Brock University’s Student Recruitment team recently took steps to strengthen its outreach with students overseas.

Student Recruitment held an event Aug. 26 with international recruitment partners to reintroduce the University to prospective students living abroad following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The international recruitment industry has suffered since the COVID-19 pandemic. The entire sector relies heavily on relationships, so we’re grateful to be back on Brock’s campus,” said Teeba Alsafar, Associate Director, Partner Relations of ApplyBoard, an education company that helps students apply abroad. “We have the chance to build on an amazing relationship we have with this university.”

More than 65 agents, counsellors and partners converged on the Goodman Atrium where they listened to presentations from Geraldine Jones, University Registrar and Associate Vice-President, Enrolment Services, Jennifer Li, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the Goodman School of Business, representatives from Student Recruitment as well as Brock International, and a panel presentation from current and former international students. Topics included Brock’s strategic priorities, programs, services and the student experience. Along with a full day of presentations and networking, guests also went on guided tours of the University’s main campus, and visited the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines.

“It’s refreshing to have this kind of atmosphere back on campus. It’s been quite a while since we’ve been able to have our international recruitment partners on campus in this manner,” said Anna Guo, Brock’s Associate Director, International Student Recruitment. “A big sector of our industry, and what Brock is all about, is connecting with people directly. Being able to do that now, we can’t ask for anything more.”

Partners in attendance included ApplyBoard, Adventus, IDP International Education Specialists and the International Language Academy of Canada, which recruits students from more than 100 countries.

“Brock has a vast number of programs that attract many different kinds of students. The campus has a strong sense of community and a safe environment,” Alsafar said. “Brock has a lot of services dedicated to not only international students but also internationalizing the campus as a whole, which is important because international students want that sense of belonging. They need a place that has a community, and Brock has that.”