Mesa Community College to host first Field of Interest and Transfer Fair
Mesa Community College will host the first Field of Interest and Transfer Fair on March 26 at the Southern and Dobson campus to assist students with further education plans.
MCC will return with the event coordinated by the Maricopa County Community College District every semester for universities to visit the campus to speak with students.
While there have been other transfer events in the past at MCC, this year’s also include field of interest and club representatives thanks to some brainstorming from Beth Ann Wright, manager of Student Life and Leadership at the Southern and Dobson campus, and Sarah Banner, Student Services director.
Fields of interest representatives will be available to discuss programs as well as the degrees and certificates being offered at their respective department.
The event will include MCC representatives for nine different fields of interest such as Applied Technology, Health Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts, and more.
This event gives students the opportunity to meet faculty in the fields of interest to learn about the various programs, classes, and clubs that are available on campus.
Students will also learn about how to make advisor appointments, explore programs, transfer options and select the right courses for the upcoming fall semester.
“The event will be right on the clock tower lawn at Southern and Dobson. We may look to expand at Red Mountain in the future, but since it is the first time doing it, we wanted to start it out at Southern and Dobson,” said Banner.
Students can expect to see university partners with set up tables, food, DJ, student clubs, field of interest advisors and faculty and giveaways.
MCC’s four state transfer partners, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, University of Arizona, Grand Canyon University, will be in attendance to speak with students. Other in state and out of state university partners are also expected to attend, according to Banner.
University representatives will have brochures and swag available for students approaching their table, and are available to speak on what programs their respective colleges offer, along with tuition costs, and transfer benefits.
Banner added the event is hopefully something the college will host more often in the future, as feedback is implemented from advisors, faculty, student clubs, and students to see what they liked about it and what we can do better next time. If it is beneficial to students, Banner expressed it is something they would definitely be open to doing again.
“With over 25 university partners, all the clubs and organizations and the FOI tables, I hope students get information about each of these areas, and feel more confident in their options. I hope they connect with the advisors and faculty and join a club to meet students with similar interests. We want them to make advising appointments, register early and pick out the right classes for their degree,” said Banner.
“ If they do so, they can get the best schedule for them in the fall to keep them on track for graduation. For students interested in transferring, I would want them to find a handful of universities they could see themselves going to and follow up to get more information to ultimately identify where they want to go and where they feel they belong,” added Banner.
The Field of Interest and Transfer Fair will be on March 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Southern and Dobson clock tower lawn.
