August 3, 2014

SEC College Tour Visits Southern California, Plans Return to State in 2015

Admissions representatives from LSU speak with high school students and parents during the 2014 SEC College Tour
Admissions representatives from LSU speak with high school students and parents during the 2014 SEC College Tour

By: Bryant Welbourne
SECU (Twitter: @TheSECU)

The 2014 SEC College Tour made three stops in Southern California, April 22-25, the first time the event visited the state. Nearly 300 high school students and parents took part in the college fairs in Santa Monica, Orange County and San Diego, and about 60 counselors attended the breakfasts.

In its sixth year, the SEC College Tour provides an opportunity for admissions administrators from each conference university to travel together to an area outside of the SEC’s geographic footprint to host college fairs for high school students and breakfasts for high school counselors in that region.

“We find the joint travel is a great means to reach new audiences and help them understand the many academic opportunities that our schools provide,” said Nancy McDuff, Associate Vice President for Admissions and Enrollment Management at the University of Georgia. “In California, the guidance counselors said it was the best breakfast they had attended since our presentations focused on our academic uniqueness and incorporated a little fun with our SEC Roll Call.”

In each city, the college fair allows high school students and parents to visit with SEC admissions representatives as well as to hear individual school presentations. The high school counselors breakfasts center around brief presentations on SEC institutions.

The SEC College Tour is part of SECU, the academic initiative of the SEC. Created in 2011, SECU serves as the primary mechanism through which the collaborative academic endeavors and achievements of SEC universities are promoted and advanced.

The 2015 SEC College Tour will visit Northern California, and specific dates and locations are still to be determined. A list of previous SEC College Tour sites is below.

2009 Midwest (Columbus, OH; Chicago, IL)
2010 Atlantic (Fairfax, VA)
2011 South Texas (San Antonio; Austin)
2012 Pacific Northwest (Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; Eugene, OR)
2013 Northeast (Parsippany, NJ; Stamford, CT; Hauppauge, NY)
2014 Southern California (Santa Monica; Orange County; San Diego)