Welcome to the summer issue of Perspectives! As I write to you today, I’m reflecting on the successful NAGAP Annual Conference we enjoyed in Orlando, Fla. I enjoyed visiting with many of you as we networked and continued the important and relevant conversation on Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM) and our theme of Leadership. As you know, NAGAP is in the process of defining GEM and expanding its traditional member benefits and conversations to encompass GEM in its entirety.
In this issue you will find a summary of the presentations and conversations held in Florida, many submitted by NAGAP members who volunteered to serve the organization as recorders at the conference. You will also find reports on the Pre-Conference Institute from this year’s Fellows. I invite you to review the presentations in this context and incorporate them as best practices at your institutions.
Please join me in recognizing and celebrating the contributions of the NAGAP award recipients who were honored at the Annual Conference. I’m inspired each year as I meet each colleague honored in this way, and I enjoy learning more about the contributions they make in graduate enrollment management.
I cannot believe that my first year as president is coming to a close. My experience thus far has been very rewarding. I am impressed by the vibrancy of this organization and the hours that are volunteered by so many committed individuals engaged in a worthy cause.
In the business meeting during the Annual Conference, I was happy to report that the organization is doing well. As an organization, we are financially sound, our membership is strong and growing, and we are working to collectively define graduate enrollment management as it relates to NAGAP. Our five-year strategic plan continues to guide our governing board initiatives as we meet each quarter. We are pursuing strategic partnerships with professional associations and companies that will add value for our members, and our chapters provide regional professional development opportunities that extend the reach and relevance of our association. I look forward to this next year, NAGAP’s 27th year, and I’m certain that we will continue to mature as an organization and meet the needs of our diverse membership.
James N. Crane NAGAP President
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P E R S P E C T I V E SA Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals
Editor, Jennifer KulbeckAssistant Dean, California School of Professional PsychologyAlliant International University One Beach StreetSan Francisco, CA 94133
NAGAP Perspectives is published four times per year (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer). Articles of particular interest for publication are graduate enrollment management research/study results, how-to articles, success stories, reports of workshops/seminars, book reviews, etc.
Submissions should be sent to the editor via e-mail. Articles should be provided in Microsoft Word, with figures and photos provided separately as high-resolution TIF or EPS files. APA style is preferred for documenting sources. Submission deadlines: August 15, November 15, February 15, May 15.
NAGAP is committed to diversity and inclusiveness in all of its activities. This commitment embraces respect for differences including age, culture, disability, education, ethnicity, gender, life experiences, race, religion, and sexual orientation. NAGAP champions an open exchange of ideas in a collegial environment that embraces academic freedom, cooperation, mutual respect, and responsibility. NAGAP supports activities that promote and nurture professional development, best practices, research, and collaboration of a diverse and global community of graduate enrollment management professionals, encouraging dialogue that fosters professional growth among all of its constituents, in the US and internationally.
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uPCoMING ProFEssIoNAL dEVELoPMENToPPorTuNITIEs
Winter Institute for Advanced Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals January 23-24, 2014 San Juan, Puerto Rico
2014 Annual Conference April 30-May 3, 2014 San Diego, CA
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NAGAP BoArd MEETING hIGhLIGhTsby Kristen Sterba, NAGAP Secretary
The spring board meeting was held prior to the annual conference on April 23, 2013, in Orlando, Fla. The agenda included updates from all of the committee chairs. Some of the meeting highlights are below:
•The new NAGAP website design has been approved. The board is conducting the first round of edits to the new site, which should go live in fall 2013.
•The 2014 Annual Conference will be held April 30-May 3, 2014, in San Diego, Calif. The theme is currently being finalized.
•The Research and Global Issues committee has completed the biannual Salary Survey and is assessing members’ needs with the NAGAP 360 survey.
•The board has approved a three-year contract with AMP, the association management company. AMP has served as NAGAP’s association management company since 2006.
•Representatives from PlattForm joined the board in a discussion about possible collaborations between their organization and NAGAP.
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2013 NAGAP AWArd WINNErs
Congratulations, Tom!
Congratulations, Jens!
Future Leader AwardThe Future Leader Award honors an individual in the Association who has displayed leadership and enthusiasm both to the profession and also to the Association.
The Future Leader Award for 2013 was presented to Jens Locher, Manager of Web Strategy and Student Recruitment Initiatives in the faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of British Columbia, Canada.
Distinguished Service AwardThe Distinguished Service Award is presented to an individual who has contributed exceptional service to the profession and to the Association.
The recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Service Award is Thomas P. Rock, EdD, Past President of NAGAP and Executive Director of Enrollment Services and Director of Admission at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City.
NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, would like to congratulate its 2013 award winners. These awards were presented at NAGAP’s 26th Annual Conference on April 26, 2013, at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, Fla.
Congratulations, Shari!
Building Bridges AwardThe Building Bridges Award recognizes an individual whose efforts or initiatives have helped to build bridges of dialogue, communication and exchange within the graduate enrollment management (GEM) community and/or NAGAP.
The 2013 Building Bridges Award honoree is Shari Sekel, Director of Graduate Programs at the Goodman School of Business, Brock University in Ontario, Canada.
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Graduate Student Enrollment Management Research GrantThe Graduate Student Enrollment Management Research Grant is designed to encourage emerging knowledge and understanding of the complexities of graduate enrollment management including all aspects of admissions and recruitment, enrollment, retention and graduation in higher education.
The 2013 recipients of the Graduate Student Enrollment Management Research Grant are:
Matthew Evrard, Research Assistant in a psychology research lab and an MA candidate in Educational Leadership at San Diego State University, for his proposal entitled “Developing and Exploring the Effectiveness of an Integrated Education Training Model on Increasing Critical Thinking, Reducing Stress, and Increasing Persistence in Graduate Students.” Matthew is dedicated to the improvement of access, recruitment, enrollment, retention, persistence and graduation rates of students by using research in cognitive neuroscience to design and evaluate training programs.
Michelle Kronfeld, Associate Director of Graduate Admissions and Services at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, and a PhD candidate at the University of Iowa in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies, for her proposal entitled “Timing and Sequence of Major Life Events Related to Post-Baccalaureate Enrollment.” Her dissertation will build on the educational transitions and college-choice literature by investigating post-baccalaureate education enrollment.
Promotion of Excellence AwardThe Promotion of Excellence Award is given in recognition of new or existing methodology that clearly demonstrates best practices for other graduate enrollment management professionals. The theme for 2013 was: Advancement of Graduate Enrollment Management Through Strategic Interdepartmental Collaboration.
The recipient of the 2013 Promotion of Excellence Award is Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and Labrador, Canada, for their implementation of a comprehensive enrollment management plan with dual foci on increasing international student enrollments and enhancing student success – a plan that hinged on strategic partnerships formed with multiple service units across the institution, including Marketing and Communications, Student Recruitment, Registrar, International Centre, International Student Advising, Career Development and Experiential Learning, and the Office of the Deputy Provost (Students) and Associate Vice President (Academic) Undergraduate Studies.
Andrew Kim and Sonja Knutson, on behalf of Memorial University – Congratulations!
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NAGAP PrE-CoNFErENCE INsTITuTE: PErsPECTIVEs FroM FELLoWshIP rECIPIENTs sArA LANGsToN & BrETT dIMArZo
Reported by Sara Langston, Graduate School of Education, State University of New York at Buffalo
Attending the NAGAP Pre-Conference Institute was an engaging and infor-mative experience. The five steps to recruitment planning outlined by key-note speaker, Craig Engel, Senior Vice President of Consulting Services at Noel-Levitz, will guide my decision mak-ing during the next recruitment cycle. Although I have been in graduate admis-sions for a few years, I have not had the opportunity to strategically plan for recruitment. The five steps to recruitment planning included situation analysis, goal setting, strategies to achieve goals, developing action plans and resource requirements. This is a wonderful guide-line for anyone who works in graduate admissions and wants to develop a solid plan for their recruitment efforts.
Key recruiting strategies were also discussed during the Pre-Conference Institute. Ideas including building interest, turning interest into an application, efficient processing of applications and yielding on the application by having a student enroll in classes were brought up as impactful ways to improve your incoming graduate class.
We participated in break-out sessions to speak with other professionals about examples for each of these strategies. More specifically, each professional at the table was able to talk about what their current institution is doing to build interest, increase applications, process in a timely manner and get students to enroll in courses. These break-out sessions are a great part of the Pre-Conference Institute, allowing participants to hear what others are doing with specific examples and finding out how implementation worked so others could take those ideas back to their own offices.
The information I received at the NAGAP Pre-Conference Institute was valuable and diverse. Many of the other gradu-ate enrollment professionals I spoke with were from various types of institutions and geographic regions, providing me with insight on how certain recruitment strategies may work better depending on institution type (public, private, com-munity college, etc.), geographic region, office structure and resources available.
After attending the NAGAP Pre-Conference Institute I’ve decided that I will implement an annual recruitment plan that is consistent with the mission and goals of the Graduate School of Education at the University at Buffalo. All attendees of the Pre-Conference Institute received a graduate recruitment planning workbook provided by Noel-Levitz, which I plan to use as a guideline to begin my annual recruitment plan. The workbook outlines in detail each of the five steps in recruitment plan development. The workbook in conjunction with the break-out sessions is a great combination for beginning professionals to develop a marketing and recruitment plan.
Overall, my experience at the NAGAP Pre-Conference Institute was exciting, enlightening and relevant to the work I do on a daily basis. I would recommend it to any graduate admissions profes-sional who wants to specifically look at an issue in more depth, network with other professionals and come away with realistic ideas that can be implemented and executed successfully in a graduate enrollment management office.
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Reported by Brett DiMarzo, Suffolk University
The NAGAP Annual Conference is a powerful resource for graduate enrollment management professionals, with the ability to provide a wealth of information, encourage new ways of looking at the admission and recruitment process, and share ideas and best practices with colleagues from around the world. I have been lucky enough to attend a conference or two, but had never attended a Pre-Conference Institute. I had the distinct honor of attending this year, thanks to a Graduate Fellowship from NAGAP, and looked forward to learning and sharing with colleagues in this day-long workshop.
Led by Craig Engel from the Noel-Levitz organization, the workshop highlighted some of the issues facing graduate enrollment management professionals today and focused on ways to develop a comprehensive recruitment plan to reach our enrollment goals. Many of the issues facing graduate enrollment professionals covered in the morning session were familiar to me, such as dealing with inadequate resources, working with challenging database systems used to collect information, limiting inconsistent communication, and attempting to bridge the disconnect of enrollment expectations that may exist between administration and faculty. Comfort
came when I heard from colleagues at other colleges and universities ranging in various sizes, shapes and structures that they were dealing with the same challenges I experience. Once those issues were defined and outlined, the workshop shifted to looking at some of the ways we as graduate enrollment management professionals can create recruitment plans to meet and exceed our enrollment goals. With Craig’s help, we learned to look at ways to define the current situation at our institutions, establish clear and realistic goats to meet our objectives using historical data, develop specific strategies to meet those goals, create action plans to implement the strategies developed and determine the types of resources we need to accomplish the tasks.
Many of the themes and ideas we discussed throughout the day are immediately applicable to my work at my own university, especially as we look at enhancing our efforts in the highly competitive market in the city of Boston. The group work we did at our individual tables was very helpful, as we worked together to look at some of the ways to create strategies to achieve our institutional goals. The discussions during the workshop surrounding various processes and procedures and sharing
common issues in systems and policies also provided useful information that will help me to address topics in my own office. This will prove to be useful as we begin to develop our own robust communication plan and work with our academic programs to implement the action plan.
The Pre-Conference Institute proved to be everything I had hoped it would be, providing an opportunity to focus on a topic that would be beneficial to bring back to my office and implement immediately. The NAGAP Annual Conference is a wonderful event and the educational sessions are a great way to share tips and techniques among colleagues in a short period of time. The beauty of the Pre-Conference Institute is that you have the ability to spend more time with your graduate enrollment management colleagues from around the world, discover the details of best practices and commiserate over the common challenges facing our profession. At this stage in my career, this was a valuable experience in my own professional development, and the work I did in the Institute and the conversations I had with my fellow professionals will benefit me for years to come.
Fellows Sara Langston and Brett DiMarzo with Keith Ramsdell, Professional Development Committee Chair
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2013 CoNFErENCE sEssIoN suMMArIEs
GMAT, GRE OR NONE OF THE ABOVE: PILOTING A COMPETITIVE WAIVER PROCESS FOR STANDARDIZED TESTSPresented by Jeremiah Nelson and Lisa Thomson, UNC Charlotte, Belk College of BusinessRecorded by Kara Pangburn, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany
Belk College of Business’ pilot program for standardized test waivers is an excel-lent example of best practice for attracting applicants in a competitive market while still admitting high quality graduate students. Belk College competes in the saturated MBA mar-ket of Charlotte, N.C. Most of its competitors offer GMAT/GRE waivers or don’t require the test at all, so Belk College decided to pilot a waiver process to attract high-quality students with extensive work experience.
To market the waiver option, the admis-sions office targeted specific populations, including former graduates and colleagues of current students. The waiver was not advertised online, in order to keep the pilot program small. Instead of mass marketing, Belk College used targeted emails, held
informational sessions and provided waiver information when responding to prospective student inquiries.
In order to apply for a waiver, applicants were required to have a 3.0 undergraduate GPA and seven or more years of high-level work experience (including supervisory and direct budgeting experiences). Belk’s waiver process is not a “checkbox” process – meaning that applicants who meet the minimum criteria are not automatically granted a GMAT/GRE waiver. Rather, applicants are asked to submit a waiver application letter and a resume in addition to their application materials. Top applicants are offered an interview with a faculty/staff committee.
The rationale for Belk College’s pilot program is that significant work experience is indicative
of success in its MBA program. During the pilot program, the admissions office capped the number of waiver awards to 10-12 per year. There has been a 100% enroll rate for applicants who were awarded waivers. So far, students with waivers have been academically successful in the MBA program.
Programs that are considering implementing a waiver process should understand that the process should be data driven. Programs must be able to make the case that students with waivers are just as successful as their peers. An effective waiver process attracts the most qualified applicants who might not have otherwise considered applying without lowering standards.
A YEAR IN YOUR SHOES: SPOTTING (AND AVOIDING) LEGAL ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE ADMISSION CYCLEPresented by Joan E. Van Tol, General Council at the Law School Admission Council (LSAC)Recorded by Jennifer Walker, University of Pittsburgh, and Kevin M. Green, Brigham Young University
This session focused on the legal issues associated with obtaining applicant infor-mation during the admission process. Joan encouraged attendees to review the “outward facing” admission materials such as our application, emails, website, catalog, social media and other publications to ensure that they are current, accurate and state specifi-cally what an applicant can obtain from that program. The following questions and topics were addressed:
Questions on the Application• You need a reason to ask every question
on the application and be careful of how you ask.
• Questions about criminal background are acceptable as long as your state does not prohibit you from asking.
• You may not ask an applicant to disclose whether they have a disability by federal law. You may ask them after they have been admitted. The burden then falls on the institution, if challenged, to show that this information was not used in the admission decision. Academic entities are obligated to offer disabled students the accommodations necessary to visit
campus, but this information cannot be used in admission decisions.
Information Gathering• Have a process in place for dealing with
the information you collect on the applica-tion.
• Be careful about “automatically” denying admission based on information, such as a criminal background, provided on the application. For example, you may think it is all right to deny a nursing student based on the inability to be licensed in your state. However, a nurse doesn’t need to be licensed in the state in which the degree was earned.
Sharing Information with Applicants• Schools are NOT legally obligated to
disclose why an applicant was denied admission for any reason, even if specifically requested by the applicant.
• If this information is shared with the applicant, it is better to have a separate review board/screening process in place.
• Include a disclaimer in the application that applicants are obligated to update information should it change after the point of admission.
• Know your technical standards and be sure they’re well-defined. You can disclose technical standards to an applicant to help them make a decision whether to proceed with their application. Technical standards must be met with or without reasonable accommodations. It is not wise to deny an interview based on the assumption that the applicant would not meet the technical standards.
Communication & Records• Be careful what you put in writing. • Pick up the phone and do not leave a
detailed voicemail. • Know your record retention policies and
follow them! • If you keep records longer than required,
you will have to turn over everything you have if asked.
Test Score Use and Misuse• Programs cannot require a minimum or cut
off score for the GRE. • Look at GRE policy and other tests policies
– it’s important that you are in compliance with those policies.
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INDIA, THE SECOND LARGEST HIGHER EDUCATION MARKET IN THE WORLD: FUTURE TRENDSPresented by Sudarshan Saha, EducationUSA, and Adina Lav, George Washington University Reported by Erin Degerman, Duke University
This presentation focused on India’s growing undergraduate population, its education system and its recruiting practices.
Over the last ten years, the number of undergraduate institutions in India more than doubled from 265 to 621. With this increase has come a natural increase in the number of students interested in graduate school. Graduate schools in India are generally ranked lower because of the lack of research, and students’ inability to find suitable positions following graduation. Of those unable to find a position after college, many have three-year degrees that do not equip them well enough to find suitable employment. As such, many of these students are attracted to master’s degree programs.
As for recruiting in India, Adina Lav discussed the efforts of George Washington University to cultivate a recruiting presence in India. She articulated the goal of finding quality students by fostering relationships with institutions. They partner with EducationUSA, participate in fairs and visit schools independently. They have targeted second-tier schools, eschewing the top IITs that have most of their graduates going on to top jobs after college. Facebook has been an effective social media tool. Adina and her team found that making the effort to visit twice a year, even with the high cost of travel, is worth it since it correlates to a higher yield. They also have been able to set realistic expectations like master’s degrees
not being funded and encouraging students to have extracurricular experience as part of their undergraduate background.
Lastly, there was some discussion about the preparation of students with three-year college degrees. The consensus was to approach the school and the degree independently and determine on an independent basis if the coursework of the application adequately prepared them for the master’s degree program.
A BEGINNER’S JOURNEY INTO MARKETING & RECRUITMENTPresented by Misty Stewart, Elizabeth Brooks and Jameelah Habibi, Missouri State UniversityRecorded by Jill McEvoy, School for Graduate Studies at Empire State College
As a self-proclaimed “newbee” to graduate marketing and recruitment, when Misty Stewart attended the NAGAP Conference in Austin, Texas, in April of 2012, she was looking for some guidance from her colleagues. While she received great advice, Misty still felt that she needed more to help her establish a successful marketing and recruitment program for her office.
In building a new system for recruitment management in her office, Misty met with seasoned employees and reviewed the common practices prior to her tenure. In her quest, she found it was necessary to take the initiative and “dig deeper” in order to uncover processes that worked and those that may have hindered the marketing and recruitment process. Through hardcopy information, shared files on their computer systems as well as reports from their data
systems, Misty was able to pinpoint areas that were lacking attention through data analysis, mainly Google Analytics, in order to quantify the number of prospects visiting their website, the location of these prospects and the popular keywords that drew them to the website. Other metrics like the number of visits and page clicks per visit were also obtained.
From the data she gathered, Misty was able to implement new marketing and recruitment initiatives through relationship building with customers, agile marketing strategies, positive psychology and the hiring of graduate students who were key in regard to peer-to-peer communication, offering new insights and ideas as well as having the time to develop new initiatives and marketing materials.
In this yearlong process of developing new recruitment and marketing strategies, Misty identified the following points to be the most helpful and important to her success:
• Dig for information• Run reports and compare data• Utilize Google Analytics• Relook at your website• Connect with your customers and build
positive relationships• Take advantage of social media outlets• Use positive psychology in dealing with
customers• Utilize the local talent – hire graduate
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FERPA BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASKPresented by LeRoy Rooker, AACRAOReported by Katherine Beczak, Corcoran College of Art + Design
The primary rights of students under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) were reviewed. Under FERPA, students have the right to inspect and review their education records, to seek to amend those records and to have some control over the disclosure of information from education records. With this basic definition in mind, the presentation moved forward to cover not only the classification of education records, but also to which educational agencies and institutions these policies apply.
Mr. Rooker reviewed the responsibilities of institutions to notify their students about FERPA rights, the rights of students to review and inspect their education records and the procedures for amending education records. Additionally, he discussed the disclosure of personally identifiable information from education records, focusing specifically on when prior student consent is required, and also explaining exceptions to the consent requirements. Finally, record keeping policies
and FERPA enforcement procedures were reviewed.
Mr. Rooker, a senior fellow with AACRAO, is clearly an expert in FERPA law, and provided engaging examples of FERPA violations and questions he has encountered throughout his career. He also acknowledged that gray areas of FERPA law exist. Additional resources and reference materials were provided to school officials for future use.
IMPLEMENTING DIVERSITY & INCLUSION RETENTION INITIATIVES: LEVERAGING INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCES & PROGRAMMATIC EXPERIENCE IN GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT (GEM)Presented by Colleen Gabauer and Aria Halliday, Purdue UniversityReported by Diane Cook, University of Arkansas
Institutionalizing diversity and inclusion retention activities enhances the experiences for students, faculty and staff on a campus. However, schools struggle with planning and implementing these programs for a variety of factors including lack of resources, lack of personnel who can focus on it and other issues. The presenters provided descriptions of activities they implemented in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Programs at Purdue University—programs that allowed them to really get to know the students they were striving to serve and also allowed them to provide a number of programs with few resources.
Programs and activities included a faculty/staff panel who talked about their career paths and how it led them to their current positions, as well as a feature presentation about personal identity. They also held
regularly scheduled focus groups of students to “take the pulse” of the student populations and assess their needs.
The second segment of the presentation included discussion groups. Issues surfaced that are faced by many in Graduate Education Management, including:• The need for underrepresented faculty
members in graduate study• Trying to serve many diverse populations
whose needs may be different—i.e., underrepresented, international, LGBT, age diversity
• A lack of institutional will to change inclusiveness on the campus.
Suggestions that came from the group to address each of these challenges included:• Actively recruit underrepresented faculty
members through groups like the Southern
Regional Education Board (SREB) Doctoral Scholars Program (www.sreb.org)
• Host focus groups of various student populations in order to determine how to best serve them. Engage these students in planning and implementing programs, activities and presentations.
• Develop advocates among campus offices who will partner organize activities that foster diversity and inclusion on the campus.
The presenters advised the audience to start small, but start: conduct one or two events each year if that is what they can do. Identify campus advocates, enlist a group of interested graduate students and accomplish what you can each semester. Through your activities, the focus on inclusion will grow over time.
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SUCCESSFUL POLICIES AND PROCESSES IN DECENTRALIZED ONLINE PROGRAM ADMISSIONSPresented by Tara Wessel and Rick Garcia, University of Southern California, and Susan Grogan Ikerd, 2U, Inc.Reported by Stephanie Hill, Graduate Program Coordinator II, The University of Texas at Austin
This panel discussed how they have moved from the conventional admissions processes due to increased application volume and decentralized their online admissions process at USC with the services of Enrollment Services 2U, Inc. The respective program departments now have the responsibility for their own application process. For instance, Rossier now maintains its own admission staff to perform the duties previously handled by the central USC Office of Graduate Admission. Individual programs assumed responsibilities for: the review of applications and GPA; review of international and domestic academic credentials; prescreening of potential international applicants for advising; processing of admissions decisions; enforcement of admission policy compliance; policy updates and training for 2U admissions counseling staff.
Decentralization allowed departments to provide accurate program and admissions information; counsel applicants that apply specifically to their department; receive and process application materials; process admissions decisions; and overall enrollment support. Enrollment Services 2U, Inc. is the outside counseling company hired by USC to provide accurate program and admissions information. It communicates admissions requirements to applicants and admissions counselors; authenticates and verifies all required application materials; requests missing documents; performs initial GPA calculations; prepares file for faculty review and communicates admission decisions to applicants on behalf of the program.
Following the decentralization, the role of the Office of Graduate Admissions at USC has changed significantly. The OGA is now responsible for monitoring and communicat-ing all policy changes and University policies
to stakeholders, reviewing international and domestic academic credentials and qualifica-tions and providing training and development for new Rossier and 2U staff.
The relationship between USC and 2U is a collaborated effort, and each member of the panel expressed how important service and communication was to making this process successful. Service expectations are to determine whom the customer is, to offer office hours and advising in different time zones and to provide white glove service. Communication is important and by implementing formalized feedback loops among the stakeholders, the impact that the institution can have would be dramatically improved. The overall decentralized admission allows each department to customize the application process to the type of applicant it wants to attract into its program area.
FOUR FRAMES OF LEADERSHIP: STRATEGIC APPROACHES FOR TACTICAL DECISIONSPresented by Joshua LaFave, State University of New York, College at Potsdam; Chris Connor, State University of New York, University at Buffalo; and Sean-Michael Green, Higher Education ExecutiveReported by Hee-Young Park, PhD, Boston University School of Medicine
Mr. LaFave opened the session with a statement that leadership is not in the title, but is the ability to make decisions that will produce a desired outcome. Two factors that are routinely used to derive final decisions are perception (immediate or intuitive recognition) and comprehension (interpretation of the surroundings). Perception and/or comprehension can vary depending on the lenses or frames through which a situation is being viewed and often misreading occurs, causing unexpected outcomes.
Mr. LaFave and colleagues proposed that we examine how we perceive, think and make decisions based on the four frames model proposed by Bolman and Deal (Reframing Organization: Artistry, Choice and Leadership, 2004).
The four frames that Bolman and Deal proposed are:
Structural: top-down decision making model where the rules, roles, goals, policies,
technology and environment play a key role. Problems arise when the structure does not fit the situation. Human Resources: decisions are made based on needs, skills, relationships and empowerment of people. Problems arise when the fit is poor and people tend to withdraw. Political: power, conflict, advocacy, bar-gaining, negotiation, coercion, compromise and coalition are used in the decision making. Problems arise when power is not appropriately placed or distributed. Symbolic: culture, ritual, ceremony, inspiration and meaning play key role in decision making. Problems arise when symbols lose their meaning.
Each frame offers strengths and weaknesses, therefore, reframing may be necessary for each situation in order to have most desired outcome. Reframing is not scientific, but rather an art where new experiences can
bring new frames, renewed comprehen-sion, and potentially, new decision. John Kotter proposed that initiating and reframing changes should involve creating an uplift-ing vision and strategy, empowering people, demonstrating a visible symbol of progress, sticking with the process and nurturing and shaping a new culture (Leading Change: why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Review, March/April 1995).
After learning about the four frame model, each attendee then answered a questionnaire to assess his/her dominant frame, followed by case discussions on how to reframe for the desired outcomes. Understanding the four frame model and the importance of reframing when needed are keys to effective leaderships with desired outcomes in the graduate enrollment management.
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EDUCATIONUSA: YOUR OVERSEAS PARTNERS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT RECRUITMENTPresented by Doreen John, Clarence Fu and Munkyeong Yu, EducationUSAReported by Colleen Flynn Thapalia, The College of Saint Rose
Doreen John, Education Coordinator for EducationUSA in Malaysia, started the session by surveying the audience concerning the benefits of having international students on campus. Answers included diversity, new perspectives, help in development of skills and knowledge in the students’ home countries, public diplomacy … and tuition revenue.
Enumerating the advantages of working with EducationUSA offices, Doreen spoke about the support available from the Department of State’s 400+ advising centers in 170 countries, which can reach students with information about issues like programs of study, admission requirements, and scholarships.
EducationUSA’s website, EducationUSA.state.gov, includes a section titled, “for US higher education professionals.” By obtaining a login to this portion of the site, higher education professionals can obtain additional information like country fact sheets and educational system overviews. It’s also a good place to post updates for the “weekly update” about scholarships and new programs on your campus. Another recommendation was for admissions offices to add the EducationUSA logo to pages designed to inform international applicants; this adds credibility and authenticity.
Upcoming events for EducationUSA include the annual Forum, which takes place each June. Other opportunities to get involved include virtual EducationUSA Connects sessions, which are streamed live and
recorded. These can connect institutions with prospective students, as well as with advisers.
Clarence Fu, an EducationUSA adviser in the Fulbright Taiwan office, noted that advising centers provide information about getting connected with local educational institutions, such as lists of accredited institutions. They manage onsite visits for visiting recruiters, with briefings about a country’s education systems and an overview of the market. They answer representatives’ questions, provide venues for presentations, and organize online “visits” through Adobe Connect.
The presenters shared video from Korea showing a presenter who recorded a “hot tip” for applicants while at the center for a recruitment event. Another example, from Taiwan, emphasized the availability of recordings later on YouTube.
Munkyeong Yu, Senior Adviser for Fulbright Korea, emphasized the importance of mobilizing an institution’s current students and recent alumni, especially to help present in local languages. This increases participation and questions from prospective applicants. She encouraged attendees to promote EducationUSA-hosted events using their own networks, like in-house inquiry lists. She recommended traveling with representatives from other universities, like a State consortia, or institutions with similar programs. For presentations, the speakers recommended picking attractive topics like financial aid/scholarship, and CPT/OPT policies would be popular.
Presenters recommended that attendees explore partnering with the Fulbright program. US institutions can host scholars, researchers and language teachers. Encouraging your institution’s graduates to apply as outbound Fulbrighters, such as in the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) program, can shine the spotlight on your college or university, with free publicity. Participating as a Fulbright host campus can also diversify your international student body.
Partnering with Fulbright alumni is another good way to maximize the impact of participation in the Fulbright program. Senior alumni and recent alumni make good ambassadors. Presenters noted that keeping a database of alumni, supporting alumni groups and associations, and getting alumni assistance with translation and presentation are all ways to keep alumni engaged and enthusiastic about your institution.
In response to an audience question about how recruiters with little international experience could get started, presenters encouraged everyone to get an EducationUSA login, and connect with Regional Education Advising Coordinators (REACs). They also recommended that anyone attending a fair or expo be prepared to answer all questions concerning the institution – undergraduate, ESL, etc – even if those are not the programs the recruiter is specifically recruiting for.
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DEVELOPING A LINKEDIN MARKETING STRATEGY FOR GRADUATE STUDENTSPresented by Cathy Mahuriny and Aaron Coffey, Avila UniversityReported by Lauren Humphrey, University of Bridgeport
Cathy Mahurin and Aaron Coffey shared a presentation titled, “LinkedIn: the good, the bad and the rest.”
The Good
Cathy shared her positive experiences using LinkedIn. Though she and her colleagues initially had reservations about LinkedIn, Cathy decided to begin researching how LinkedIn members used the site. Did they look for jobs, keep up with news, and/or seek endorsements? In a cost saving move, the Avila University’s MBA students were tasked with surveying LinkedIn users. After the research, Cathy decided to move ahead with a LinkedIn marketing strategy.
With an initial budget of $2,000, Cathy was able to set up her LinkedIn marketing
strategy in just a few hours with relative ease. She recommended considering your budget, your target audience and the logical degrees to use as a pilot. Most importantly, allow for experimentation and continue to tweak. The strength of a LinkedIn strategy is the ability to tailor your message, so it is necessary to consistently adjust your message to fit your audience. Cathy estimated that 30-40 quality leads result monthly from her LinkedIn efforts.
The Bad
Aaron presented a counter example. He stopped his LinkedIn marketing strategy when it resulted in zero leads. Aaron theorized that the counseling program he works with may not lend itself to the LinkedIn strategy. On
the positive side, as Aaron framed it, another benefit to the LinkedIn marketing strategy is the ease with which you can terminate it.
The Rest
Advice and input from the attendees:• Post on other’s LinkedIn pages• Use geo-targeting for satellite campuses• Use your institution’s alumni network• Be sure to get buy-in from stakeholders• Link up your institution’s Facebook and
LinkedIn• Use Google Analytics to confirm LinkedIn’s
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INNOVATIVE PRACTICES IN GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT Presented by Rahul Choudaha, World Education Services, and Evan Nelson, The University of North Dakota Recorded by Gwen Byrd, Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy
Rahul started the session off by discussing the decline in graduate applications and the need for graduate programs to adapt and utilize innovative technology, partnerships and research to maximize international student recruitment. Although graduate programs will have to be more creative in developing new enrollment management strategies, it is still important utilize current proven strategies.
Evan focused on the importance for graduate programs to “listen” anew to the criticisms and accolades and suggestions of their
students, prospects and competitors. He emphasized the value of student surveys, focus groups and general interaction with students as a mechanism for determining the process and strategies that work and those that do not.
Two key factors in developing innovative practices are starting a dialogue and building the personal relationship with prospective students. Innovation does not, and likely should not replace the personal touch. With all the automated emails that go out, enrollment managers sometimes forget
the first priority of an email: to encourage a reply. Rahul discussed the importance of schools to think differently when creating email campaigns. The right subject line that grabs the attention of the reader can spur prospects to open the email and hopefully respond, thereby making the campaign more effective.
After the presentation, the presenters offered the audience a chance to share some of the innovative ideas their programs are implementing and to ask questions.
MAKING THE CONNECTION: TODAY’S STUDENT AND YOUR INTEGRATED MARKETING STRATEGYPresented by Vince Giambalvo and Joe Mulvihill, Plattform Recorded by Lauren Smith, Medical University of South Carolina, College of Health Professions
Over the years the behavior of student consumers (higher education seekers) has changed a great deal. Prospective students are going to search longer while interacting with a school’s brand and inquire later in their search. They are going to use a variety of devices before making a decision. On average, education seekers conduct 10 queries, visit 16 web pages, and request information from four schools before converting to an entering student. It is key for your school to be as visible in as many places as possible, prepare for a longer lead time, and invest in a strong advertising mix to stay on the top of the minds of prospective students.
Vince Giambalvo and Joe Mulvihille from Plattform introduced the audience to the Four-Screen Approach. The four screens
are: Television, Computer, Tablet, and Smartphone. These are the devices which are now playing a big role in a prospective student’s decision-making process; the internet still being a top source for digital leads (that is why a school needs a solid website) and mobile device searches gaining in popularity. Consumers use multiple devices to accomplish goals and by the year 2016, it is expected mobile devices will exceed desktop searches for the first time in history. Schools will want a Responsive Web Design. The marketing strategy for your school should be a website with a customized experience, as well as edits made in one place that update everywhere and is easily recognizable on any device. Every school needs SEO (Search Energy Optimization) along with brand components
that are consistent with the focus on a user’s experience – easy navigation on each screen with shortened formats for tablets and smartphones having clickable numbers. The audience was left with the “homework” of researching the path that prospective students take to become an entering student, their media habits, trends and behaviors, how a brand is present across all four screens, auditing what is currently being done, and determining improvements and revisions to be made to the integrated marketing strategy.
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WHAT’S WORKING IN GRADUATE RECRUITMENT PRACTICES? THE RESULTS OF THE NOEL-LEVITZ/NAGAP NATIONAL SURVEYPresented by Kristen Sterba, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Janice Miller, Noel-LevitzRecorded by Lisa Thomson, UNC Charlotte
Trying to determine the most effective ways to recruit students is paramount to our jobs in graduate admissions. In this session, Kristen Sterba and Janice Miller discussed key highlights from the first Noel-Levitz/NAGAP national survey on recruitment practices for master’s level graduate pro-grams. The majority of the session centered around a review of the top 10 most effective strategies by institution type, based on the categories of public or private and Carnegie institutional type. The main themes focused
on the importance of financial aid/scholar-ships, personal communication from current students or faculty, and websites – many of these concepts transcend institutional type. Interestingly, the survey illustrates those strat-egies that are viewed as effective, but are currently underutilized in the field.
After the general discussion, the survey results targeting the recruitment of special populations and the admissions funnel metrics were briefly described. Several
audience members asked questions about the details of the survey, including the response rate, the use of perception-based questions, and ways to gauge return on investment for different strategies listed in the survey. The presenters described the research process and encouraged future participation on NAGAP surveys from members.
The full survey report, including an appendix that describes methodology, is available at nagap.org.
TRANSNATIONAL EDUCATION: COMPLICATIONS WITH SOLUTIONSPresented by Marybeth Gruenewald, Educational Credential Evaluators; Ken Warren, Educational Perspectives; and Nancy Barrett, George Mason UniversityRecorded by Jaclyn Farina, Brandeis University
Marybeth Gruenewald, Ken Warren and Nancy Barrett gave an overview of Transnational Education (TNE) including definitions, varieties, challenges and benefits. They summarized TNE as higher education activities operating parallel to and outside the official higher educational system of the host country. Varieties of TNE include study abroad, overseas training centers, branch campuses, franchises, summer language programs, off-shore institutions, international institutions, distance education, and programs with large corporations.
Marybeth and Ken reviewed several transcript examples discussing the importance of different factors when evaluating TNE programs including faculty comparisons, program and course comparison, determining which institution administers examinations and which controls admissions, relationship between the institutions, who retains the academic records, comparing educational opportunities at both institutions,
and degree programs and credentials, reviewing website, catalogs or syllabi to see if the institutions define the program.
Nancy discussed TNE programs established by George Mason University including study abroad programs; exchange programs; policy and cooperation programs; dual degree programs in China and Russia; and a new campus being established in South Korea. Mason invests in their programs and their Office of International Programs and Services serves students before and after arrival.
Benefits of TNE relationships at Mason include: increase in cultural activities, support in language institutions, and stronger connections to international students and the community. Mason’s dual degree program with Chinese university partners began with four universities in 2005 growing to 20 universities. Students live on campus with non-Chinese roommates, and participate in organized activities designed
to encourage U.S. and Chinese students to learn from each other becoming friends. Participating students are encouraged to join extracurricular activities. Mason hopes to have more faculty opportunities to travel and work in China, to strengthen connection with alumni involved in the program, and for Mason students to study in China.
Problems and challenges with TNE include the absence of global regulation, quality assurance, diploma mills, and lack of information regarding TNE programs. Takeaways for best practices: post transparent information about the program; establish standards that are comparable to the home institution; staff should be knowledgeable about the program including its instructors, research and requirements for admission and graduation; and be able to communicate the information to those inquiring. TNE institutions should issue official documents that are conspicuous and reliable.
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BEST PRACTICES FOR A PAPERLESS APPLICATION & REVIEW PROCESSPresented by Lindsay Gentile, NC State University; Liz Hutton, Duke University; and Dean Tsantir, University of MinnesotaRecorded by Carl P. Wainscott, Marquette University
Panel presenters covered the benefits of moving to a paperless application and review process and the challenges in creating processes that are user-friendly to applicants, reviewers and admission staff. Though the presenters had a common application vendor, they each created unique processes that fit with student information systems and institutional needs.
Applicants initiate the paperless process by completing an online application and submitting supporting documents, including unofficial transcripts, for initial review. Applicants request letters of recommendation via the online application system which notifies recommenders of the process to upload letters. Each school represented has an online system to check the application status and access the admission decision. Applicants have readily accepted the process.
Departmental and institutional stakeholders have proven to be a more challenging
audience. The presenters found that once buy-in was gained the majority of the stakeholders agreed that the paperless process was easier, more secure and more efficient. Clear communication with institutional stakeholders and backing from central leadership are important components to help gain support. One institution even saw a decrease in the use of supplemental applications as departments became more confident in the paperless process, eliminating redundancies from the paper-based system.
Creating an efficient system was the impetus behind moving to a paperless system, but other benefits were presented. Paperless systems reduce manual data entry, reducing errors. Paperless application systems are more secure, eliminating lost materials at home, in an office, meeting room or other location. Furthermore, application materials could now be accessed as long as a user had a computer and internet connection,
allowing the review process to take place virtually anywhere.
The presenters provided key takeaways for attendees who had not yet made the change to an electronic process: • Speak with faculty to know their needs
prior to designing a system • Provide a toolkit that users can refer to for
quick self-help• Review the process annually with all
stakeholders • Talk to your vendors about what other
institutions are doing
The session closed with a lively audience question and answer portion, which underscored how varied institutional needs are and how creatively others have met with and overcome challenges in creating their own paperless application and review process.
CHINESE SOCIAL MEDIA: WHICH PLATFORM DO I USE, AND HOW DO I ENGAGE STUDENTS?Presented by Jonathan Cheney, Zinch Reported by Erin Degerman, Duke University
Cheney presented an overview of social media in China giving useful comparisons to similar vehicles in the United States. The presence of social media in China looms large both with students and their parents. In Chinese culture parents are often the decision makers and should be part of the audience mix.
In exploring how people use social media, Cheney explained that information is normally garnered through Sina Weibo which is a microblogging site similar to Twitter. Unlike Twitter, it is searchable. For connecting with friends, RenRen, a tool similar to Facebook, is used. However, Cheney discouraged universities using
RenRen as a tool to disperse information since that is not its primary use. It is better suited for promoting community with admitted or enrolled students. Youku is a similar tool to YouTube. Facebook and YouTube are not allowed in China.
Setting up an institutional or program account for Weibo can be difficult as the website is in Mandarin and there is an approval process to be recognized as an official entity. Zinch has been approved to mediate (free of cost) setting up Weibo accounts for institutions.
Cheney also highlighted some best practices using Weibo. First, institutions
are encouraged to have current students help them create a presence by posting personal experiences. Frequent posting is encouraged with one post per day to be considered active, while three posts per day is optimal. Posting during peak traffic hours of evenings, Fridays and Mondays is best. As an institution, seek to inform by highlighting accomplishments of past alumni, showing photos, posting an English “Word of the Day” and having students talk about their experience. If your staff cannot post in Mandarin, you can post in English, which is better than nothing. Translation tools are discouraged.
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STRENGTH THROUGH UNITY: FOCUSING FACULTY RELATIONSHIPS THROUGHOUT THE RECRUITMENT PROCESSPresented by Jesse Homan, Johnnie Johnson and Ben Davis, Marymount UniversityRecorded by Misty Stewart, Missouri State University
This special interest forum focused primarily on institutions with centralized graduate admission offices and their relationships with faculty. The primary challenge graduate admission professionals face with faculty is getting them to attend and participate in recruitment events. The goal of the session was for the audience members to actively participate by offering positive solutions to working with faculty while building strong relationships.
However, building these relationships with faculty will take time. The presenters offered several ideas to consider:
• Be mindful of scheduling appointments and/or events around the faculty schedules. By doing this, it allows the faculty to be more involved.
• Offer incentives, such as food, or let the faculty who are known to be good presenters speak at the events.
• Get the Deans and Department Heads involved and ask them to encourage their faculty to attend and participate in events.
• Talk to staff members who work directly with the faculty and ask them for ideas on how to build better relationships.
Audience members offered the current practices being utilized at their institutions: classroom presentations, program information sessions, webinars and withholding of funding for fellowships and/or assistantships for lack of participation.
Also throughout the session, the importance of communication was emphasized. It was suggested communicating with faculty at least once a week to build rapport and trust which will create an open line of communication and help strengthen the relationship between faculty and graduate admission professionals.
DISSERTATION BOOT CAMP: FROM NAGAP TO UT AND BACKPresented by Marilyn Lehman, Lauren Apter Bairnsfather, Kimberly Terry and Roella Rios, The University of Texas at AustinReported by Michele Taylor, Texas Southern University
The session focused on the importance of providing hands-on guidance to graduate students who are working to complete their doctoral degree requirements. The presenters explained the challenges they faced, including a lack of significant data collected to track retention and attrition or time to degree completion, in order to convince the administration, faculty and students of the positive impact that the Dissertation Boot Camp project would have on retention and graduation rates for doctoral students.
The Dissertation Boot Camp will launch this Summer 2013 (May 27-31 and June 3-7, 2013) at the University of Texas, with 11 students from the College of Liberal Arts. Seven faculty members have agreed to be mentors and volunteered to provide the necessary skills to get the students back on track or give them a kick-start toward
preparing their dissertation. The students will meet each day from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to engage in activities such as learning how to collect research, developing a relationship with your advisor, improving writing skills, dealing with stress and eating healthy. Faculty and staff presentations will be held each day to teach students about the most effective way to do literature reviews and communicate well with their research advisor. There will also be 3-hour blocks of time set aside each day for students to work on their dissertations. The students will work with a writing coach to enhance their strengths and work through their weaknesses. A wellness professional will give time for exercise, yoga and meditation to help students handle stressful situations and revive them when they are in a lull. A nutritionist will be available to offer suggestions for healthy eating.
The program has been designed to offer a holistic approach to ensure success in facing the task of completing the dissertation. The pros of the project include the opportunity for students and faculty to form good rela-tionships while preparing the dissertation, to assist struggling students to get back on track with their research, to improve their writing ability, and to complete the doctoral degree and get started on a successful career.
The complete Dissertation Boot Camp project includes mechanisms to track students, address attrition issues, and encourage students to complete and graduate within the required timeframe. The presenters anticipate the Dissertation Boot Camp to prove successful as the participants and volunteers see the positive impact that it will have on the departments, college and university.
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EXCEEDING GRADUATE RECRUITMENT GOALS SIMPLY BY SWITCHING MARKETING TACTICSPresented by Stephanie Judge, Butler University, and Joe Petrucci, Waybetter MarketingReported by Elizabeth Brooks, Missouri State University
This presentation gave an overview of how to successfully raise enrollments in a short amount of time with a limited budget and an administrator asking for more students. The presenters put together a one-to-one marketing platform in order to raise enrollment for Butler University’s Graduate College for the Fall of 2012. This marketing strategy focused on individualizing each prospective student’s experience with the University.
The one-to-one marketing campaign consisted of 4 key elements:1. Purchasing GMAT and GRE scores based
on key target geographic areas.2. Implementing an individualized and tested
target message.3. Tracking all prospective students’
movements.4. Automating reports to record click activity.
Butler created a one-to-one platform by implementing microsites not to rebrand the
University but repurpose the message the University wanted prospective students to receive. Microsites give prospective students an individualized experience tailored to their specific interests in the University. They also serve as data collection to capture clicks within the site. Anyone clicking the “Apply Now” link are captured and receive a personal follow-up email from a member of the graduate college.
The presenters stressed personalizing all connections and making all forms of communication clean, simple, and uniform. The clearest message a student should receive from a prospective graduate college is that there is someone on the other side of the email that is ready and willing to help that prospective student with whatever they need it if possible. Any e-mail sent to students should also have limited calls to action attached to the e-mail. One call to action makes the student more likely to click view the contents, rather than multiple
possibilities and the student choosing to view none of them.
The presenters also gave creative ideas on ways to better reach prospective students. Parents of many undecided business undergraduate students have received e-mails and information about Butler University’s Accelerated Accounting Master’s program. By contacting young undergraduate students’ parents the University created a new target market and has experienced a large increase in enrollments in their accelerated accounting program not long after the information was sent to parents.
The key take-aways from this presentation were that personalization and constant simple follow up are the most effective tools in creating a relationship with prospective students.
2013 CoNFErENCE sEssIoN suMMArIEs CoNTINuEd
A special thank you to Hobsons, Platinum Sponsor of NAGAP's 2013 Annual Conference,
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GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIPS AND OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING IN LATIN AMERICAN FOR GRADUATE STUDY ABROADPresented by Rosemarie C. Arens, Education USA, and Ana Villaviciencio, USD Center Fulbright CommissionReported by Wendy Pederson, University of South Dakota
The presenters covered the different types of funding a student can receive in Latin America, the different programs from the government specifically for study abroad and how to help students access these opportunities. Education USA is a U.S. State department network of hundreds of advising centers in 170 countries. They assist in putting in one place a database of universities and financial aid assistance from different countries.
They follow countries in Latin America currently providing scholarship programs of
some type for graduate study: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic and Panama.
Brazil has a goal of 9,000 fully funded grad students in U.S. PhD programs for study in STEM fields.
Ecuador wants to build scientific, academic and technological networks to help shape opportunites in the future. To this goal they have three different programs for financial assistance: Open Competition Scholarships, University Faculty Scholarships and
Universidades de Excelencia Scholarships, as well as IECE loans for students. Chile will offer up to two years of MS funding and four years of PhD funding for graduate students. Peru will offer the same for students who meet the eligibility requirements. Panama has a goal of 830 scholarships at the graduate level for study abroad.
The point is to put these countries on the map in scientific and fine arts knowledge. There is a need to make these funding sources better known to the general public to assist the students in getting that funding.
ENGAGING THE GLOBE: UNDERSTANDING THE NEW GENERATION OF INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDENTS Presented by Pamela Barrett, Barton Carlyle; Kristin Williams, George Washington University; and Edwin Van Rest, European Association for International Education (EAIE)Reported by Diane Cook, University of Arkansas
Pamela Barrett introduced the International Student Barometer (ISB), a widespread survey tool that provides colleges and universities across the globe with insight into the current needs and desires of international students. It is a whole population survey that is pro-vided only to Barton Carlyle members (it is not published) and is confidential to its users. Some of the current survey results suggest that: Agents are most used by Chinese stu-dents to find graduate study programs, and of those students most learned about the agent by word of mouth; also, that “employ-ability” was among the top reasons for choosing one school above others.
Kristin Williams discussed George Washington University’s use of the International Student Barometer to increase awareness of international students’ wants and needs, to better target their communica-tions to various international student groups, and to better manage international student expectations upon arrival in the U.S. She described the process they used to get the majority of their international students to complete the ISB survey. Her university also developed workshops for career develop-ment for their international students so they would be prepared to enter the job market upon completion of their degrees.
Edwin Van Rest spoke about how to engage students before arrival and after they arrive on campus. He suggested a separate Facebook page not related to admissions, and how to develop better and more effec-tive communication among and for students.
Using the International Student Barometer is a good way for colleges to know the dif-ferences in various international populations and the issues and concerns that are unique to each. Preparing to address these concerns goes a long way toward creating satisfaction for international graduate students.
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PLAYING CAREER SNAKES AND LADDERS AS AN ENROLLMENT PROFESSIONAL: MAKING THE RIGHT MOVES TO ADVANCE YOUR CAREERPresented by Sonja Kutson and Andrew Kim, Memorial University of NewfoundlandRecorded by Tracy Collum, High Point University
The presenters provided audience members with two steps to start with when advancing their career.
Step 1 – Self-Assessment: Look at prior goals, peer benchmarking, perception by others and then a gap assessment. The gap assessment helps to find career gaps in the following areas: knowledge (content and/or institution), skill and attitude gaps and how to address these areas to reduce the gaps. Some ways to reduce these gaps would be to look at an institution’s mission and strategic plan and make yourself a fit (knowledge), show you want to further skills and are willing to do more (skills), and develop a collabora-tive attitude and be the person others want to invite to meetings (attitude).
Step 2 – Career Planning which included five ladders to work on climbing for career purposes.
Ladder 1 – Getting Stuff Done: Do as much as you can and find the time to do more. Be a “can do” person to gain more responsibil-ity than just your job description.
Ladder 2 – Finding a Mentor: Formal or informal, this expands networks and provides more knowledge.
Ladder 3 – Training and Professional Engagement: Career progression is job security; use professional development opportunities within the university for advancement.
Ladder 4 – Getting your Props: Grow your positive digital footprint (Google yourself) and see how others perceive you, contribute to scholarly/professional areas to be recognized, and find awards to apply for or which you qualify for and ask your supervisor to nominate you.
Ladder 5 – Advancement: This is not just higher job titles now, could be a lateral move. Be aware of opportunities around you.
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY: MAKING SMART SOCIAL MARKETING DECISIONSPresented by Marcus Hanscom, University of New HavenReported by Emily Schrag, University of Pennsylvania
Marcus Hanscom did an excellent job of helping the session’s attendees understand social media and how to integrate it effectively as a 4th pillar in our marketing efforts in GEM (along with print, online and direct mail).
Social media communications should be: transparent, conversational, personal and in real-time. Your voice needs to be reflective of the culture of your institution as well as the type of relationship you want to develop in engaging applicants/students. This can be tricky if you have multiple people contributing to social media platforms, so try to make 1-2 people in charge for consistency.
Major social media platforms and facts/tips:• Facebook: 7 billion users; must have an
administrator (individual account) to make a school page
• Twitter: 182 million users; can “leech” content by following prominent industry leaders and re-tweeting them
• Pinterest: 104 million users; not for advertising but great for branding
• LinkedIn: 86 million users; most male users: 50/50 gender split; 50% have bachelor’s or master’s degree
When you are starting out be sure that you know what your goal is (awareness, engagement, etc.) so that you can
appropriately determine the types of content you want to post: 1) direct self-promotion (Admissions events, announcements) 2) indirect self-promotion (University news, local information) or 3) altruistic self-promotion (graduate school tips, financial aid tips, job postings) and who will be contributing: 1) staff, 2) current students, 3) alumni, 4) faculty.
It is important to remember when developing your social media portfolio that being on too many networks doesn’t do you any good. If you are on a network but you’re not present, it’s not helpful and even detrimental, so don’t be afraid to start small and build from there!
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SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHING NEW GRADUATE PROGRAMSPresented by Margaret Smolin and Nicole Vitale, Felician College, The Franciscan College of New JerseyReported by Jennifer Walker, University of Pittsburgh
Margaret Smolin and Nicole Vitale of Felician College, located in New Jersey approximately 10 miles outside of New York City, were charged with launching two new graduate programs, a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and a Master of Science in Health Care in Administration (MSHA). Their first step was to identify the target students. The DNP program is available completely online, and targets registered nurses (RNs) with a master’s degree working as either Nurse Practitioners or in executive-level positions. The MSHA is designed to reach a broader audience of health care professionals such as nurses, doctors and executive-level hospital administrators.
Once the target audience was identified, recruiting strategies were designed accord-
ingly. Off-campus recruitment strategies included attendance at nursing conferences in N.Y. and N.J., becoming business affili-ates with the New Jersey American College of Health Care Administrators and sharing program materials with local chambers, companies and nearby feeder colleges. The on-campus recruiting efforts included open houses for all programs as well as program-specific sessions, which were designed to be informative, promote networking and focus less on recruiting. These sessions were each designed to be more formal with better food, wine, centerpieces and a guest speaker at the MSHA session. For the DNP session, official invitations with RSVP cards were sent to a purchased list of nurses with Master’s degrees in New Jersey. Similarly, a list of
local doctors and dentists was purchased to send invitations to the MSHA information session. The program-specific events proved to be a strong recruitment strategy.
Looking back on the implementation of the DNP and MSHA programs, Margaret and Nicole identified areas for improvement when launching new programs in the future. It is important to understand the exact criteria used by faculty when making the admissions decisions, which will help narrow the target audience when recruiting. It is also benefi-cial to expand outside recruiting events and touch base with more local feeder colleges.
DEFINING GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENTPresented by Joshua LaFave, State University of New York at Potsdam, and Christopher Connor, the University at Buffalo, State University of New YorkReported by John Lee, University of Southern California
This special interest forum allowed individu-als within their groups to discuss the meaning of “Graduate Enrollment Management” (GEM). With facilitators guiding the discus-sion at each table, admissions professionals from various institutions were able to discuss their interpretations of GEM and the chal-lenges they encounter on a daily basis.
This break-out session was a special interest forum developed by the NAGAP Research and Global Issues Committee to conduct research on defining GEM to help inform senior leadership on the similarities and differences on undergraduate and graduate enrollment management practices. Each table had a facilitator who asked a set of questions that encompassed the life cycle of their students, degree progress and time to degree, financial aid and budgeting, practices in utilizing alumni, and some of the differences between how everyone viewed undergraduate enrollment management and graduate enrollment management.
During the discussion, it seemed that many institutions had similar challenges, even though everyone was from institutions of different sizes and cultures. There seemed to be a consensus that the days when student engagement “stopped at admissions” are over, and as GEM professionals, we are charged with managing experiences from recruitment to alumni relations. GEM professionals also work with limited resources; we have to do “more with less” (economic conditions, budget cuts).
The goal of the focus group was to continue a process that began during NAGAP’s Winter Institute: gathering more information about GEM to come up with an overall definition of GEM. Although there were varying differences in how GEM is defined based on the different types of institutions and programs, participants agreed that the conclusions drawn from this research will inform how graduate admissions professionals define their roles in the future.
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MULTI-CHANNEL 301: INTEGRATING DIRECT MAIL, EMAIL, MOBILE AND WEB USING VARIABLE-DATA TECHNOLOGIESPresented by Fran Reed and Jesse Homan, Marymount University, and Tony Fraga, Direct DevelopmentReported by Emily Schrag, University of Pennsylvania
This session was a presentation by Direct Development and Marymount University on the benefits of using variable-data technologies (VDT). According to the presentation, multi-channel marketing out performs single-channel marketing, and VDT is needed to break through the “noise” of all the mail/email/social media we see every day. In order for marketing to garner attention, the presentation emphasized integration of campaigns across all channels.
When integrating marketing campaigns across channels, participants were encouraged to consider which channels
they will use to communicate with prospects (and what channels prospects can use to respond). Presenters emphasized the need to ensure emails are mobile-optimized and that response methods make sense for mobile devices (more email will be opened on mobile devices by the end of 2013 than on desktop computers). The key to VDT (which can be used in both print and digital media) is personalization, relevance and simplicity.
Variable-data printing (VDP) is a form of on-demand printing in which elements such as text, graphics and images may be changed from one printed piece to the
next using information from a database. For example, VDP can be used to insert specific photos (based on the type of program interest), personalized QR codes (to take prospects to their personalized URL, or PURL), or specialized maps (how to get to campus based on where someone is located). The prospect’s PURL creates a page for them that also shows particular information/images based on the information you have gathered from them previously. Marymount had great success using VDT and PURLs in a campaign for an open house and in capturing “phantom applicants.”
2013 CoNFErENCE sEssIoN suMMArIEs CoNTINuEd
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IF YOU FUND THEM, THEY WILL COME: CREATING GRADUATE FINANCIAL AID PACKAGESPresented by Jennifer Parham, University of Central Florida Reported by Ann Bezbatchenko Talbot, Loyola University Chicago
This session examined the success of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in restructuring graduate financial aid pack-ages. The presenter began by describing the funding challenges at UCF, despite its status as the second largest public university in the U.S. Graduate funding was not competitive enough to attract the talented, diverse cohort of students that both the faculty and school wished to enroll. UCF’s College of Graduate Studies restructured its funding requirements and policies to meet several goals: 1. Provide stable financial packages,
including health insurance, standard tuition remission and competitive stipend
2. Recruit top applicants (particularly out-of-state and international students)
3. Create a supportive atmosphere and community
To meet these goals, the College of Graduate Studies first revised the policy on tuition remission. Not only did it standardize the tuition remission policy, but it was able to create a tuition waiver policy that covered graduate teaching awards, graduate assistant awards and graduate research awards. The College also created specialized awards, like the diversity fellowship and the dean’s fellowship, to encourage students who were “on the fence.”
UCF also realized that health insurance and travel fellowships were important considerations for prospective students. Health insurance is now included in awards and is paid for by the College of Graduate Studies. UCF is part of a consortium of schools that provides insurance policies to students, helping them secure competitive
rates. Students may also now apply for travel fellowships to support their travel to present at professional meetings.
The presenter then described the results of UCF’s restructuring of graduate aid. In just four years, it has increased the number of supported students by 10 percent. Each year, it supports about 300 students with travel fellowships. UCF continues to hone its graduate financial aid packaging in the hope of increasing recruitment of outstanding students and plans to assist students in applying for and obtaining external funding to support their graduate education.
EMERGING MARKETS IN INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE RECRUITMENTPresented by Yoko Kono, World Education Services; Joseph Hobbs, Vietnam Institute, University of Missouri; and James Goonan, Embry Riddle Aeronautical UniversityReported by Tara N. Wessel, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California
China, India and South Korea continue to be the largest markets for international graduate recruiting. However, recent trends identify new emerging markets in Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Vietnam and Turkey. This session identified the newly emerging markets and summarized anticipated opportunities and challenges in pursuing recruiting efforts in these new areas. Today, governmental scholarship funding and a growing middle class characterize emerging markets. Word of mouth is often a highly important recruiting method in these communities.
Presenters described a “portfolio approach” to international recruitment in which universities recruit from a mixture of small and large international markets in order to balance growth and risk. While China remains a strong international market today, there is risk in over-relying on recruiting from only one such market and failing to recognize upcoming opportunities in emerging areas. Universities are not advised to “drop” recruiting efforts in a currently strong area, but instead they should consider balancing their recruitment portfolio by
including newly emerging markets as well as currently reliable markets.
Strategies shared to build relationships in emerging markets depended largely on population and culture, and included employing international graduate assistants to serve as student peers, visiting embassies and EducationUSA offices abroad, and identifying specific needs of international students and how those might be met by the university. Presenters also noted that research reports on emerging markets can be found free of charge on the WES website.
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REACHING AND SERVING MILITARY AND VETERAN STUDENTSPresented by Sean-Michael Green, Higher Education Executive, and Anne Treantafeles, Fordham UniversityRecorded by Chanelle Vessey, The Ohio State University
The objective of this session was to provide basic information to facilitate communication with the military and veteran population while developing an appreciation of military culture and issues. These topics transcend the scope of military and veteran students to provide lessons for working with (and marketing to) other diverse groups.
One of the topics covered was the acknowledgement of the cultural differences between military and civilians. Having an understanding of military culture and knowing the different branches, ranks, nicknames, protocols, etc., can facilitate open and genuine communication with future and current military students. Military culture includes language, symbols and shared experiences that cannot be easily faked. While you don’t need to be an “insider” to reach or serve military students, participants were encouraged to find one, such as existing military students and staff, to ensure
sincerity and effectiveness in recruitment efforts.
Practical examples of being “military friendly” include:• Engaging student veteran organizations
• Having a point of contact (an insider or someone very familiar with the culture) for prospective or current military and veteran students
• Symbolic gestures (for example, at Marist College, every accepted student receives a campaign coin with the College seal on one side and the Fox Company shield of the Student Veteran Organization on the other. To a civilian it’s a “cool-looking” coin, but to anyone in the military, it is a symbol with which they can identify)
• VA work study
• Committee on Veteran Affairs involvement
• Holding veteran-specific orientations
The most entertaining and perhaps the most eye-opening part of the presentation was a “Culture Quiz” – where photographs from real universities’ websites were displayed and the audience had to determine what inaccuracies were portrayed. There were instances of out-of-regulation uniforms, improper salutes and even a photo of soldiers from another country! The key takeaway from this exercise was that messaging (no matter what it is) needs to be authentic and geared properly toward the audience.
The military is a viable and rich market that can be tapped through some of your greatest resources – military students and staff – and overcoming the cultural obstacle that exists between military and civilian students. With sincere communication, understanding of military culture and a proactive approach, institutions can be effective in both recruiting and supporting military and veteran students.
DATA DRIVEN RECRUITMENT: HOW TO USE THE DATA YOU ALREADY HAVE TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR RECRUITMENT TRAVEL Presented by Joshua Kvinlaug, Des Moines UniversityReported by Katherine Beczak, Corcoran College of Art + Design
The need to plan an efficient recruitment schedule is more pertinent than ever as many institutions face the challenge of decreased travel budgets. This presentation reviewed one university’s use of data to create a comprehensive database to track travel, advisor productivity, and recruitment successes.
Presenter Joshua Kvinlaug built a system that would allow him to make educated decisions about when and where to travel after realizing that the graduate recruitment travel plan at Des Moines University was based on limited and subjective information (and many guesses). The goal of this data gathering process was to identify new prospective students, to develop relationships with undergraduate advisors and to increase
applications from underrepresented minorities.
The presentation reviewed the process of developing a recruiting database in Microsoft Access, which allowed the presenter to track data ranging from trip planning details and trip budgets, to post-event reports and data about event attendees. After the database was created, reporting on the success of a whole trip, a single event or a recruiter was simplified. Data on institutions visited by recruiters was also assessed; this included the number of applicants and matriculates from each school, and how many advisor contacts existed at each institution.
All of the information that was compiled was converted into a rating system, allowing the
Des Moines University Graduate Admissions office to make travel decisions based upon historical data. In addition to helping the recruiters decide where to visit, the database provides assistance in estimating travel costs, reviewing current expenses and assessing the effectiveness of events and each graduate recruiter.
The presenter encouraged session attendees to follow in his footsteps by collecting and organizing data (although he acknowledged this can be a slow process). Structures should be developed to capture data, and staff should be trained in new policies for recording data. Having this data helps to motivate staff and demonstrate to outside constituencies the success and productivity of an admissions office.
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DAVID VS. GOLIATH: OVERCOMING RECRUITING CHALLENGES AT SMALL COLLEGESPresented by Claudia Pouravelis, Jenene Romanucci and Paul Vaccaro, Regis CollegeReported by Lauren Humphrey, University of Bridgeport
This session focused on identifying effective recruiting strategies for smaller institutions with limited resources, implementing student-focused recruiting and analyzing what is effective.
The presenters began by describing their key challenge: a decreasing undergraduate enrollment. Though always co-ed at the graduate level, Regis made the difficult decision to transition from all-female to co-ed at the undergraduate level. This transition provided a huge growth opportunity and the College focused on implementing a series of student-centered best practices.
All inquiries for graduate programs receive personalized responses and the program director’s contact information. Regis has organized its offices as a “one-stop shop” for student services: the bursar, financial aid and
other offices vital to the enrollment process share a location. The College has also worked to make applying easier, and offers new students a 20 percent discount. Also, students are encouraged to take advantage of a two-course option – this allows them to try out a program before making a commitment to the College. The Admissions Office also offers an application fee waiver for attending information sessions, hosts “come to class” events so applicants can sit in on a class, and offers program-specific networking events. These strategies constitute Regis’s boutique style services.
Presenters then discussed marketing graduate programs at small schools and the importance of a promotional mix. Participants were encouraged to remember their ABCs: Always Be Communicating. The most effective communication plans vary
the message, vary the messenger and vary the mode. With audience participation, the presenters engaged in a game designed to address two essential questions: What are the top factors that influence graduate enrollment decisions, and what are the preferred channels for receipt of promotional messages? According to research presented in the session, 64 percent of respondents reported personalized attention influenced the graduate enrollment decision. Seventy-seven percent of respondents reported that email was their preferred channel for receipt of promotional messages. A key lesson from this research is that email is the “great equalizer” for small colleges, and a smaller institution’s ability to offer personalized attention is a strength.
RECRUITING FOR THE SOCIAL SERVICES: HOW TO OVERCOME ECONOMICAL BARRIERSPresented by Laura Chavez Hardy, University of ChicagoReported by Holly Wilbanks, Baylor College of Medicine
The various careers encompassing the social service profession are all enduring the current negative economic environment together. Some, like the programs at the University of Chicago, are utilizing effective strategies to assist their recruits, current students and alumni in overcoming these economic challenges.
Having defined the various elements of social service work for the audience, Laura Chavez Hardy turned to the current jobs outlook data for a frame of reference, including the average salaries for teachers, social workers and counselors. Her programs have found that the majority of her graduates get jobs within six months of graduation, but the salaries vary from position to position, location to location, and in terms of educational qualifications. With more and more recruits wanting data on post graduation debt and job security, it is necessary to understand your
student population’s indebtedness and career outcomes. From there, the ability to streamline an institution’s support provisions (including financial aid and networking) to address these issues is crucial to successful enrollment management. A few solutions on how to do this were presented.
The first solution was an on-site cohort, in which an institution partners with an outside organization to host classes on-site at the organization for a small group with an interest and need for further education. In return for this low cost, easy enrollment alternative, the institution offers a tuition discount and additional financial aid (merit and need based). Assignments for “how to” develop this initiative were included for the attendees.
The second solution was to utilize the institution's mission. Social service applicants and students are mission driven, so
understanding your institution’s mission to build relationships is imperative. Assignments for “how to” evaluate and utilize mission statements were included for attendees.
The final solution was to leverage alumni involvement through referrals, career advising, and direct marketing. Creating an on- and off-campus presence for alumni can directly impact career outcomes for past, current, and future students. Again, assignments for “how to” increase alumni involvement were included for attendees.
Time at the end of the presentation was given for questions, as well as for institutions to discuss different strategies in debt management assistance, enhancing career outcomes and current trends in social services graduate enrollment management.
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IDENTIFYING, MAXIMIZING AND UTILIZING ‘LEARNING AGILITY’ TO DEVELOP LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES THAT DRIVE EFFICIENCY IN GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT Presented by Debra Anne Roach, Robert Morris University, and Julie Staggs, Korn Ferry International, Leadership and Talent ConsultingRecorded by Tracy Collum, High Point University
The presenters began by asking the audience what was considered the new normal within their job areas. Ideas presented included budget cuts, social media, MOOCs, webinars, etc. An agile leader needs to be present in the “new normal” which coincides with the military term “VUCA” – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. An agile leader needs to encompass “learning agility” which is “the willingness and ability to learn from experience and subsequently apply that learning to perform successfully under new and first time conditions.” There are five dimensions of learning agility: 1) mental, 2) self-awareness, 3) results, 4) people, and 5) change. People who showcase traits of a learning agility dimension can be best placed into positions that display their strengths. In addition, organizing team members with varying learning agility dimensions can help strengthen a graduate enrollment management team.
Those with learning agility abilities harvest lessons from past situations, learn lessons from current situations and anticipate planning for the future. These areas help an individual apply lessons learned from past and current situations and adapt them to future areas for a more successful outcome. The presenters provided a one-line takeaway: Learning Agility is “knowing what to do, when you don’t know what to do.”
WHY IS ATTRITION SO HIGH & WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? FOSTERING COMMUNITY DURING GRADUATE STUDYPresented by Sarah Zahl, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Reported by Stephanie Hill, University of Texas at Austin
This presentation discusses how to prevent graduate student attrition in higher education. Zahl presents data from her research study in the area of why attrition is so high in higher education. In her research she surveyed and conducted informal conversations among masters and doctoral students. Despite many national programs and institutional efforts to decrease attrition of doctoral students, there has been little to no change in attrition rates in the past 50 years. Attrition rates still fall between an estimated 40-70%. Unfortunately, the tracking of this information has fallen between the cracks at some institutions.
The cost of attrition is significant for students and is often devastating. One area that Zahl found to be consistent in her research study was the sense of community during graduate study. One of the main reasons students typically leave was due to lack of connection with others in their departments. In the presentation, different strategies were offered to help in fostering a community environment in academic departments. Encouraging interactions by having professional seminars where faculty and students can connect socially beyond the classroom was discussed as well as encouraging difficult dialogues and safe places where students can express those difficult issues. Zahl also talked about assigning faculty mentors to students and having them be responsible for scheduling regular meetings. Other suggestions offered were: consider having Graduate Learning Communities rater than cohorts; welcome faculty into the community; offer faculty brown bags so that faculty can showcase their research; and develop webinar luncheons for part-time students who can’t make it to campus so they won’t feel isolated. One of the issues that we discussed was the lack of community between part-time and full-time students. Overall, students who develop a sense of community with peers and faculty in their academic department feel more connected, experience a sense of belonging and have a positive experience.
2013 CoNFErENCE sEssIoN suMMArIEs CoNTINuEd
2012-14 NAGAP GoVErNING BoArdOfficersPresidentJames N. Crane Assistant Dean Graduate Studies Brigham Young University BYU Graduate Studies 105 FPH Provo, UT 84602 Phone: 801-422-1586 Fax: 801-422-0270 E-Mail: [email protected]
Vice President Julia B. Deland Harvard Graduate School of Education
SecretaryKristen Sterba University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
TreasurerSarah Petrakos Simmons College
Immediate Past President/ International Relations Chair Joanne Canyon-Heller Roosevelt University
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STUDENT SERVICES IN A GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT MODELPresented by Kristen Sterba, University of Arkansas Recorded by Kate McConnell, Saint Joseph’s University
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Graduate School (UAMS) implemented a number of initiatives to increase retention of graduate students and encourage success as they progressed through their programs. The presentation described the initiatives and their outcomes. Retention initiatives included an awards program, Research Induction Ceremony, Career Day for Biomedical Sciences, programming for the Graduate Student Teachers of Central Arkansas, and the NIH-funded UAMS Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) program.
Kristen recommends when developing retention initiatives consider who your students are, whom they connect with and what they want—what will interest and engage them, and support their persistence to graduation.
UAMS’s Awards Program has become a very strong retention strategy. The program recognizes student achievement regularly with certificates and plaques. PhD mentors are recognized with plaques, and every winner is listed on the program website. This ongoing effort has led to an increase in applications for fellowships and awards.
One of the most treasured initiatives is the Research Induction Ceremony which recognizes doctoral students who are post-qualifiers; they receive their white coat and recite the affirmation of scientists. This initiative has helped with PhD progression because students work hard to become a post qualifier so they can be recognized.
The Career Day for Biomedical Sciences, held every fall, includes undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral fellows and provides participants information on career development and career options, especially for those who are pursuing a PhD.
The Graduate Student Teachers of Central Arkansas initiative partners the graduate programs with undergraduate campuses and offers a seminar series, as well as an annual symposium, to engage current students as they progress in their program.
Finally, the Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) program aims to increase the number of underrepresented students completing doctorates in the biomedical sciences. Through grants, UAMS provides salary and tuition support during the first two years of graduate study. In addition, a transition program is held during the summer prior to the start of the student’s first year. During the program students can take advantage of tutoring services, peer mentoring, developing electronic academic portfolios, and can attend various seminars which feature nationally recognized faculty researchers. As a result of these initiatives, from 2008-2012, enrollment increased from 6.1% to 15.3% – a 94% retention rate.
Kristen closed with three tips for developing a successful retention program. She recommends universities assess the needs of their school, college or program, examine what other similar and successful schools or programs are doing, and find faculty and staff who will partner with you to develop, implement and sustain retention initiatives.
CommitteesConference Chair 2014Teisha Johnson Illinois College of Optometry
Education ChairDave Fletcher Barry University
Marketing & Social Media ChairFrancesca A. Reed Marymount University
Membership ChairJudith Baker Nazareth College of Rochester
Online Education ChairMarcus Hanscom University of New Haven
Professional Development ChairKeith Ramsdell Lourdes University
Publications ChairJennifer Kulbeck Alliant International University
Research and Global Issues ChairJoshua LaFave State University of New York at Potsdam
Publications CommitteeNicquet Blake, PhD University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio
Marianne Gumpper Fairfield University
Raymond Lutzky Polytechnic Institute of New York University
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INVESTIGATIVE ANALYTICS: DECIPHERING THE MYSTERY OF DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING USING GOOGLE ANALYTICS Presented by Jay Kelly, Converge Consulting, and Joshua Irons, GradSchools.comRecorded by Lindsay Gentile, NC State University
“Google Analytics – Anywhere, Anytime”: This was the theme for the session and the presenters focused on the fact that website traffic is constantly changing; therefore, it is important to develop a plan to continuously measure, analyze and change how you are measuring web analytics. Jay Kelly and Joshua Irons travel the country teaching workshops on Google Analytics.
How can you get started at your university or college? To begin, you need to develop a plan with well-defined business objectives, website goals, key performance indicators (metrics for measuring successes and
failures), targets and segments. Since the numbers rarely speak for themselves, it is important to measure quantitatively and qualitatively and to always search out ways to improve your website.
Some other tips were to ensure that you have the latest Google Analytics asynchronous code on your website, as well as making sure that you monitor all sub-domains. However, you do have to be careful with sub-domains that you are not double counting the data. Did you know that you can even monitor mobile traffic to your website? By changing a simple setting, your webmaster can be
alerted when viewers are using a mobile device, which will allow him to determine if your site should be made more accessible for mobile viewers.
“Web Analytics: An Hour A Day,” written by Avinash Kaushik, was provided as a valuable resource for anyone who is looking to implement a successful web analytics strategy on their campus. Mr. Kaushik also hosts a blog titled “Occam’s Razor,” where he provides highly regarded advice on the subject matter.
CONTRASTING PERSPECTIVES: U.S. AND CHINESE GRADUATE SEARCH Presented by Jon Cheney, ZinchRecorded by Debra Dickerson, Eastern Washington University
All of us would like to know how students decide which graduate school to attend, what influences their decisions and what we can do to persuade the best students to study with us.
Zinch, in cooperation with Chegg, conducted surveys of about 500 U.S. students and 400 Chinese students to determine their decision making processes and tools they use to decide which school to apply to and attend.
Some key insights from the survey found:• Students choose to attend graduate school
because it is required or expected in their career
• Students apply to 3 to 4 graduate schools on average
• Location and affordability are the top factors in determining which graduate schools students apply to and ultimately attend
• University websites and search engines are the top research tools
• Social media influences 3 in 10 students on where to apply
• Email is most commonly used by schools to contact students
• Students are open to receiving email most frequently and prefer it over all other means of contact except in-person visits
Jon Cheney, Director of Marketing, said Zinch also found differences between current graduate students and prospective graduate students. U.S. students choose to attend graduate school because it is required or expected in their career, while Chinese students are more focused on research and specialization. Most importantly, future students are deciding to attend graduate school earlier than current graduate students. Among high school students, 31% in the U.S. and 14% in China decide they will attend graduate school following their undergraduate education.
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A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO PLANNING & IMPLEMENTING A ONE-YEAR ORIENTATION FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS Presented by Diane Cook, University of ArkansasRecorded by Jeremy Hernandez, University of Minnesota
How do new graduate students get the knowledge they need to smoothly navigate their programs? Lack of coordination between the graduate school, departments and programs can result in students hitting avoidable roadblocks and using unreliable information sources. The possible con-sequences are documented in books like “Leaving the Ivory Tower” by Barbara Lovitts and Council of Graduate Schools attrition data.
This led the University of Arkansas Graduate School (UAGS) to develop a non-mandatory one-year orientation with the goal of increas-ing student retention and completion by front loading vital information students will need.
Steps to start this type of program on your campus include:1) Identify policies and major roadblocks
that your students need to know about.2) Identify who is supposed to provide said
information (faculty? central offices? just assumed someone does?) and determine what is happening in actual practice. UAGS used this to determine topics that needed to be addressed initially.
3) Give timely information via websites, emails, monthly workshops, and social media as appropriate.
4) Seek participant feedback on workshop usefulness and content, and ask for new ideas.
Despite early turf concerns, many Arkansas programs now plan around UAGS events given the benefit. About 500 of the 1,200 new Arkansas graduate students participate each year.
To accomplish this while keeping financial costs down, UAGS assigned an existing employee to coordinate faculty, student and staff volunteers who both manage and participate in the monthly workshops throughout the year. This person also handles room scheduling and food logistics. Possible funding sources to cover costs include the Student Affairs office, First Year Experience offices, and colleges that can chip in a little since all students benefit.
ADMISSION ANALYTICS 101: COMPUTATION AND USAGE OF HISTORICAL DATA AND YIELDS IN GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT Presented by Jeancarlo (J.C.) Bonilla, New York UniversityRecorded by Daniel Calvey, Sabanci University
Graduate enrollment management is transitioning from intuition-based management to data-driven management. However, the state of the profession is such that often there is a lack of knowledge about how to collect raw data about candidates and convert it into useful information, especially data concerning or collected during pre-application stages of candidacy.
Analytics, through the use of and analysis of data, modeling and fact-based management can help mitigate risk and drive informed decision-making.
This session introduced analytics through an overview of enrollment yield and conversion rates. A yield can be calculated each time candidate data goes from one stage of the enrollment cycle to another. A conversion rate will answer questions concerning what percentage of potential candidate numbers at different stages will eventually be reflected in new student numbers.
The working assumption in calculating yields is that the past (i.e., history) is relevant and a school has institutional “memory.” It is this history that enables modeling, which will
allow one to derive predictive value from the data.
An important decision is how many years of history should be modeled. Generally speaking, the further back in time one models, the greater the challenges of applicability. Applicability can also sometimes be affected by unique historical events, which must be considered.
Since the goal of the model is to come closest to reality, various weighted or linear yields may be most appropriate for a given case. Several cases were presented to illustrate possible weighting options, and participants were walked through Excel worksheets with various models.
In addition to questions of how to compute yield and handle history, models with student characteristics were reviewed, demonstrating how any chosen factor can undergo this type of predictive modeling. Models with other factors or multiple student characteristics were also discussed. The predictive value obtained from this modeling can allow better strategic decision making when resources are allocated and enable programs to be
presented with more rational options in meeting their aims.
Recommendations for predicting a new class are:1. Rapid “back of the envelope” modeling2. Need for historical data (static snapshots
of cycles)3. Student characteristics add more
resolution to the model4. 3 year cycles are useful for historical
modeling5. Account for “new initiatives”
Final recommendations include:1. Plan for good, bad, and what you think
is going to be realistic2. Avoid predictions but give options3. It’s about resource allocation4. Work with other groups in your institution5. Trust your GEM instincts
Worksheets for the models covered in this session: www.datainsitu.com/nagap
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WOW! WORLD OF WEBINARS IN GRADUATE RECRUITMENT AND ADMISSIONSPresented by Shari Sekel and Bryan Butryn, Brock UniversityRecorded by Laine Kingo, University of Connecticut
Webinars have become widely used tools in graduate enrollment management to reach prospective students around the world in an interactive and dynamic setting. Webinars have the capability to utilize slide show presentations, stream video, demonstrate websites, and allow the presenter to share his/her desktop with participants. Webinar technology has evolved to where participants can even access these events on their mobile devices. The recipe for webinar success includes a hosted web conferencing service, webcam, audio headset, communication plan and a commitment to continuously grow your audience.
Presenters Shari Sekel and Bryan Butryn, representing five graduate and two pre-graduate programs at the Goodman School of Business, provide an overview of how they utilize webinars by first explaining what a webinar is:• An affordable communication tool
allowing you to present without boundaries with a real-time connection
• A tool that allows your students to ask questions and you to respond immediately.
Why do webinars? They allow you to participate in a global marketplace, to communicate instantly with students, and to gather their information immediately so they can get real-time answers with a personal touch. It also saves an institution money by cutting down on travel costs.
Shari and Bryan described how they communicate with prospective students utilizing webinars through monthly open chats, current student chats, alumni chats, and one-on-one meetings. They also use the webinar to train agents around the world about their programs. They can do group presentations as well as ad hoc meetings, allowing for one-on-one conversations. In addition, Shari and Bryan work with their faculty to conduct presentations to prospective students, ideal in times when faculty may be on sabbatical or traveling.
Shari and Bryan further detailed how they utilize webinars in even more useful and efficient ways, such as personal interviews information sessions on pre-departure, program highlights, registration, one-on-one advising, and even staff meetings. Their system of efficiency utilizing webinars to their fullest extent is admirable as they can conduct the advising meetings with 350 students at 15 minutes each, which is particularly helpful to their part-time, working students who can connect with the Goodman Office during their lunch hours without leaving their own offices.
Overall, the webinar can truly be a multipurpose and efficient tool for a busy graduate admissions/student services office, not just for recruiting and admissions but from beginning to end of the pipeline – from recruitment and admissions, to student services and retention, to graduation.
DIVERSIFIED ENROLLMENT: NOW WHAT? HOW IMPROVING NEW INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ TRANSITION CAN INCREASE STUDENT SATISFACTION AND DECREASE YOUR WORKLOAD Presented by Elizabeth Humberstone and Hannah Morris, University of FloridaRecorded by Lian Lynch, North Carolina State University
As international diversity is increasing in many U.S. graduate programs, institutions are faced with the challenges associated with effectively meeting the needs of this diverse student population. The Master of Arts in International Business (MAIB) program at the University of Florida identified ways to reduce time and cost associated with assisting students, while simultaneously increasing student satisfaction. Presenters Elizabeth Humberstone and Hannah Morris shared how tailoring their orientation and student services toward international students accomplished increased satisfaction for staff and students.
The first step in meeting international students’ needs was to identify what those needs were. Five main resources were used to gather this information:
The feedback they received made it evident that the MAIB program was focusing their efforts on items they deemed important but international students did not. Furthermore, the program was not giving students all the information they desired. For example, they informed students how to register for courses, but didn’t tell students that gym membership was included in their student fees.
The feedback enabled the MAIB program to build an action plan. There are three major components to the plan. The first is building
relationships to leverage resources. They identified other groups on campus with which they could partner, thus using resources that already existed. The second component is tailoring their orientation to include the information students sought. Some major changes included the use of targeted orientation sessions, requiring all students to participate in an etiquette session/dinner, and the inclusion of a professionalism presentation. The third component is continuing integration after orientation through the use of student ambassadors and student check-ins among others cross-departmental communications.
The implementation of these changes resulted in fewer student inquiries, which ultimately reduced student service cost and increased student satisfaction.
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HOW WE CHANGED STUDENT ADMISSIONS BEHAVIOR IN ONE YEAR & THE BENEFITS GAINED FROM IT Presented by Michael Cummings and Joelle Miles, Georgetown University Recorded by Lindsay Gentile, NC State University
At Georgetown University there are eight schools, and the School of Continuing Studies (SCS) is one of them; each is de-centralized and functions independently. The SCS realized they needed to make a change in order to better track application and enrollment trends. Due to the nature of their applicants (mostly non-traditional) coupled with the fact that they only had one rolling deadline, they were not able to effectively compare application numbers with the previous year. The SCS admissions
office experienced bottlenecks in the process and slow turnaround when applications and paper documents started trickling in. They also acknowledged that they needed trained staff that could relate to non-traditional applicants and help them through the application process in a timely manner.
First, they formed a task force to look at the SCS student life-cycle, and they mapped out a business process for re-engineering their computer systems to communicate together
more efficiently. Their newly restructured admissions team worked to build trust with the academic programs on campus. Major changes were an adjustment to application deadline dates and elimination of paper applications. Applicants were now more willing to apply earlier with the promise of an earlier decision date. By 2012, 61% of applications were received by the new deadline, compared to only 31% by that same date in the previous year.
SHARING THE CAMPUS CULTURE THROUGH SOCIAL TECHNOLOGY: UNIFYING THE ACADEMIC & EXTRACURRICULAR EXPERIENCE FOR THE ADMITTED STUDENTPresented by Laura Zuppo and Davina Gould, Stetson LawReported by Jameelah Habibi, Missouri State University
This case study discussed how the implemen-tation of student portals and networks can add value to the admitted students experi-ence and also serve as a recruitment tool.
The initial goal for designing the admitted student network was to provide a platform where information about orientation and other documents could be housed as a “one-stop shop” and also to provide a place for admitted students to engage with the Stetson culture and community.
After development, the student portal consisted of traditional web content which included academic, financial, and
personalized information, similar to a social media profile, campus life, and new student announcements such as event invitations and reminders.
The portal revolved around the concept of engaging admitted students through private social networks where they could get to know the community and future classmates. It also created an environment where admitted students could interact with faculty and staff through live chat.
The development team assessed the project both quantitatively and qualitatively. They were able to compare user statistics against
the final enrollment numbers as well as incorporate surveys, some of which were multiple choice and the other open-ended. Interviews and focus groups were held to help gather more qualitative data. Google Analytics was used to determine which pages were being used and which were not and could be deleted after the first trial.
Many lessons were learned during this first trial of the student portal. Some of the lessons were the importance of framing the conversation, mobile optimization, and keeping communication personal.
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MARKETING AND RECRUITMENT IN DISRUPTED MARKETSPresented by Jeffery Johnson, Tulane University, and Thomas Rock, Teachers College, Columbia UniversityReported by Diana Watkins, Pacific University
All institutions are vulnerable in the face of natural disasters, acts of terrorism and other agents of disruption. Building and implementing a comprehensive, integrated disaster recovery plan is essential for minimizing the impact of such events when they occur. An understanding of the needs of current and prospective students and staff, the capabilities of facilities and the impact on the larger community are all elements which must be considered.
The key to an effective plan is communication across all levels, both internally and exter-
nally. Organized dissemination of information to students, their families, and the press through established channels will help curb misinformation. Alternative contact informa-tion should be established in the event a server is lost. Social media can play a role.
Emergency plans must be integrated across internal departments and include procedures for total evacuation and inaccessibility. The plans should also allow for adaptability in everything from application deadlines and financial aid to transportation, food service, and grief counseling. External agencies
including emergency responders, government offices, and the media must also be taken into account. Other institutions may be needed for students’ academic support.
A university has the potential to be a point of stability and can provide direction in crisis with a well-laid plan. It may also be a catalyst for change as both students and staff look to make a difference and seek to support their communities in times of trouble. Institutions should not only be well prepared for disaster but envision potentially positive outcomes as leaders.
THE PROFESSIONALISM PARTNERSHIP: RECRUITING THROUGH INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPSPresented by W. Mark Moore, Kim Dunn and Brenda Blackman, Campbell UniversityRecorded by Misty Stewart, Missouri State University
Just because an applicant may have a near perfect test score, does not mean they are the right person to be admitted to a program. It is important to identify talent, and one can do this by creating workshops, developing partnerships with other institutions and delivering the workshops to potential graduate students.
Creating workshops focused on writing effective personal statements, interviewing, professional communication, social media and specific career exposure are good examples of topics to deliver to potential graduate students.
Developing partnerships with other institu-tions is crucial for the workshops to succeed; however, it will take time. Communicate with faculty/academic advisors on a regular
basis. Be involved with different events spon-sored by Career Services or Student Success offices. Contact Department Chairs/Deans, university club presidents or student organiza-tions to find out what is already being done on campus to help students, and in what areas their students are falling short.
Delivering the workshops to students will help them to develop the necessary skills to gain admission to highly competitive programs. Including interactive activities during the workshop is a plus. Find out what modalities work best and what days and times are best for students. To help improve attendance at the workshops, one should create fliers to post across campus, have the students RSVP through email and provide food at the workshops.
After the workshops, it is very important to assess the activities that took place. Develop questions on surveys that will provide feedback to help track attendees and plan for future events. Analyze the data and share the data with the partner institutions.
Finally, in today’s society it takes more than just academic achievement to gain admission to graduate school. The presenters of this session indicated it takes a multivariate evaluation which involves looking at communication skills, leadership, community involvement, and experience and professionalism of the applicant; with professionalism being the key component to acceptance and success.
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A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO GRADUATE RETENTION: FROM FANTASYLAND TO TOMORROWLANDPresented by Lisa Bussom and Roberta Nolan, Widener UniversityRecorded by Kate McConnell, Saint Joseph’s University
Graduate student retention is becoming a topic of great concern within Graduate Enrollment Management. Typical retention techniques have been based on under-graduate student models, which have little in common with graduate students. Since so little has been done in this area, Widener University colleagues Lisa Bussom and Roberta Nolan set out to identify what happens between enrollment and students becoming alumni. Their goal was to con-vert more enrolled students to alumni and improve their retention rate.
Their approach, through the lens of Business Process Modeling, began with the identifica-tion and analysis of their current retention situation, the development of methodologies for appropriate data collection and analysis, and finally, visioning and creating processes to reach desired retention outcomes.
They knew students leave programs, some leave and come back, and many complete their programs. They did not know how many were in each category, why they left, when they left, and why they came back. But more importantly they needed to find out what could to be done to get more students to persist to completion.
They spent a great deal of time, almost two years, utilizing the Business Process Modeling and Six Sigma, to define the problem and then measure, analyze, improve and control processes. It took them a while to gather gathered longitudinal data at the University level, school/college level, and program level.
Upon analysis of the data, they found Graduate Admission was doing its job. Enrollment reports showed enrollment was
relatively consistent in the programs. Tracking the percentage enrolled showed students were leaving the program before comple-tion. The consistency of enrollment was due to newly admitted students; they found Admissions was admitting at a significantly higher rate than the actual graduation rate.
Bussom and Nolan recommend when striving to improve retention, the university community must have defined retention goals for all populations and should benchmark with other schools with similar programs. Data collection and analysis should be a routine part of every graduate program. Understanding cause and effect is paramount; evaluating the reasons for student behaviors such as step in and outs and developing solutions are key to a successful retention strategy.
NETWORKING: FRIEND OR FOE?Presented by Belle Heberling, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Nancy Crouch, University of Connecticut; Jeremiah Nelson, University of North Carolina-Charlotte; and Kim Guilfoyle, University of California BerkeleyRecorded by Jeremy Hernandez, University of Minnesota
This panel discussed how a DocNet model can be used to promote doctoral education in multiple disciplines and/or at the regional level by discipline at the master’s level. DocNet is a consortium of 80 leading business schools that promote doctoral education, recruit top students at collective recruiting forums, and develop an administrative peer network for best practices and information sharing. It is an affinity group of the AACSB (the primary US business school accrediting body) created to better address the faculty shortage the discipline is facing. DocNet goes beyond the competitive environment between institutions for the betterment of all members via regional forums and information sharing.
Regional Forums: Forums are two hours on a host campus where attendees learn about
doctoral programs and get to network. Often piggybacking on conferences in the area to minimize expense, member institutions promote and host and AACSB reimburses marketing costs. Alumni networks are utilized to identify attendees to invite. The first hour consists of academic career panels made up of volunteer faculty and current doctoral students. This is followed by a business program recruitment fair. Programs pay a table fee and attendees go free. All participating institutions are given student information collected to better harvest local markets.
Information Sharing: DocNet members also share information with one another to develop best practices and save money by working together (e.g., if a prospect is visiting two schools in region at same time,
the schools can split reimbursement costs if offered). Tools such as a listserv, meetings of DocNet administrators, and reports based on data members provide are great resources. Only institutions that provide data receive collective report findings.
The DocNet model works well and is easily replicable, but budgets to participate should be considered by institutions when determining their level of involvement. As forums can take place anywhere, travel costs versus matriculation outcomes need to be considered to justify expenses. Other resources devoted toward such membership should also be regularly examined.
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USING PRACTICE TO INFORM POLICY: A QUALITATIVE LOOK AT STUDENT INTERACTION ON TWO GRADUATE PROGRAM ADMISSION FACEBOOK PAGESPresented by Kathryn Kendall and Lisa Coia, University at BuffaloRecorded by Katherine Beczak, Corcoran College of Art + Design
This session compared two different models of Facebook engagement and discussed best practices for engaging prospective and new students with social media.
Presenters reviewed research, which focused on the engagement of institutions of higher education with social media, student expecta-tions, and what we can learn from applicants who use Facebook as a resource. Studies show 98% of higher education institutions are currently on Facebook, and the use of other social networking sites is growing. The presentation discussed challenges with social media, including peers responding to peers with misinformation, time management and the continued maintenance of a professional page.
Two separate Facebook page strategies were reviewed:1. Graduate School
a. Created to raise awareness of the graduate student population, to dis-
seminate policies and procedures to prospective students and to increase interaction among accepted and pro-spective students
b. Has both prospective and accepted graduate student pages – students have access to both
c. Monitored and managed by student assistant, intern and staff.
2. School of Social Worka. Created to increase interaction with
newly accepted students, drive timely registration, and alleviate anxiety
b. Page is only for accepted students who must be added to the Facebook group by a staff member
c. Multiple administrators respond to postings, with no formal plan for monitoring and offering responses
Data was collected from focus group ses-sions, student interviews and a thorough
review of Facebook content. Similar outcomes were reached on each page such as the wide usage of Facebook by international popula-tions, students looking to form a sense of community, and those hoping to connect within programs. Students used Facebook to ask questions regarding the admissions process and program as well as to share news and solve problems independent of the administrative office.
The data collected inspired the Graduate School to add an FAQ section to its Facebook page and to redesign the format of the page using a tool called ShortStack. The information was used to enhance welcome packets, to establish Facebook terms of use and to create a Social Work Facebook group page for each incoming class.
Ultimately, Facebook, with proper mainte-nance, review and focus on quality, is an effective supplemental tool to collect and dis-seminate information.
EXPANDING OUTREACH THROUGH ALUMNI AMBASSADORS: LOW-COST WAYS FOR BIG IMPACTPresented by Maria Curcio and Julie Deland, Harvard Graduate School of EducationRecorded by Janet Shandley, Seattle University
In a competitive recruitment environment, schools are looking for innovative ways to extend their reach and deepen their connections with prospective students, particularly without additional financial resources. Over the past six years, the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) has developed a multi-dimensional Alumni Admissions Ambassador (AAA) program with a variety of opportunities for alumni to engage in the enrollment process.
The AAA program meets several needs: 1) meet requests from prospective students who want to talk with program alumni, 2) keep alumni engaged in a variety of opportunities, both in-person and virtually, 3) and enhance recruiting outreach by having a presence with a broader geographic coverage.
The presenters discussed how ambassadors are recruited, trained and managed. Participation is solicited through recruitment referrals and creating pipelines of interest, e.g., recruiting student ambassadors as they graduate. Training has happened synchronously and asynchronously using virtual tools, like Blackboard Collaborate, and in-person options, like arriving early to a reception to allow time for updates and questions with ambassadors. With the help of a graduate assistant and the part-time responsibilities of a professional staff member, the program manages about 300 alumni admission volunteers around the world, keeping them connected through a variety of tools.
Alumni Ambassadors serve as panelists or log in to virtual events where they can contribute. They recommend locations and
host regional receptions or open houses. They volunteer to staff graduate fairs or have coffee house chats with prospective students. The alumni ambassadors are tour guides for the YouVisit virtual tours. Many simply volunteer to call potential students who request the opportunity to speak with alumni about their experience of the program and post-graduation.
In a relatively short period of time, HGSE has developed a vibrant and effective AAA program that serves their operation and helps alumni stay connected to the school. The presenters recommend starting small with quick-win projects and build out the program according to your needs. The program does not need to be high cost to have high impact.
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USING GRADUATE TEACHING FELLOWS TO ENHANCE GRADUATE STUDENT ORIENTATION AND GRADUATE STUDENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTPresented by Kate McAnulty, Kent State UniversityReported by Kristen Sterba, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
The Division of Graduate Studies at Kent State University utilizes graduate student teaching fellows to help facilitate, organize and lead graduate student orientation and professional development workshops. Each year 18 teaching fellows are selected and train for two months prior to graduate student orientation. As part of their duties, fellows develop content for orientation, and they also provide feedback to the division to enhance the event’s relevance to graduate students. Orientation is a two-day program with the first day open to all
students. Information on day one includes general information regarding the campus (e.g., library, career services). The second day is required for new teaching assistants and features information such as diversity in the classroom, syllabus and scheduling, and teaching in labs. Attendance at orientation is only required for new teaching assistants but approximately half of new graduate students attend day one. Fellows have also been involved in the Graduate Professional and Academic Development week. This week long program includes three one-
hour sessions each day with a variety of topics including communicating in the academy, technology tools, literature reviews, conferences and publications, and searching for grant funding opportunities. Sessions are designed and facilitated by fellows. The inclusion of teaching fellows in the above activities has proven successful. Cultural competency videos that feature teaching scenarios are another tool that Kent State University has developed to foster discussion among graduate students who will be teaching or wish to teach in the future.
