On June 10, 2008, CS Canada and the Fargo USEAC joined forces in "Building Bridges to Prosperity" with Canada First and organized a highly successful "Recruiting Students from Canada" Webinar. Planned and organized by CS Canada's Education Team Leader Luz Betancur in Ottawa, Commercial Assistant Judy Simonite in Vancouver, and Trade Specialist Heather Ranck in Fargo, North Dakota, the program featured guest speakers from: Colonel By Secondary School in Ottawa; the US Embassy Consular Section in Ottawa; and Minot State University in North Dakota.

With an emphasis on how to effectively recruit secondary school students in Canada, the webinar provided 35 participants with comprehensive guidance on recruiting Canadian students and valuable insights into: general trends and determinants affecting Canadian student enrollment and career objectives; student visas requirements; Canadian guidance counselor perspectives on post secondary education and the image of American colleges and universities; techniques and strategies to attract and recruit Canadian students; financial aid options; and upcoming educational events taking place in Canada.

Participant polls conducted during the webinar revealed that Canada continues to be an important recruitment market for US educational institutions. Our participants indicated that education fairs, followed by tailor-made school visits, were the preferred venues for student recruitment. Based on the success of this webinar and the feedback received from our participants, CS Canada will continue to promote U.S. educational services via our core programs and services; and will explore other promotional vehicles to assist U.S. universities and colleges with their high priority recruitment efforts in Canada.