Bills Camp Makes an Impression on Prospective SJFC Students
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This is the time of year that campus tours increase at St. John Fisher College. High school students are looking to find their niche before beginning their senior year.
Twins Teira and Thomas Hawkins from Rome, New York, were among the many groups of high schoolers that recently toured the Pittsford campus.
"I like the small campus feel and it's a very close knit feeling meaning I feel safe walking from building to building. Everyone seems to know everybody, I just like the family feel to it,” said Teira.
The twins are also considering Roberts Wesleyan, the University of Rochester and SUNY Geneseo. However, both Teira and Thomas say they like what they see at Fisher.
"I’ve definitely got to say that this appeals to me because it's a very well kept campus, it's beautiful and lots of things to do," said Thomas.
Fisher sophomore Ed Buell of Greece was the tour guide for the Hawkins twins and their mother Jodi. Making note of the Bills presence on campus is a big part of the sales pitch, which includes internship opportunities at the team's summer camp.
"It's really cool. Students can help out with this camp and it looks really good to have NFL experience on a resume,” said Ed Buell, Fisher sophomore.
The Bills didn't practice during the Hawkins' tour; however, they did get to see the players up close as they came out of team meetings.
"It was kind of cool. It's interesting to see like wow, that's an actually NFL team right there,” said Thomas.
"I was like oh, football players. I'm not a big football fan but I'll watch it with my dad, that's about it," Tiera said.
Even though Teira and Thomas say they Bills will have no bearing on whether they decide to attend Fisher, the team's presence on campus has been key to the college's ever growing enrollment.
"I think it's been a great partnership having them here on campus. They bring a lot of name recognition,” said Dave Roberts, Assistant Admissions Director. “We've grown actually over 50 percent since the Bills camp started here at Fisher."
The Bills presence at the college has not only helped boost enrollment, it's also played a key role in campus expansion. Since the Bills first arrived at Fisher 13 years ago, the college has added 14 new buildings and facilities along with 20 new academic programs at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels.
"We just continue to grow academically, athletically, creating more opportunities for students on campus. So I think it's a great outlook for Fisher, hopefully to continue with the Bills partnership and continue to grow as an institution,” Roberts said.