Report from the Director of Admission

Diane Mirth
Director of Admissions, Faculty of Law,
University of Alberta, Canada

The first year of the position of Director of Admission in the Faculty of Law has been busy and varied. There has been a tremendous amount of learning, experimentation, and development involved in creating a new position in the faculty. The work of the position has centred around two major concerns:

1) creating an active and comprehensive recruitment presence for the faculty; and

2) research support and proposal development for the Admissions Committee.

Together with the Dean and the Chair of the Admissions Committee a plan to increase the profile of the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta was developed. This involved several aspects including the development of recruitment materials and the design and purchasing of a display unit to use at Recruitment and Career Fairs across the country. In addition to new print and display materials the web page is in the process of being redesigned to update the image of the Faculty of Law and to further serve faculty, student and recruitment needs. Watch for a new and improved website.

The year has seen many firsts for the Faculty in the area of recruitment:

1. Attendance at Recruitment and Career Fairs: the University of Alberta, the University of Victoria, Vancouver Education and Career Fair, Red Deer College.
2. The first Parent/Supporter Orientation was held in October 2000. This was a success with 60 attending.
3. A first time phone blitz was conducted. Sixteen current students volunteered their time to call and speak to the applicants who had received our first, second and third round offers.
4. The first Open House was conducted in March to introduce prospective students to the Faculty of Law:

   79 prospective students attended

   18 current students were involved in the Open House

   Two staff members attended

   8 professors gave of their time to come to the luncheon and to talk to the students.

   A subsequent Open House was held in June for all of the second and third round offers.

5. Special admissions presentations were given to student groups at the University of Calgary, the Arts Faculty at the University of Alberta, the Golden Key Honours Club at the University of Alberta, and the Undergraduate Law Society at the University of Alberta.
6. Guest speaker on Radio FM88 on Admissions to Law School