Reynolds Conducts Successful Virtual Open House
Over 100 guests attended Reynolds Virtual Open House on November 11, as our COVID-affected community wanted to learn what classes and programs Reynolds is offering and how the college will be conducting future classes.
“It is vital that we create an open communication pipeline to the community so it knows what is going on here and they know we are open for business,” notes Reynolds Director of Admissions Karen Pettis-Walden. “I’ve been involved in dozens of open houses here at Reynolds, and I’m not sure I have seen a community information event more important than the open house we just conducted.”
Holding its second virtual open house in the last seven months, Reynolds Open House planning committee designed new specific sessions to ensure potential students knew about the college’s programs and resources available.
“In the past, we might have briefly covered online learning and virtual resources available. But this year we knew we had to share with our guests all we have to offer,” says Pettis-Walden. “We wanted to be sure that potential students knew that not only do we have outstanding programs and faculty, but also we care about them and have many available free online resources to assist with their college success.”
After a welcome by Reynolds President Dr. Paula Pando and Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Success Dr. Terricita Sass, the open house guests could choose from nine group discussions that gave faculty and staff time to hit the highlights about their academic programs and to answer questions.
“The night’s second sessions focused on “the how” resources that help our students succeed,” says Pettis-Walden. “For many of our students, if they don’t have and know about the “how” resources, they’ll never get to the finish line.”
This year’s event featured a “Bonus Round” that allowed potential students to join virtual breakout rooms where they could talk one-on-one with representatives from Financial Aid, Admissions and Veteran Services.
“The Bonus Round was very successful in that it allowed one-on-one conversations,” Pettis-Walden added. “When our guests left the virtual open house, we wanted to ensure they had the opportunity to find out as much about Reynolds as if they were participating in person.”
