome has visited 28 schools and Williams about 38. In the process, they have increased Erskine’s name recognition, encouraged high schoolers navigating the college admissions process, and served as goodwill ambassadors. “It is important for Erskine to be visible and engaged in the local school community,” Hollingsworth says. “We want to be partners with public and public charter schools, private high schools, and homeschool groups throughout our region,” he said. Broome added 11 schools to her schedule of visits in the fall, and she believes re- turning for a second visit after a month is useful. “I take giveaways and as I go back to the school the next month, it gives students an opportunity to come back to the Erskine table,” she says. “At each visit, the students become more comfortable ap- proaching the table,” she said.
The phrase “External Relations and Recruitment” constitutes Jamie Williams’s title. He visited independent and Christian schools in the fall and speaks in such ven- “My presentation does not change, whether I’m speaking to a private, Christian, or public school,” Williams says. “I want to give an accurate picture of what Erskine is and what values we strive to make a priority,” he said. - able travel aims for recruiters. Hollingsworth takes it a step further. “Sending staff on the road is good, but the ultimate goal is to get prospective families to visit campus time and patience. maintains his sense of humor. “One time there was a school that I was having a con- tinuing challenge trying to book, and I posted a picture of me in front of the school that was their archrival,” he says. “That night there were tags on my pictures from parents wanting to know why I hadn’t been to their school. The next day I got a call and the date was set,” Williams said. Both Broome and Williams believe in Erskine and enjoy working with prospec- tive students.
“Some do not have a clue what they want to do after high school, and we comple- ment the work of the guidance counselors by helping [students] understand those next steps and how to achieve them,” Broome explains. “Yes, it is about recruiting students to Erskine College, but it is also helping them to become successful in the direction they wish to go,” she said. Williams says that since he has been traveling for Erskine, he has heard from peo- ple with whom he attended high school and college, letting him know, for example, that “I spoke to their teenager that day and I didn’t even know it,” he says. For him, this is a reminder that “every student I speak with is highly important and deserves my full attention and encouragement.” In addition to Broome and Williams, Hollingsworth says he and staff members
Jamie Williams at Greenwood Chris- tian School.
Robin Broome, right, and Finan- cial Aid Director Amanda Taylor with Erskine’s mascot “Ace”.
Erskine table set up at Easley High School.
Senior Director of Enrollment Gabe Hollingsworth.
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The Associate Reformed Presbyterian
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