News

Santa Clara Recruits Law School Applicants via Avatar

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 02/02/09

Santa Clara University School of Law hosted a workshop in virtual world Second Life to help prospective students learn about applying to the law school. Posing as her own self-created avatar, "Penny Canucci," Law School Dean of Admissions Jeanette Leach welcomed visitors to an open-air seating area on "Santa Clara Island," where they could view a video from Law Dean Donald Polden (appearing in real-life video footage, not as an avatar), pose questions, and chat with each other.

"We believe we are the first law school in the United States to use Second Life to interact with prospective students," said Julia Yaffee, senior assistant dean of external relations. "We need to meet prospective students where they are, and more and more, we find potential law students in various online arenas, including virtual worlds."

The school has used its island in the past to host speaker events, including some that enabled participants to earn continuing education credits.