Thunderbird Glendale campus was home to more than 30 prospective students during the last weekend of February, and will be again two more times during the first half of 2005, in an expansion of a Hospitality Weekend program that began just two years ago.

"They are very well received by the people who attend," said Joe Miller, director of Student Services. "It's a great thing for Thunderbird to get people here. It helps our recruitment efforts a lot to get people here. There is a magic on this campus."

Potential students who have shown interest in Thunderbird are invited to spend a weekend on campus, with all housing and meals covered by the School. They are invited to join in on the festivities at the Pub and to take part in a Regional Night, which is typically scheduled to coincide with the Hospitality Weekends.

During their stay, participants, usually 50 in a group, are given tours by student ambassadors, learn about admissions requirements and share a lunch with Thunderbird professors. The highlight is a two-hour class on a business case, which is mailed to prospects before their visit, Miller said.

"The prospects come prepared so there's a lot of interaction in the class," he said. "The idea is to give them a taste of how we teach at Thunderbird."

The first group of the trimester visited the Glendale campus February 25-26, the second is schedule for March 18-19, and the third is scheduled for April 8-9. Three more weekends are planned for the winter trimester. Approximately two of every five prospects who have participated in the Hospitality Weekends have become Thunderbird students, Miller said.