Media.Knet.Ca

(SAULT STE. MARIE, ON – OCTOBER 21st, 2008): On Wednesday October 22^nd, students from across Ontario will have the opportunity to interactively discover Ontario’s newest public university, Algoma University, as part of the Maclean’s Virtual University fair.

Students interested in participating can visit http://www.macleans.ca/oncampusfair/ to register free of charge.

The fair will run from 10 am until 9 pm on Wednesday October 22^nd.

Students will be able to chat in real-time with Algoma University students, professors and staff and have their questions answered. Information about Algoma U’s degree programs, scholarships and bursaries, and admissions info will also be available from Algoma U’s virtual booth.

In addition, students will also be able to sit-in on live presentations from experts in a variety of fields. Notable guest presenters who will be offering their advice and perspectives include: Colin Macdonald, lead singer of the indie-rock group The Trews, Gerald Butts CEO of World Wildlife Fund Canada, and engineer, pilot and astronaut Julie Payette. “We’ve seen first-hand the benefits that events like the Ontario University Fair have to offer students,” says Deborah Loosemore, Director of External Relations at Algoma University. “The one drawback however is that attendance at these events is usually limited to students within the Greater Toronto Area or other major population centres. The advantage offered by the Maclean’s Virtual Fair is that students from throughout Ontario and throughout Canada will not be restricted by geography; students in Kenora will be able to have their concerns addressed just the same as students in Ottawa or Hamilton.”

Students who do not participate in Wednesday’s fair will not be able to chat with other students and with university representatives. However, the presentations and information uploaded during the fair will remain archived and accessible online for 90 days for students to examine or re-examine at their leisure.

For Algoma University, branching out into the online world represents a chance to demonstrate the institution’s dynamism and welcoming environment to prospective students. The university has recently added a new communications officer and revamped its website to be more user-friendly.

“Each successive cohort of students is more at ease with technology and more engaged with social media than the last, so we’re looking to interact with them online as much as we can,” says Loosemore. “The two-way communication offered by the Virtual Fair offers us a genuine opportunity to explain what it is that makes Algoma University unique and vibrant in a way that more traditional marketing doesn’t always afford.”About Algoma University
Algoma University is home to approximately 1,200 students. Offering a wide variety of liberal arts and sciences degree options including programs in Computer Science, Business Administration, Fine Arts, Community Economic & Social Development, and Biology; Algoma U is committed to offering a personal education experience unlike any university in Ontario. Algoma University also offers accelerated second degree programs in Business Administration and Computer Science on its Brampton campus through a partnership with the Education Invention Centre of Canada. To learn more about Algoma University at Brampton, visit www.eicc.ca. To learn more about Algoma University, visit www.algomau.ca.

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Media Contact

Donna Woldanski
Divisional Directory of External Relations
Algoma University
705.949.2301 ext. 4120
donna.woldanski@algomau.ca