In this month’s missive from a member of the University’s leadership team, Director of Admissions Lisa Ellrich reports on her department’s efforts to recruit the Class of 2024 — and how you can help.
Dear Alumni and Friends,
It’s been a very busy fall for the UMF Admissions Team as we have traveled throughout New England and beyond, meeting with school counselors, as well as prospective students and their families. Through a combination of high school visits, college fairs, and private meetings, we have been in over 750 locations, sharing UMF’s distinctive strengths and all the wonderful opportunities available to students through our outstanding programs.
Director of Admissions Lisa Ellrich (Photo by Marc Glass.)
These visits have taken us from the most northern reaches of Maine to the far corners of New England. We have also visited a number of schools in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware, recruiting in communities that have sent us terrific students in recent years. Our staff of 10 professionals has logged nearly 50,000 road miles, spreading great news about the University wherever we go.
Among the distinctive features we love to promote are programs that might not be familiar to alumni, such as our Alpine Operations Program — great for students who hope to work in the ski industry — as well as our multi-degree programs that put students on an accelerated career path, saving them both time and money: our 3+3 Law program with Maine Law, 3+2 programs in counseling (social work, clinical, and school), and 3+3 Chiropractic program through our partnership with Logan University. We also have a brand-new master’s in special education program, featuring an exciting 4+1 option that allows our students to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years instead of six — saving students both time and money.
As we transition from the fall recruiting travel season to application reading season, we are thrilled to see applications to UMF already piling up. Nearly 500 students have already applied through our Early Action option ahead of the November 15 deadline earlier this month.
We are off to a great start in building the Class of 2024, and we appreciate all the support UMF alumni provide us with encouraging the college-bound people in their life to apply.
We would love to have alumni partner with us in our travels and community outreach, so please let me know if meeting with prospective students in your area is something that interests you. Helping us attract future generations of UMF graduates is highly satisfying work and a wonderful way to support your alma mater.
I hope you will consider becoming an informal Alumni-in-Admissions volunteer. Whether you are an educator who wants to encourage your students to give UMF a look or you know your neighbor’s college-enrolled child is thinking about transferring to another university, here’s a website with specific action steps you can take to help connect the students you think would be a good fit for Farmington.
And for those of you with college-bound children and grandchildren who live out-of-state, don’t forget about our Farmington is Family Tuition Discount that results in savings of more than $43,000 over your child or grandchild’s four years at UMF.
On behalf of my staff and the University, thank you for being shining examples of the power of a UMF education in your work and civic life. Your accomplishments bring honor to the University and remind prospective students and their families of all the wonderful things people do with a Farmington degree.
Go Beavers!
Sincerely,
Lisa Ellrich, Director of Admissions
Lisa Ellrich has 24 years of experience in the UMF Admissions Office. In addition to overseeing a team of 13 professionals and support staff, she recruits prospective students throughout Maine’s Kennebec and Piscataquis counties, as well as eastern Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.