February 22, 2024
Dear Colleagues,
This is an important time at the College, as the talented students we accepted from this year’s record-breaking applicant pool decide whether to enroll at Gettysburg College this fall.
This Friday, we will host more than 200 accepted students and their families for an informative campus visit, where they will connect with current students, faculty, staff, and senior leaders. It is one of two campus-wide events leading up to our annual Get Acquainted Day on Saturday, April 13. Of course, outside of these events, you’ll notice more and more admissions tours happening on campus.
Every one of us has a critical role to play in ensuring our yield season is a success. From offering a friendly greeting to a tour group, to engaging in a conversation with a prospective student or parent, to the everyday acts that make this a true community, it all matters.
I know many students, faculty, and staff have been involved in the spring admissions events. Thank you all for helping the prospective students see themselves as members of this community!
The Gettysburg Approach
Over the past several years, the College has been yet more purposeful both in the experiences we offer to our students and in how we communicate the value of a Gettysburg education. This work is beginning to resonate among prospective families.
When families come to campus this spring, and in the many communications we send to them throughout the college search process, the Gettysburg Approach is at the center of our communications. To build on the Gettysburg Approach, at the admitted student event this week, we will share that Gettysburg College will now guarantee that every student in our Guided Pathways program will have a Career-Ready Experience. This takes advantage of the full range of activities we currently offer our students and organizes them in a more systematic and coherent way.
A Career-Ready Experience could include at least one of the following Guided Pathways experiences:
- Off-campus or on-campus internship
- Faculty-mentored research
- Campus leadership role
- Global study and travel through the Center for Global Education
- Working on a long-term Center for Public Service project
These experiences challenge our students to take what they learn in the classroom and across campus and apply it in the world. In fact, according to a recent AAC&U study, 97% of employers report that “hands-on application of ideas,” when coupled with classroom learning, helps to equip graduates to succeed in their careers. Given the importance today’s families rightly place on building fulfilling lives and careers, we are pleased to confidently deliver on these outcomes.
I would encourage you to visit the College website to learn more about the Gettysburg Approach, as well as to attend the upcoming employee session about the Gettysburg Approach, presented by Carey Thompson, Vice President for Enrollment and Educational Services, and Jamie Yates, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer. The session will be held on February 26 at 11 a.m. in Penn Hall Lyceum.
Once again, I want to extend my deepest thanks to all those across our community who have stepped forward during this important time of year for the College. We have a great story to tell. Let’s share it widely in the weeks and months ahead and, together, illustrate why our Gettysburg education is so special.
Sincerely,
Bob Iuliano
President