Hobsons Helping Attract Students to Challenged Gulf Coast Schools.

Money and Marketing Assistance Will Rebuild Enrollment Numbers Lost since Hurricane Katrina 

CINCINNATI -- In the year following Hurricane Katrina, Gulf Coast communities are still struggling to rebuild their fractured way of life. Their institutions of higher learning are key to the reconstruction and vibrancy of the region. While rebuilding structures is an important goal for schools impacted by Hurricane Katrina, attracting and retaining quality incoming freshman classes are perhaps the most important factors to achieving long-term success. Some schools have seen their enrollments drop by as much as 25 percent, affecting everything from basic student services to overall recruiting and enrollment.

Hobsons, the largest provider of global education and recruitment information services, is helping colleges and universities impacted by Hurricane Katrina rebuild and recruit new students, ultimately returning normalcy to communities. Hobsons is providing financial support to each institution's hurricane relief fund, and giving each school a complimentary, visually enhanced Web tour on CollegeView.com, Hobsons' interactive college search Web site.

CollegeView.com provides comprehensive information about 5,044 two- and four-year colleges and universities in the United States to college-bound students. Offering clients free use of this powerful, visually attractive marketing tool on the most complete college search Web site will help each school regain the student inquiry levels each enjoyed prior to the hurricane.

"While financial support is always important when rebuilding after a disaster like Katrina, helping these schools strengthen their already rich educational histories by attracting quality students is CollegeView's ultimate goal," said Craig Heldman, president of Hobsons U.S. "The long-term success and growth of these schools supports not just the individual institutions but also the communities in which they are located, helping to heal everyone affected by this hurricane."

Clients benefiting from the Hobsons Gulf Coast support package are: Alcorn State University, Belhaven College, Jackson State University, Louisiana State University, Loyola University, McNeese State University, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Southern University of Baton Rouge, Tulane University, University of New Orleans and University of Southern Mississippi.

Schools that use CollegeView.com's visually enhanced Web tour get an average of 10 times more student inquiries than schools with a basic profile. Providing this marketing tool free of charge to schools in the Gulf Coast region will help them significantly boost enrollments, replenishing tuition budgets that are crucial to an institution's success and growth.

CollegeView.com and its parent company, Hobsons U.S., provide recruiting, recruitment management and retention tools that help colleges and universities meet enrollment goals while targeting specific students who are likely to thrive at each institution. Dollar amounts donated to each school were determined based on the school's enrollment and the extent of damage on the campus. The money can be used for marketing and recruiting initiatives, or to supplement any activity the school deems appropriate.

About Hobsons

Hobsons U.S. helps students of all ages make educated decisions about higher education. Hobsons develops products in a range of areas, including domestic and international publishing and enrollment technology solutions for colleges and universities. Hobsons produces print publications and Web sites enabling colleges and universities to promote their programs, and technology products to help increase personalization and efficiency of recruitment marketing. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Hobsons can be reached at 50 E-Business Way, Suite 300, Cincinnati, OH 45241, via telephone at 800-927-8439, or by fax at 800-891-8531. For more information, visit www.hobsons.com.