Expect something great at Lee Day

It’s a wonderful time of the year at Lee University. The campus community is coming together to celebrate Lee Day. Whether you are a student, faculty, staff, prospective student, or parent, you should “expect something great” at Lee Day.

Since 1964, Lee University has held this event as a time for prospective students and parents to get a experience a slice of campus life.

“Lee Day is a couple of days set aside to recruit prospective students and invite them and their families to campus to get the full Lee experience,” said Dr. Jeff Salyer, vice president for enrollment and marketing. “We pretty much roll out the red carpet and demonstrate everything we do at Lee.”

This Lee Day is also special, as it is Dr. Phil Cook’s first as university president. In his time at Lee, Cook also served as the vice president of enrollment and director of admissions.

“I’m looking forward to continuing the tradition and excellence of the most exciting recruitment event that I know of. My role will be different this year, but my mindset, my approach, my disposition, won’t be any different. We want every prospective student and their family ... to think, ‘This is my place, these are my people, and I’m coming here,’” said Cook.

Making the college decision can be stressful and even scary. At Lee Day, the community welcomes visitors with open arms, and invites them to get a glimpse of what it is like to be a Lee Flame.

During the weekend, visitors can take tours to get a feel of the campus.

Prospective students may be wondering what Lee’s classes and academic programs have to offer. Students can meet faculty, attend class sessions, learn about the programs Lee offers, and set up their fall schedules at Early Class Selection (ECS).

“We want them to meet our faculty. We believe that if students meet our faculty, they’re going to want to come to Lee based on that meeting as well,” Cook said.

Aside from learning about academics, there are many other ways visitors can discover what it is like to be a Flame.

At 7 p.m. on Friday evening, visitors can choose from five different events to attend. Prospective students and families can play or watch sports games, paint with art faculty, attend a performance of Lee Theatre’s “Hello, Dolly!”, watch a showcase of music ensembles, or see Shenanigans – Lee’s improv group.

On Saturday at 1:30 p.m., future Flames can stroll the Sharp Pedestrian Mall to check out club and organization displays.

“We want them to be immersed in Lee culture and immersed with Lee students and faculty members,” Salyer said.

This year, Lee is bringing back “Life at Lee,” a comedic portrayal of what life is like as a Lee student. Life at Lee will take place on Saturday, at 10:30 a.m., in the Conn Center.

“It’s a silly, light-hearted look at campus life ... it’s meant to help families see that this is a fun place,” said Cook.

There are many other events, listed on the Lee Day schedule, that visitors can attend. No matter the major, interests, or background, Lee Day has something for everyone in attendance.

“It’s a recruitment event, it’s a fun event, it’s a serious academic event, but for me, it becomes a spiritual event. If a student makes a decision to enroll at Lee because of something that happens that weekend, and then when they come to Lee, their life has changed through good times and bad times, it’s worth every bit of it,” said Cook.

Lee Day is more than a day to visit the campus – it is a two-day event for future Flames to envision their future at Lee University.