Thompson Rivers University seeks insight from the experts to determine just what attracts graduating high school students to university.

Students from around the world view Thompson Rivers University as an exciting, exotic destination. This year more than 2000 students from 70 countries are enrolled in programs at the Kamloops campus.

And the locals know about TRU, too. Each year 48 per cent of all Kamloops high school graduates go directly to university, 89 per cent of them choose Thompson Rivers University.

“There is no doubt that TRU does well marketing to International and local students,” says Ulrich Scheck, TRU’s Provost and Vice-President Academic. “However, TRU needs to be seen as a destination university by students across Canada as well.”

48 per cent of all Kamloops high school graduates go directly to university, 89 per cent of them choose Thompson Rivers University.

To find out what students want in a university, Sukh Heer Matonovich, TRU Engagement Coordinator, is heading to the high schools to ask the experts—the students—to help develop a national profile and engagement strategy to attract and retain students from outside Kamloops and the Interior.

Heer Matonovich is visiting high schools in School Districts #73 (Kamloops-Thompson) and (Cariboo-Chilcotin) and inviting the schools to form one or more teams of 4 students from grades 10 through 12. “The teams should represent the diversity of the TRU campus, its internalization, Aboriginal students, and equal numbers of male and female students,” she says.

The top three teams will each win a Smart Board for their schools. All students in the top 3 teams will receive scholarships to TRU of varying amounts up to $2000 over two years, and each member of the top-place team will also take home an iPad.

Teams will prepare 30-minute presentations in response to these questions:

1) Imagine that you are in charge of creating a marketing campaign for TRU that is directed at your fellow high school students, especially those in grades 11 and 12. How would you convince them that TRU should be their university destination?

2) Imagine that you are in charge of engaging new TRU students fresh out of high school in campus life and learning. What courses, programs, campus activities, facilities, services, and other things for students would you create in order to make TRU their first choice as a university destination?

Teams will submit their campaigns by January 28, 2011 to a panel of judges made up of a combination of TRU and School District faculty, staff and students. The judges will shortlist the entries to the top three. The top three teams will come to TRU on February 17, 2011 to make formal presentations to the judges and to each other, followed by a lunch and recognition of all teams.