I mentioned in my last post that we were just getting things geared up with our LEOLive online chats. We host them generally twice a month beginning in late September. We just hosted our third session for the year last week.

So what are these chats? Well, they’re a great way to get to know more about the university. The sessions are hosted by current SLU students as well as our admission counselors. Beginning in January 2009, we’ll also have representatives from our Office of Student Financial Services online during each of the chats to answer questions from students and parents about the all-important topic of financial aid. Staff members from Student Involvement and Residence Life will participate later in the spring as well.

While there is no substitute for actually coming to campus and seeing it firsthand, the chats provide a great way for students who can’t visit campus to get more insight about life at Leo. The students will answer questions about pretty much anything – dorm life, classes, professors, majors, the social scene, what’s happening on campus and around the area. You name it. Admission counselors are also always online to answer questions about the admission process. The financial aid team will be represented in our chats from January through April as parents begin filling out the FAFSA and getting down to business on figuring out how to pay for college.

I hope you will plan to join us for an upcoming chat session. To view the schedule and register online for a session, visit www.saintleo.edu/chat. I hope to see you online soon!

Posted by Saint Leo University at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I mentioned in my last blog that I was going to be searching for a student or two to help me this term. I have found a wonderful student who will be helping me. You too can get to know her by reading her blogs!

Toni Recca is a senior and is majoring in International Hospitality & Tourism Management. I’ve known her since I got to SLU in August 2006. She is a member of our Green & Gold Key (GGK) organization, a group of ‘student ambassadors’ that work with the Office of Admission to conduct tours for prospective students and help with various admission projects. I got to know Toni well during her nights spent in the office helping with the chats in 2006-2007. So I was thrilled to hear that she was the Technology Officer for GGK this year and would be helping me to run our chats and assist with other technology.

My right hand and 'keeper', Toni Recca

She’ll be helping out with the blogs and is continuing to write about her own experiences as well, although it will be hard to top her adventures in Rome last fall during her study abroad program. She’s also been my right hand as we get ready for a major upcoming campus event, the President’s Reception. This event is our open house for prospective students. Since we feature information on all of our academic majors, I have the task of updating all of that information on every major before the event. Normally I start that process in August, but things are a bit tighter this year with my having been out until recently. Toni has already dived right in and is hard at work helping me to complete this tedious but very important task. Like me, she is afflicted with a somewhat anal retentive personality (we both consider that a compliment when someone points it out to us), so we work very well together.

We’re just gearing up with our online chats as well. The chat sessions are yet another way for students to get to know more about Saint Leo. So much technology…so little time…I sure am grateful to have help getting it all done!

Posted by Saint Leo University at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)