Early Bird

Open House in the time of COVID-19

Marquee recruitment event gets reimagined as series of online offerings, highly controlled on-campus tours, interest-specific Spotlight Days.

By Cory Phare

August 4, 2020

As COVID-19 threw a wrench into everyone’s plans this year, Metropolitan State University of Denver has worked hard to shift to a new reality – with this fall’s Open House being no exception.

“Realistically, we’re not in a place to safely put 1,000 people in a building,” said Garrett Spradlin, assistant director of admissions for visitor services and recruitment communications with the Office of Admissions. “That said, we’re creating alternatives to ensure that future  Roadrunners and their families aren’t going to miss anything.”

Originally slated for Oct. 3, the school’s signature recruitment event of the year will now consist of a series of smaller, targeted efforts. Online sections are regularly offered; select on-campus tours will follow safety guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, held completely outdoors and with limited capacity.

Additionally, Admissions is launching Spotlight Days, consisting of financial-aid information, student panels and the admission process, along with a featured department to specifically appeal to prospective interest areas.

Those interested in signing up to participate in Spotlight Days and/or Exploratory Advising’s Exploratory Days can do so here.

“In this landscape, virtual events are what lead to decision-making for students and their families,” said Vaughn Toland, executive director of Admissions and Outreach. “This is a way to deliver recruitment content that meets those specific needs.”

Spradlin added that the tailored approach will be developed to show students what their individual academic experiences will be like.

“We thought, ‘Why not create individual-centered events that actually wrap around this new decision-making timeline?’” he said. “There’s not many other places out there doing it to this extent.”

More information can be found at MSU Denver’s Virtual Visit website.