Coupled with the enrollment shortfall the university experienced this past semester, the school was prompted to consider taking a different route than had been traditionally explored in years past concerning the annual Jazz Brunch.

Loyola hosted the Fall Open House on Nov. 16. The program changed this year to allow prospective students to have a more hands-on approach to their visit, the Loyola website said.

“We made a strategic decision to develop a more interactive program for our Fall Open House. We wanted to provide students with the opportunity to experience Loyola rather than just hear about it,” Keith Gramling, dean of admissions, said.

The College of Social Sciences and The College of Humanities and Natural Sciences presented “interactive events” such as a news room experience and “Crime Solvers: The science behind Criminology and Criminal Justice” and Applied Psychological Science.

Sessions offered to prospective students and families included “The Story of the MP3: How an Audio Format Changed the Music Industry” with College of Music and Fine Arts professor Jeff Albert, Ph.D., and “American Marketing Association Case Competition Taste Test” led by College of Business professor Ashley Francis.

Visitors will also had opportunities to explore co-curricular activities and interact with various members of the current student body. Current students assisted with the mini-classes, serving as hosts, and giving tours throughout the day.

Gramling said he believes prospective students should visit campus as it usually increases their interest in the university.

“The single largest predictor of a student’s likelihood of enrollment is visiting campus,” he said.

Roberta Kaskel, interim vice president of enrollment management, said she believes the affair has potential.

“This year’s Fall Open House is designed to expand and deepen the opportunities offered during our Jazz Brunch of the past few years. This program, targeted to high school seniors and juniors who are exploring which colleges to apply to, gives students and their parents an opportunity to experience Loyola as we all do on a daily basis,” Kaskel said.

“Our goal is to turn interested high school students into active applicants,” she said.

Lauren Stroh can be contacted at [email protected]