Guidelines for special campus tours conducted by the University Ambassadors
Please read through the following guidelines and when you are ready to schedule a visit please click the link at the bottom of the page.
One of the primary missions of the Office of Admissions and the University Ambassadors organization is to provide campus tours for prospective students and their parents. We recognize this as an integral part of our recruitment effort. We are pleased to provide such tours and both our staff and the members of the Ambassadors organization take great pride in showing our campus to prospective students and other visitors.
We are occasionally asked to provide Ambassadors for special tours for visiting groups (e.g., students who are on campus for special programs; visiting high school groups). We welcome the opportunity to assist with such groups. To ensure the quality of experience we are able to provide, we ask that these guidelines be followed when arranging and requesting special tours.
- Special tours should be arranged at least two weeks in advance to allow the Ambassador sponsor and leadership time to recruit volunteers for such tours. The director or associate director of admissions must approve requests for tours submitted on shorter notice. Please keep in mind that the Ambassadors are called upon for a number of services and must balance their Ambassador commitments with their classes.
- A campus tour should not be a required activity for a visiting group unless they are specifically visiting as prospective students. For example, students who are on our campus for a camp, conference, or workshop may or may not have an interest in touring campus. We recommend offering tours to these groups as optional activities. Requiring disinterested individuals to take a campus tour creates a challenge for the Ambassadors and often diminishes the quality of the experience for those individuals who truly do wish to take a tour.
- The Ambassador sponsor or leadership should be involved with the planning of tours from the early stages, especially for large groups. A number of factors must be considered to plan a successful tour (e.g., the total number of visitors expected, the age and interests of the visitors, the visitor to tour guide ratio, the amount of time available for tours, the date/time of the tour, other activities planned for that date).
- If the department or organization requesting the campus tour has an associated student organization that will be working with the visiting group, we encourage members of that group to assist with the tours. In some cases, it may be necessary or advantageous for the members to serve as tour guides themselves, especially for large groups for which we are unable to provide an adequate number of Ambassadors. The Ambassador sponsor and leadership will provide a brief campus tour training session for such students.
- When possible, tours should be scheduled for days that classes are in session. This will provide visitors with a better perspective of campus life and increase the probability of finding Ambassadors to provide tours (i.e., because they will be in town and on campus for classes).
- The Ambassador sponsor or leadership should be apprised of all relevant details regarding the visiting group’s schedule and should be notified promptly if plans for a special tour change. Because most of the arrangements for a tour (including number of tour guides necessary, facilities reservation, etc.) are based upon the anticipated number of participants, the visiting group should make every effort to know the number attending and to adhere to that number.
- If visiting groups have staff (e.g., chaperones or counselors), then they should be asked to accompany their students on tours and to be responsible for the behavior of their students. We recommend at least one staff member for every 15 students.
- Ambassadors are responsible for providing campus tours, not for controlling the behavior of visiting students. Departments or organizations hosting visiting groups should establish expectations for the behavior of their students. If students become disruptive on a tour, the Ambassadors are authorized to ask them to leave the tour.
As an alternative to special tours, and with the same level of advance planning and preparation as described herein, the Office of Admissions can generally provide a staff member to give a brief overview of Missouri State and/or give a presentation on planning and preparing for college.
Thank you for your assistance in following these guidelines. If you have questions, please contact Sean Kliethermes toll free at 800-492-7900, directly at 417-836-4353, or by e-mail at seankliethermes@missouristate.edu.