Campus tours offered to students

Cary Crocker
Reporter

The Student Success Center (SSC) is hosting Transfer Days to students who are thinking about transferring to four-year colleges and universities.  The future tour date is Pittsburg State University, Nov. 7.  The SSC, partnering up with Student Support Services (SSS) has already toured College of the Ozarks (Sept. 26), Missouri Southern State University (Oct. 3) and University of Arkansas (Oct. 17) and Missouri State University-Springfield (Oct. 24).

Transfer Days were started by Jamie Stanley, SSC academic advisor, and Casey Owens, career services and retention coordinator, to give students a chance to tour other college campuses who might not otherwise have an opportunity and to help increase the rate of students to transfer.  “It’s one thing to see the website and hear other people’s opinions of the school and yet another to actually experience it,” said Stanley.  “Not that there’s anything wrong with those other things; they’re just not the same.”

Stanley plans tours to local colleges and universities that students are more likely to attend based on tuition costs.

On each tour, students are given a tour of the campus, a presentation from admissions, academic advisor appointments, and sometimes lunch, according to Stanley.  When lunch is not provided by the school, the SSC will take students somewhere reasonably priced for lunch.  For example, students who attended the Transfer Day at College of the Ozarks went to the Branson Landing for lunch.

Students have found tours to be helpful.  “It gave me more in depth of everything because I want to do CSI, and it [MSSU’s criminal justice program] goes more into depth than Crowder,” said Larry McGhee, criminal justice major after attending the MSSU Transfer Day.

These tours have been going on since last semester.  Stanley said he is hoping to continue these events, with possible tours to Missouri Science & Technology in Rolla and University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) for spring, 2015, depending on demand.

Students may see signs for these tours on posters around campus, especially near the SSC in McDonald Hall.  They are encouraged to sign up for these tours at the SSC as soon as possible because seats go fast.  For more information, email jamiestanley@crowder.edu or call 417-455-5616.