Arts Recruitment Poster Contest: We Have a Winner!
By Justine Rumbel, Senior Admissions Counselor
Every fall, my fellow admissions counselors and I visit high schools and meet with prospective students around the world to share information about college. This process includes getting lost in high schools, making your way through bustling hallways of teenagers, not knowing if you’ll be in a library or an office, and keeping your fingers crossed that the students you meet will have at least started their college search. But every counselor knows the tell-tale sign that s/he is heading in the right direction: a room with college posters crowding bulletin boards and windows, with college pennants lining the walls.
One thing we can also tell you is that it’s impossible to tell the difference between those college posters until you get close enough to read them. They show libraries, brick-and-mortar academic buildings, students sitting on a lawn reading, people on the “quad” (almost every college has one) playing Frisbee…. But what if you’re a student who doesn’t want to go to Everyman’s College? If you’re anything like I was in high school, you’re probably looking for a place that’s more independent, creative, and willing to stand out among the rest. And if you’ve spent a day on campus at the University of Rochester, you know that the students here are just that: Different. Creative. Independent. But how do we show that in one glimpse of a poster in a high school counseling office?
Two months ago, the Office of Admissions held a contest calling for artistic poster submissions from current UR students. The task was to reflect UR’s strength in the creative and performing arts while also showcasing our status as a top-tier research university. (A tall order during finals, with summer break fast approaching.) The grand prize? $1,000!
After reviewing many promising submissions, I’m excited to say have a winner! Her name is Joey Hartmann-Dow, Class of 2012, and her poster designs will be used for the fall 2011 recruitment season. High schools, art classrooms, and community-based organizations will receive copies of the poster crediting Joey for her work.
We’ve also awarded an honorable-mention prize to Lauren Blair ’13 for her artistic representations of fellow UR students. The words in the background describe the portrait subjects and Lauren’s relationships with them.
Many thanks to all who participated, and congratulations to Joey and Lauren! These posters are just two students’ examples of how Rochester allows their creativity to blossom; countless others take shape on campus every day!