Shawnee State University is a very lively place, especially during late summer and fall seasons as many prospective students visit to tour campus. SSU’s admission office hosts a variety of visit options from large-scale Showcase Days to simple daily tours. Many people may not realize the important role student employees play in those events.
These students are employed by the university and work within the admission department to put on the tours for incoming students. They also work with parents and guardians and help answer students’ questions on the application and admission processes.
“A typical workday is oftentimes answering a lot of calls from prospective students or parents,” said Jack Monroe, one of the student employees in the admissions office. “Oftentimes these calls are regarding students’ application status as well as scheduling student tours and also helping coordinate CCP (College Credit Plus) high school students into courses here at Shawnee.”
Monroe noted how much he has enjoyed his position in the admission office.
“Working in the admission office at Shawnee has probably been the best thing to happen to me in regards to my college career,” he said. “Working with prospective students is not something I thought I would have such a passion for, but after giving tours since my freshman year, I can’t imagine my college career panning out as it has without being involved in the office.”
Monroe explained that in addition to fielding phone calls, student employees coordinate and conduct tours. It’s not unusual to find Monroe and his fellow student employees leading prospective students and their families around campus.
“I couldn’t give you a number of tours I’ve given because I have lost track, but if it’s any testament to what we do, I myself have given two tours that hosted 50-plus prospective students to the university in just this week alone,” he said. “Working in admissions has helped me not only step out of my comfort zone but has taught me so many things about working with the public, as well as giving me all the opportunities to learn from my wonderful co-workers as well as my superiors in the office, who are the ones bringing in the new freshman classes.”
The admission office will host Shawnee Showcase Day, an all-day event, Nov. 16. For more information about admission events planned in the coming months, visit www.shawnee.edu/admission
