Faculty, Students, Even Alumni Pitch In At Recruiting Event

Sam Houston State University is setting enrollment records every semester and if participation at a high school recruiting fair last weekend is any indication, the trend should continue.

Last Saturday 16 faculty members and 39 students, in addition to regular recruiters from the admissions/recruiting office, spent the day at the 22nd Annual Houston Hispanic Forum Career and Education Day at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

The SHSU effort included criminal justice and foreign languages displays as well as roving Bearkat student ambassadors wearing orange and navy t-shirts with the university's motto--"The measure of a Life is its Service."

Debra Andrist, who chairs the foreign languages department, said that she is a long-time Houston Hispanic Forum board member. She organized the extra faculty and student effort for the event.

"This event has evolved from one targeting a limited number of students to one attended by a multi-cultural/ethnic audience, including not only families, but students bussed in by teachers and counselors," said Andrist.

Trevor Thorn, director of admissions/recruiting, said that Sam Houston State has sent recruiters to the event for many years, but that the faculty and student participation added an extra dimension.

"It's really nice when you have someone from CJ for instance, who can tell you in detail about CJ, or foreign languages, who can tell you about foreign languages in detail," he said. "Our recruiting people are pretty much generalists."

Other departments are also selecting students and faculty who want to help with recruiting and are good at it.

"We're seeing more and more of this," Thorn said. "Anybody that's recruiting is a big help to us, especially if they're well-briefed and have been given some direction. The more the merrier."

Andrist said that several alumni also showed up at the Houston event to give their support and perspective.

SHSU administration and faculty participants included Richard Eglsaer from academic affairs and Sarah Kerrigan from forensic science/criminal justice.

Foreign languages faculty, in addition to Andrist, included Madalina Akli, Yasser Derwiche Djazaerly, Shirin Edwin, James Frankki, David Gerling, Alejandro Latínez, Enrique Mallén, Al Policarpo, Kay Raymond, Joaquín Rodríguez-Barberá and Rafael Saumell-Muñoz, Rob Blair, Xiuhui Han and Ray Rentería.

Forensic Science graduate students who volunteered included Kevin Callahan, Aodelle Collins and Adrian Pérez.

Undergraduate students included Kristen Pelo, Tressa Green, Katherine Younger, Kevin Quinney, Nam Nguyen, Stacey Williams, Cassie Salimi, Ashton Mouton, Jessica Holland, Christopher Benso, Michaela Carpenter, Maryam Dashtabadi, Andrea Jones and Tatiana Matwijiw.

Also, Auntonya Rogers, Sophia Delarue, Elspeth Erickson, Brandon Gray, Nicolas Fabbro, Keshia Abbott, Marisa Losoya, Dacia Bush, Alexis Andrei, Arriana Martínez, Glynda Haldt, Lamont Perkins, Mercadi Crawford, Maggie Smith, Lora Ross, Shara Brown, Jennifer Castillo, Garrick Long, Brittany Flores, Nicole Taber, Rachel Gonzales and Abbi Konowitz.

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SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Feb. 14, 2008
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