FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The University of Saint Francis continues to seek and develop new ways to connect with current and future students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
USF has implemented effective approaches to help future students learn about and apply to the university, to help current students remain connected to peers and faculty, and to help student-athletes maintain their closeness with teammates while coaches continue to recruit future Cougars.
“Our students, faculty and staff have demonstrated great resilience and persistence in making the most of this difficult situation. The teamwork during this unusual spring semester has been an example of everyone’s dedication to excellence,” USF President Sister M. Elise Kriss said.
Reaching future students
USF continues to recruit new students and has done everything possible to make it simple and easy to apply. Applications are free and available online at https://admissions.sf.edu/undergraduate/apply/. Although there are no on-campus visits currently, potential students may also schedule a virtual visit on the USF visit page at https://admissions.sf.edu/undergraduate/visit/.
In addition, due to circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and the cancellation of some SAT and ACT test dates, the requirement of test scores for acceptance to the university is waived for students starting in Fall 2020. Fall 2020 students who have submitted a high school transcript and were previously required to submit test scores will now be reviewed for acceptance to USF. Accepted students will not be negatively affected by any reduction in grade point average resulting from difficulty with online learning during their final semester of high school.
USF admissions counselors are in touch with interested students via phone calls and texts and are available to provide help and answer any questions by phone at 260-399-8000 or by email at admis@sf.edu.
“This is an especially difficult time for prospective students and families so we’re employing multipronged platforms to stay connected,” USF Vice President for Enrollment Management Beth Terrell said. “We know it’s not quite like sitting together in person, but we’re still having good conversations. Students and families remain on top of our minds. This won’t last forever, and we have faith we’ll all come through this with greater strength and resilience.”
Connecting with current students
Since March 16, USF has been using an online format for all classes and labs, and the faculty and students made a seamless transition as one of the first universities to move fully online at the beginning of COVID-19 concerns in Indiana.
In addition to those online classes, USF stays in touch with its students in these ways:
- Hosting virtual events. Among the ways USF will help students stay connected is a new Know Careers app that will help students engage with employers for internships and post-grad opportunities. This event will be from April 27 to May 8. Students and employers will connect virtually. Other virtual events include coping, managing and overcoming test anxiety, preparing for registration and sharing future events in a Cougar Life app to keep connecting in a similar manner to student connections when they were on campus.
- Information sharing. Newsletters are shared twice a week with tips and strategies to be an online learner. Faculty and staff also stay connected with students via social media and texts.
- Success Advisor. Every student has been assigned a one-on-one Success Advisor who checks in bi-weekly and addresses immediate questions.
Building team camaraderie and recruiting in athletics
One of the biggest challenges for USF during the spring semester was maintaining the camaraderie and closeness of athletics teams after their seasons were ended by the NAIA’s decision to forego athletics for the remainder of the school year.
The use of technology has been a valuable tool here, too. USF teams hold weekly online meetings where coaches and student-athletes discuss personal workouts and other team-related matters, as well as check in with each other. Texts and emails are essential, as well as old-fashioned phone calls from the coach.
“Coaches can put up film on (online service) Hudl for them to watch, and just keep staying in touch on a variety of things – how they are doing, what their fall schedule looks like,” Director of Athletics Mike McCaffrey said. “For current kids, it’s using Zoom and Hudl and other ways to stay in touch with them as much as possible.”
Indiana’s Stay-At-Home ruling has made recruiting difficult, but coaches continue to find ways to connect via technology. Men’s basketball coach Chad LaCross recently landed two high-quality recruits.
McCaffrey is moving forward with hopes of a traditional fall sports schedule once the state’s COVID-19 restrictions have eased.
“As of now, there’s no reason not to think we’ll start on time,” McCaffrey said. “But we have had to make creative adjustments during this time, so we feel we’re nimble and flexible.”
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the School of Health Sciences, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Keith Busse School of Business and Entrepreneurial Leadership and School of Creative Arts. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. USF Downtown houses the university’s business and music technology programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis campus experience includes 16 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships and is recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution. Approximately 2,200 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.