For prospective Roux students, personal connections at every step

On a Tuesday afternoon in October, Skyler Cummings powers through a seven-hour drive from Portland, Maine, to Ithaca, New York, listening to music and the Moth Radio Hour. She’s excited for the next day, when she’ll meet scores of Ithaca College undergraduates to highlight all that the Roux has to offer, build connections with prospective students, and learn about their education and career goals. The rest of her week is packed with events with Binghamton and Syracuse universities.

Cummings is one of the Roux’s “Road Warriors” zig zagging across the Northeast during fall recruitment season to attend graduate school fairs, meet with students and college counselors, and lead sessions on writing personal statements for grad school applications. As Cummings traverses New York state, Kayla Frank focuses on Maine, taking day trips to visit nearby colleges and attend career events in neighboring communities.

“Many prospective students I meet want to live and work in Maine,” says Frank, an enrollment field recruiter. She finds it rewarding to share how the Roux makes this possible, with generous Alfond Scholarships and graduate programs tailored to tech jobs and fields in high demand.

Easy to connect—and stay connected—with Roux

When prospective students meet recruiters on the road, it’s only the start of their Roux experience. They’re connected with an enrollment counselor, who guides them through the admissions process, and are invited to visit the Roux campus.

While on campus, prospective students can take tours, attend open houses, speak with current students and professors, and sit in on any class they want. (Tours and class visits are available virtually, too.) They can learn about opportunities in entrepreneurship and research, and for real-world work experience with Roux partners.

Personal connections at every step

Personal touches are a focal point of recruitment efforts, says Liz Atwood, associate director of recruiting and employer engagement. While attending an out-of-state conference last month, a student asked her a research question she couldn’t answer. So she put the student on a FaceTime call with a Roux research professor on the spot.

Cummings, for her part, can relate to students feeling overwhelmed by the grad school possibilities and career decisions ahead, as a 2021 Wesleyan University graduate and having been in their shoes not long ago.

“I just meet them where they are and let them know about opportunities that might not be on their radar,” she says. “One of the most helpful things is giving them the information they’re looking for and being there when they’re ready to reach back out.”