During this pandemic, enrollment management has been working to provide all our admitted families the information and resources needed to make an informed college decision in the weeks ahead.

As admitted families discern about joining the Greyhound family, we have made sure to share with them just a few examples of the wonderful outreach and support of our community including:

• Father Brown’s inspirational video message of faith, hope, and love, reminding us what the virus can't do.
• J.P. Krahel’s touching open letter to students about the transition to remote learning and being away from campus.
• The inspirational news of our Engineering and Fine Arts faculty teaming up to create CDC-level recommended face shields for hospitals in the Baltimore area using 3D printers from the Makerspace in Loyola's Library.

Because we are unable to host visitors on campus, we’ve been working hard to create new ways of engaging with prospective and admitted students while also providing more flexibility to families making their college decisions during this difficult time.

• We were one of the first schools in the country to move the universal enrollment deposit deadline of May 1 back one month for accepted seniors. What’s clear is that many families need more so the least we can do is provide that time while also providing the resources they need to make the best decision.
• While we understand that nothing can replace the feeling of being on campus, we designed a Virtual Experiences Page for the Class of 2024 where students can easily engage with our community and learn more about Loyola from any location.
• We're now offering 1-on-1 video chats with admission and financial aid counselors, live and pre-recorded information sessions, and webinars on various academic and student life topics. And starting later this month, we'll be rolling out a series of small group Zoom chats with faculty and new, interactive virtual events for accepted students and their families. 
• To date we’ve held more than 100 collective engagements like these and have interacted with hundreds of families. There are many more scheduled throughout April and May as well.
• We will be integrating artificial intelligence through the use of a chatbot named Iggy that will help us answer the most common questions we are receiving from admitted students and parents. This tool will also continue to engage with families providing important reminders during the critically important transition from high school to college over the summer. We know that not all students read their emails so nudges via text and AI are important tools to use during this time.
• We are actively engaging with hundreds of families whose lives have been impacted by COVID-19 through a formalized financial aid appeal process that was developed this year. We are doing everything we can to put a Loyola education in reach of as many families as possible. This process will continue with our returning families throughout the summer.

Obviously, we are focused on enrolling the Class of 2024, but we know this crisis will have an impact on students who will be applicants in the years that follow.

• With that in mind we're making the admission and financial aid process easier and more equitable for students. When I arrived at Loyola, one of my first goals was to review our existing admission and financial aid policies to see how we could reduce unnecessary barriers and begin to make the stressful process of applying for admission and aid just a little easier. These policy changes are a result of that work and include new application fee waivers, accepting self-reported test scores, and many updates to our financial aid application requirements and eligibility.
• In addition, we understand that many high school students will have pass/fail grading on their transcripts for this semester. Alternative grading such as this will not be held against any applicant in future admission cycles.
• We also know that campus visits are just as important to students at the start of their college search, so we created a Virtual Experience page for sophomores and juniors, as well.

What has been most heartening during this difficult time has been the overwhelming support we’ve received from the Loyola community. So many of you have contacted the admission office looking to volunteer to help. On behalf of the entire Enrollment Management Division, I thank you for the support. It has always taken a collective effort of a campus to enroll a class. That is true now more than ever. I look forward to providing a campus community update on the Class of 2024 soon after June 1. In the meantime, If you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to contact me directly at ernichols@loyola.edu.

I wish you and your family all the best.

Eric Nichols