About

Two Organizations. One Committee.

College Fairs Reimagined.

In the fall of 2021, the state of Michigan was still adjusting to life during and after a pandemic. With the move to virtual programming and schooling across the state, so many education professionals had to re-learn the meaning of pivoting and sharing resources, attempting a seamless transition for our students to still experience their learning in stability. Virtual events were becoming the norm, but the urge to return to in-person was weighing on the minds in the world of education. With that in mind, two professional organizations saw the opportunity to come together, combine their resources, and work more effectively to support students in Michigan.

The respective Presidents of MACAC (Michigan Association for College Admission Counseling) and MACRAO (Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers) came together for discussion about the future of college fairs. With MACRAO historically planning the college fair day/night calendar and MACAC planning the National College Fairs with NACAC, how can they capitalize on this unprecedented time to streamline a process that was divided between two organizations? 

The Michigan College Fair Committee was created.

After two years of collaboration between MACAC and MACRAO, the new streamlined process for Michigan’s College Fairs was launched in March 2023. It began with taking a deep dive into how the process was carried out. Could we make changes in this semi-broken system? The answer is yes! There is ONE committee for college fairs, with ONE email address to send out all communications and receive inquiries in return, and ONE team to manage the statewide calendar, database, and registrations. But we couldn’t do it alone!

In the background while working the old system, the committee was hard at work planning for what the future would look like. The new exclusive partnership with StriveScan was critical in building the infrastructure for that future. Dan Saavedra and his team at StriveScan have been industry leaders in the electronic lead service to streamline college fair data. Their technology, free for students, and with a small fee for organizations to utilize, will revolutionize the way Michigan plans college fairs. Live data, exporting capabilities, CRM connectivity, student profiles that stay with them through their post-secondary journey, and safe, secure data storage were all important factors to selecting them as our partners. 

We launched March 2023 with our new and revised college fair guidelines for host sites to request fairs; a new form to request college fairs that links to a database for the college day/night calendar to be built seamlessly; a new website for easy access and one place to register for college fairs in Michigan; and a committee, under both MACAC and MCARAO, that is represented by high schools, professional organizations, colleges and universities from across the state. 

We encourage you to navigate through our website and check back often for updates on college fairs, regional captains for the state of Michigan, and any committee updates. 

Contact us at micollegefairs@gmail.com