This guide provides instructions to allow JAA members to perform each role to the best of their ability. If you find an activity that interests you, but you haven't yet joined the organization, don't wait! Fill out our How Can I Join? form to get started today.

Recruit Students / Assist With Campus Visits All Year Long

Call the Enrollment Center with information about a student you think should be considering Juniata. To service your recruit properly please contact Cindy Gibboney at 814-641-3116 or gibbonci@juniata.edu and provide Cindy with the individual's name, phone number, e-mail address, home address, graduation year, academic area of interest, and the name of the high school the student attends. Any additional information you can provide about the student would be great! Cindy will be sure to mail Juniata literature to the student(s) you refer. (Please note, students who are referred to Juniata who are only in 7th – 9th grade will not begin receiving mail from Juniata until 10th grade and even then they only receive a few pieces of mail. Students begin receiving the majority of the necessary literature from Juniata beginning in 11th grade and continuing through March / April of their senior year).

Be sure to follow-up with the student you referred, letting them know that they will be receiving information in the mail and begin to encourage the student to take the next step, scheduling a PERSONAL CAMPUS VISIT. It is best for your referral to visit once during the junior year of high school and if excited about Juniata, again during the senior year. Summer visits are also welcomed but it is best to see campus when Juniata students are in session. To arrange a personal campus visit for your referral, contact Pam Zilch at 814-641-3428 or zilchp@juniata.edu, to confirm at day, date and time for the visit.

Office hours for visitors are Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on Saturdays (when we are in session) there are group information sessions offered at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Weekday visits are individualized and always include a tour and admission interview. Assist Pam with arranging a spectacular visit for your referral by providing her with information about what you feel would be most appropriate for the student to do during their visit. Additional activities can be planned including meeting a coach, observing a class, seeing the Raystown Field Station, etc. In small groups on Saturdays, families tour campus, attend an admission information session, and eat lunch with a current Juniata student in our dining facility. Come along on the visit if you like!

Another option for a campus visit is to attend an Open House.  Students and their families will tour campus, learn about the admission process and financial planning, meet faculty, and eat a meal in the dining hall. Interviews are not scheduled during open houses and all activities are in a GROUP setting. Upcoming Open House dates are here.

Specifically designed for high school seniors and transfer students, Department Days are scheduled in October and November.  These visit days are also group events, but on a much smaller scale, and are planned around a specific area of study in Natural Sciences, Social Sciences or Humanities.  See the schedule here.

Once again please do not forget to visit the JAA website to report your volunteer work and your volunteer hours.

Assist with Off-Campus Interviewing: July - October

Admission Counselors conduct Off-Campus Interviews with high school seniors who are interested in Juniata and our programs. Typically these students have visited campus already, or are planning to do so in the near future. However, personal interviews are not available at larger Open House events. This local interview session provides the opportunity for the student to have a personal interview, without making an additional trip to campus. Admission Counselors host these sessions throughout New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, PA areas. Our JAA volunteers assist at these events by mingling and chatting with families as they wait for their interview appointment. Counselors may also need assistance checking-in the students and their families. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to meet prospective students and their families, and share the value of your Juniata experience with them.

Once again please do not forget to visit the JAA website to report your volunteer work and your volunteer hours.

Represent Juniata at College Fair: September - November and March - May

College fairs are an integral part of the JAA program.  This is the first opportunity for prospective students and their parents to receive information about Juniata College and talk to a representative.  Most of the students who attend these fairs are juniors and seniors, but it is not uncommon to meet sophomores and freshmen as well.

There are two way to represent Juniata College at a College Fair:

  • Assist an Admission Counselor at a College Fair.
  • Be the official Juniata College Representative at a College Fair.

College Fair volunteers are an extremely important link between Juniata and prospective students, helping us extend the reach of Juniata into more areas of the country where counselors may not typically recruit. JAA members also enable us to have a presence at additional fairs that may not fit into the counselors travel schedules.

You will be asked to attend a fair, similar to a trade show, with rows of tables in a large open area, such as a high school gym or cafeteria. When you check in, a high school guidance counselor or student will explain how to find your assigned table. Prospective students and their parents flow from table to table, ask questions, and pick up literature.

If you would like to join a counselor at a College Fair or be the Juniata representative, contact Karen Beck, JAA Chair - Karen can answer any questions you may have and will put you in touch with your regional admission counselor. 

If you are aware of a College Fair in your area that is not scheduled to be attended by a Juniata representative, and you are willing to represent Juniata, please contact your regional admission counselor.

You may also click on this link to find your regional admission counselor.

About 10 days prior to your fair date, the JAA Student Associate will send your box of materials. Please review the literature in your box to become more familiar with it. Should you have any questions about the contents of your box, please contact Karen or your Admission Counselor. Other sections of this website are also good sources of information, such as About Juniata.

You should arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of the program to allow for registration and to set up your table. Make sure that all materials are easily accessible on the table.

College Fair materials include:

  • Student Information Cards - Crucial for future contact with prospective students.  Have all interested students complete one of these cards and send all cards to the Enrollment Center (in the envelope provided) as soon as possible. 
  • Business cards - Give contact information for either yourself or the regional Juniata Admission Counselor to interested students in case they have additional questions.
  • Juniata College Literature -
    • Application Checklist (we are encouraging students to apply online)
    • College Viewbook
    • Financial Aid information brochure - "Think Again"
    • Visit Juniata cards and/or "Come Visit Us" pamphlet
  • Pens - For students to use to complete information cards

Etiquette

  • A professional appearance, a smile, and a warm “hello” are a good start toward inviting the student to learn more about Juniata.
  • In compliance with NACAC rules (National Association of College Admission Counselors), do not move out in front of your table.  Make sure to stand behind the table at all times.
  • Be honest and straightforward when answering questions.  If you are unable to answer a question, it's fine to say, “I don’t know!”  Then, provide the student with a way to get his/her question answered, either by directing the student to the Juniata website or by helping them to get in touch with the regional Admission Counselor - business cards will be included with your supplies.
  • Offer the student your personal perspective of Juniata without over-reminiscing.
  • Please do not speak negatively about another school.

Do not offer admission advice.  It is best to tell the student that you cannot comment on anyone’s chances of admission, but that each completed application will receive a thorough review during the decision process.

Do not offer financial aid advice. Please direct all questions to the Office of Student Financial Planning at 1.877.JUNIATA. 

Return the Student Information Cards to the Admission Office as soon as possible so all students can receive information.

Complete the College Fair Evaluation Form as soon as possible after the fair so that we can best evaluate the fair and make future plans for recruiting in your area.  A copy of the form is included with your supplies, or you can complete the online version if you prefer.

After you accompany an Admission Counselor or after you do a college night program on your own, don’t forget to visit the JAA website to report your volunteer work and your volunteer hours.

Attend a Student Reception: September - November and March - April

Typically held in the fall for prospective students and in the spring for admitted students, receptions are local gatherings where prospective students and their families are invited to meet current students, faculty, staff and alumni.  The Admission Counselor may hold a brief information session focusing on the college selection process.  These sessions are casual gatherings that encourage students and families to ask questions and learn what makes Juniata unique.  The goal of these gatherings is to share stories that illustrate our mission of providing a quality educational experience in a nurturing environment and, in the spring, to encourage the students to select Juniata as the next phase of their education!

Once again please do not forget to visit the JAA website to report your volunteer work and your volunteer hours.

E-mail/Call Prospective Students: Mid-November

A key component to Juniata's recruiting strategy is the personal attention given to prospective students.  You can assist in this effort by contacting students from your area who have expressed an interest in Juniata.  We will ask that you call or e-mail a brief message letting the student know you are a graduate of Juniata and you would enjoy telling them about the wonderful experiences you had as a student.  Be sure to close your conversation by encouraging the student(s) to take the next step - applying for admission and /or visiting campus.  Please remember to click Report Your Hours on the JAA website to record your volunteer work and your volunteer hours.

E-mail/Call Admitted Students: Late March

Do you remember receiving your acceptance letter from Juniata?  For some students, deciding which college they will attend is an easy last step in their college search; for others, it can be a challenge.  You can help with this final decision.  Call or e-mail a congratulatory message to open the lines of communication.  Try to learn where the student has applied, other than Juniata, and how much he/she is leaning toward attending Juniata.  Because you are calling students accepted to Juniata, the next step is to encourage them to commit to Juniata by sending in their deposit. After the calls/e-mail conversations are completed, please contact us with any information you learned about the students you called.  And again, be sure to visit Report Your Hours on the JAA website to report your volunteer work and your volunteer hours.

General Promotion of Juniata College - All Year Long

Anything you do to inform people about Juniata College or to promote the benefits of a Juniata education is a form of volunteer service.

You are performing volunteer service if you:

  • Talk about your Juniata experiences with your family, neighbors, friends, colleagues or others who you meet in your travels.
  • Reference the benefit of a Juniata education and how it helps you accomplish your goals when preparing a resume or providing biographical information.
  • Display the Juniata name in your work and home environment – diploma, banner, etc.
  • Wear Juniata gear at company picnics, local sporting events or when traveling.
  • Have an official Juniata vanity license plate or decorative Juniata license plate on your car.

Please estimate the total time you spend on each activity, with special emphasis on the time spent talking about Juniata, and then visit the JAA Report Your Hours page.