CONCORD, NH – There’s no better time to tour New Hampshire than in mid-October, when the leaves are popping with color and college campuses are alive with full activity. It’s exactly why every year at this time, the New Hampshire College and University Council (NHCUC) hosts a unique and valuable tour of our state’s colleges and universities. From October 14-18, dozens of high school counselors from as far away as Texas and California are invited to New Hampshire to check out the state’s higher education landscape with the hopes of winning over hearts and minds of the people who advise students where to go to school.
“New Hampshire is an ideal environment for students to pursue a college education and this is a great way to showcase the tremendous educational opportunities available for students in the Granite State”, explains Dr. Todd J. Leach, Chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire and Chair of the NHCUC. “We know New Hampshire colleges and universities offer a quality education and wonderful opportunity for students and their families. This tour for school counselors has proven to be a valuable way to recruit students from around the country and highlight New Hampshire as the great college destination it is.”
Counselors will tour eleven campuses talk to students and faculty, learn about the schools, their programs and specialties, but they also learn about New Hampshire. Several of the nearly 40 school counselors have never been to New Hampshire, so it’s a chance to offer thoughts ranging from business development to tourism. Victoria Cimino, Director of the Division of Travel and Tourism Development, will welcome counselors to the state with opening remarks on October 14.
The school counselor tour is more than 40 years old and has played a role in attracting literally thousands of college students to New Hampshire schools. Educators recognize the personal touch of these tours can make an enormous difference in winning over hearts and minds of counselors.
“Since the early 1970s, when this program began, we know literally thousands of students have picked New Hampshire colleges and universities because of the visits by these high school counselors,” says Valerie Leclair, Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Rivier University.
Suzanne Sodoma, who recently traveled here from Brockport High School in Brockport, NY – “This tour was one of the most valuable experiences I have had in the last 20 years of my teaching experiences. I learned a wealth of knowledge about college admissions and the uniqueness of all the wonderful campuses we toured.’
“From an economic standpoint, this is a competitive environment so it’s important to host these tours so that counselors can walk our campuses, talk to our kids and see all of this first hand; it’s a terrific selling point,” says Mike Vlacich, President and CEO of New Hampshire College and University Council. “The economic impact of higher education is in the billions of dollars. With nearly eighty-thousand students attending New Hampshire colleges and universities, we can ill-afford to allow out of state schools any advantage. The future of our economy is at stake.”
The tour is part of a larger campaign being run by NHCUC to heighten awareness of the opportunities for students in their own backyard. Through TV commercials, PSA’s, online news articles, social media and radio shows, NHCUC is promoting a variety of local success stories who chose to attend college in New Hampshire and work for a local business. New Hampshire businesses are hiring and actively recruiting students from colleges in the Granite State. For more information about the campaign, visit www.wmur.com/higher-education
The school counselors will visit the following schools:
- Colby-Sawyer College
- Franklin Pierce University
- Granite State College
- Plymouth State University
- Keene State College
- New England College
- New Hampshire Institute of Art
- Rivier University
- Saint Anselm College
- Southern New Hampshire University
- University of New Hampshire
About the New Hampshire College and University Council:
The New Hampshire College & University Council (NHCUC) is a non-profit consortium of 17, public and private institutions of higher education in the state of New Hampshire. These institutions are recognized and highly regarded for their outstanding teaching, research, and community service activities. They serve as major centers of activity that are vital to the economic development of the community and state.
