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By SARAH SCHANDL
Staff Writer
Niagara College hosted its annual spring open house on March 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event featured program information sessions, interactive demonstrations, a services fair, live entertainment and the first-ever “meet the president hour.”
President Dan Patterson arrived at the Welland campus at 10:30 a.m. to meet prospective students and their families in the Learning Commons.
In a press release Patterson says, “This is a great opportunity to meet students, faculty and staff. There is a wide variety of special events to appeal to all interests.”
Patterson chatted with visitors at the Welland campus for an hour before travelling to the Niagara-on-the-lake campus.
Dorita Pentesco, director of marketing and recruitment, says, “We throw open the doors and we really want to show people what it’s like at Niagara College, what it’s like to learn here and what it’s like to be here on campus.”
Niagara College offers more than 100 diploma, bachelor degree and advanced level programs.
“We have program information sessions where faculty and students will talk about the programs and the details, academic displays and booths all over campus. Many of our labs and classrooms are open, so we encourage people to come in and really experience the college,” says Pentesco.
The open house showcased certain programs with interactive demonstrations. Prospective nursing students could check out the mannequins in the lab, which show vital signs making the program life-like. The construction lab was open for visitors to see the different materials and get a sense of what they will do in the program.
The greenhouse was open at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus as well, and students in the Greenhouse Technician program sold flowers at the Welland campus.
Game development student Jake Jankowski volunteered at the event. He boasts about his experience at the college saying, ““What I love about Niagara College is that all the classes are super small and the teachers get really interactive with you. Anytime you have a question, they’ll be the first ones to help. You may have a ton of hours of homework if you’re in a certain program and you might have trouble with certain things, but there’s always someone to help you.”
Jankowski says he appreciates all the services the college offers its students. “There are a ton of great services on campus that will help you,” he says. “There’s the career services that will help you update your resume and help you get a job with that and financial aid is always there if you have any questions.”
The open houses at both the Niagara-on-the-Lake and Welland campuses attracted between 4,000 and 5,000 visitors.
One of those visitors was Amber Smith, who has accepted her offer to the Child and Youth Care program. Smith says she enjoyed the open house, adding she chose the college because it’s close to home and has a good reputation.
Complementary food was by offered at both locations courtesy of Benchmark to celebrate the college’s 50th anniversary. Those visiting the open houses had the opportunity to enter to win $3,000 towards their 2017-2018 tuition fees.