Prairie View A&M University opened its campus to alumni and prospective students for “Pantherland Day on the Hill” Saturday, Feb. 24.
The event was held to showcase the university’s unique attributes to prospective students. Pamela Owens-Freeman, director of recruitment marketing and special programs, oversaw the day’s events, calling the exhibition a “complete success.” She said, “Everything went as anticipated.”
During the course of the day’s events, the MSC was host to a college and organizational exposition. Departments from across the campus distributed literature about their respective programs, SAT and ACT information, and financial aid information to the 2,500 high school students in attendance.
At least 35 of these students represented out-of-state prospects, from regions ranging from Chicago to Washington, D.C. Along with high schools, many community service organizations and churches were represented at the event. Sodexho provided free food to the prospective students and alumni in attendance.
Lorie Freeman, co-chair of the event, said, “Pantherland Day has been going on for 10 years now and it provides more than current information; it gives students a sense of the history of Prairie View.”
Along with high school juniors and seniors scoping out potential education opportunities, several alumni groups were also in attendance. Some groups represented former students returning from Montgomery, Dallas, Beaumont, Houston, and San Antonio.
Many organizations and students of Prairie View turned out to assist in the day’s activities. Greek fraternities and sororities represented their respective organizations with a miniature step show. The band, cheerleaders, and countless volunteers also showed their support.
Conrad Smith III, a Prairie View student, said,”This is an excellent opportunity, seeing is believing.”
Many high school students hailed the event as a success as well. “This is really amazing,” said Dexter Donahue, a senior from Cold Springs, Texas. “It really is the best university I’ve seen so far.”
Owens-Freeman promises that this will not be the last of these events for this year. On May 2 Prairie View will host a middle school exposition targeting a younger prospective student pool. A day specifically for high school seniors will also be announced and Pantherland Day will return in the fall.