Coordinating Tools for Transfer Recruitment
7/15/2013
Coordinating Tools for Transfer Recruitment Melanie Gottlieb Director Admission Operations
Institutional focus on activities around FRESHMAN recruitment.
Transfer numbers were stagnant or dropping, in some cases.
Webster University: The tools we started with • 3 Offices of Admission • 1 specific transfer recruiter • 1 domestic transfer credit evaluator • Articulation Agreements • Community College Advisor events • Open houses • Community college visits • Transfer student scholarships
1
7/15/2013
Other cultural issues • Local transfer populations generally commuter students— engagement and integration issues • Perceptions of readiness and expectations • General focus of resources to freshman population • New complex general education program • Massive institutional leadership change • Overall fractured and silo services for student
Challenge 1: Location • 3 offices • Different location • Different service models • Different processes • Confusing student type definitions
2
7/15/2013
Students were sent from office to office until their needs were met… …or they left in frustration!
Office Mergers allowed: Single point of contact for students Single address to send documents Single processing unit unified admission process Staffing efficiencies allowed for additional recruiters to be added From 1‐2 international From 1‐2.5 transfer
Director‐level focus on transfer population
Clarified Admission Requirements Standardized across populations Articulated clearly on website Reviewed /updated workflow and communication plan to include more electronic communication
3
7/15/2013
Scholarships: Increased our Phi Theta Kappa scholarship Stabilized merit pool scholarship for transfers Added a small opportunity scholarship ($2000 or less)
Challenge 2: Articulation Agreements • Managed (?) by Academic Advising • No bandwidth or investment in maintenance or development • Inconsistent approval at school/college level • Faculty participation in process low • Housed in binders in one advisors office • No access for students or other staff • Format not useful to students or to community college advisors
Proposal: YEAR 1: Create Transfer & Articulation Coordinator within newly merged Office of Admission YEAR2: Add transfer credit evaluator to double evaluation capacity
4
7/15/2013
Transfer & Articulation Coordinator: Implemented TES (College Source) Systematically updated all agreements Moved to a model of student friendly transfer guides rather than formal articulation agreements
Reviewed relationships with local proprietary institutions Built strong faculty relationships Built strong community college advisor relationships Quarterly visits to all feeders to discuss needs, coordinate faculty engagement
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AS KEY CHARGE
Challenge 3: Events • Community College advisor events 2x per year • Dropping participation • Stagnant program • Little integration with Admissions • Faculty presentations not relevant to audience • Open houses • Not coordinated with other local campuses • Not well promoted • Admissions focused
5
7/15/2013
Transfer Events: Semi‐annual luncheon in partnership with Academic Advising Expand invite list to include more schools Strategic focus to content Allow time for meaningful discussion/ Q&A
Open Houses Coordinated with our local campus locations Smaller, action‐oriented events One‐stop shop for transfer students: Advising, Admissions, Financial Aid, Bursar participation. Student can be admitted, evaluated, advised, and registered in one afternoon or evening
Virtual Open houses Piloted 3 in 2012/2013
Challenge 4: Engagement & Preparedness Issues • Transfer student engagement measures lower than freshman populations • commuter community with campus resources geared toward the residential campus • Low attendance at orientations • University access mission allowed admission to somewhat riskier population with uneven success • We had the services, but students weren’t connecting with them
WU Commuter Council Part of the Student Government Association Elected officers A part of the Delegates Agenda Commuter student events both on and off campus
Establishment of a central commuter lounge area with computer and printer access, comfortable seating, lockers, microwaves, information on campus happenings, student events Commuter Workshop Series (monthly) – present a series of workshops on helpful topics from car maintenance and gas prices to safety on campus and being involved on Campus. Commuter Appreciation Days (each semester) – administrators sign up to greet commuter students mornings and evenings with food, gifts, (water bottles, shirts, stickers)
6
7/15/2013
Elimination of the term PROBATION & the creation of the Transitions Program Available to any student, marketed heavily to transfers, mandated to students admitted with conditions Academic counseling Learning strategies Organization and time management Peer tutoring Summer program to help ease the college transition
Expansion of Transfer Student Orientation Pre‐semester orientations with group advising sessions 6x per year
Integration of financial aid, bursar, admissions, transition program, student government/student activities 2x per year more traditional orientation model
7
7/15/2013
Measures of Success so far? Increased faculty engagement from almost all schools/colleges Increased community college engagement Increased retention of transfer students Increased event attendance 10% increase each year in transfer student enrollment in last 2 years
And we still have far to go • Consistent delivery of transfer credit evaluation before a student enrolls • More housing flexibility to allow us to grow to a national recruitment plan • Expansion of virtual open houses using better technology tools • A few school/college faculty holdouts in the process • Continued improvement of Transfer Student Orientation • MEANINGFUL dual admission program
8
7/15/2013
Questions/Discussion?
9
Coordinating Tools for Transfer Recruitment Melanie Gottlieb Director Admission Operations
Institutional focus on activities around FRESHMAN recruitment.
Transfer numbers were stagnant or dropping, in some cases.
Webster University: The tools we started with • 3 Offices of Admission • 1 specific transfer recruiter • 1 domestic transfer credit evaluator • Articulation Agreements • Community College Advisor events • Open houses • Community college visits • Transfer student scholarships
1
7/15/2013
Other cultural issues • Local transfer populations generally commuter students— engagement and integration issues • Perceptions of readiness and expectations • General focus of resources to freshman population • New complex general education program • Massive institutional leadership change • Overall fractured and silo services for student
Challenge 1: Location • 3 offices • Different location • Different service models • Different processes • Confusing student type definitions
2
7/15/2013
Students were sent from office to office until their needs were met… …or they left in frustration!
Office Mergers allowed: Single point of contact for students Single address to send documents Single processing unit unified admission process Staffing efficiencies allowed for additional recruiters to be added From 1‐2 international From 1‐2.5 transfer
Director‐level focus on transfer population
Clarified Admission Requirements Standardized across populations Articulated clearly on website Reviewed /updated workflow and communication plan to include more electronic communication
3
7/15/2013
Scholarships: Increased our Phi Theta Kappa scholarship Stabilized merit pool scholarship for transfers Added a small opportunity scholarship ($2000 or less)
Challenge 2: Articulation Agreements • Managed (?) by Academic Advising • No bandwidth or investment in maintenance or development • Inconsistent approval at school/college level • Faculty participation in process low • Housed in binders in one advisors office • No access for students or other staff • Format not useful to students or to community college advisors
Proposal: YEAR 1: Create Transfer & Articulation Coordinator within newly merged Office of Admission YEAR2: Add transfer credit evaluator to double evaluation capacity
4
7/15/2013
Transfer & Articulation Coordinator: Implemented TES (College Source) Systematically updated all agreements Moved to a model of student friendly transfer guides rather than formal articulation agreements
Reviewed relationships with local proprietary institutions Built strong faculty relationships Built strong community college advisor relationships Quarterly visits to all feeders to discuss needs, coordinate faculty engagement
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AS KEY CHARGE
Challenge 3: Events • Community College advisor events 2x per year • Dropping participation • Stagnant program • Little integration with Admissions • Faculty presentations not relevant to audience • Open houses • Not coordinated with other local campuses • Not well promoted • Admissions focused
5
7/15/2013
Transfer Events: Semi‐annual luncheon in partnership with Academic Advising Expand invite list to include more schools Strategic focus to content Allow time for meaningful discussion/ Q&A
Open Houses Coordinated with our local campus locations Smaller, action‐oriented events One‐stop shop for transfer students: Advising, Admissions, Financial Aid, Bursar participation. Student can be admitted, evaluated, advised, and registered in one afternoon or evening
Virtual Open houses Piloted 3 in 2012/2013
Challenge 4: Engagement & Preparedness Issues • Transfer student engagement measures lower than freshman populations • commuter community with campus resources geared toward the residential campus • Low attendance at orientations • University access mission allowed admission to somewhat riskier population with uneven success • We had the services, but students weren’t connecting with them
WU Commuter Council Part of the Student Government Association Elected officers A part of the Delegates Agenda Commuter student events both on and off campus
Establishment of a central commuter lounge area with computer and printer access, comfortable seating, lockers, microwaves, information on campus happenings, student events Commuter Workshop Series (monthly) – present a series of workshops on helpful topics from car maintenance and gas prices to safety on campus and being involved on Campus. Commuter Appreciation Days (each semester) – administrators sign up to greet commuter students mornings and evenings with food, gifts, (water bottles, shirts, stickers)
6
7/15/2013
Elimination of the term PROBATION & the creation of the Transitions Program Available to any student, marketed heavily to transfers, mandated to students admitted with conditions Academic counseling Learning strategies Organization and time management Peer tutoring Summer program to help ease the college transition
Expansion of Transfer Student Orientation Pre‐semester orientations with group advising sessions 6x per year
Integration of financial aid, bursar, admissions, transition program, student government/student activities 2x per year more traditional orientation model
7
7/15/2013
Measures of Success so far? Increased faculty engagement from almost all schools/colleges Increased community college engagement Increased retention of transfer students Increased event attendance 10% increase each year in transfer student enrollment in last 2 years
And we still have far to go • Consistent delivery of transfer credit evaluation before a student enrolls • More housing flexibility to allow us to grow to a national recruitment plan • Expansion of virtual open houses using better technology tools • A few school/college faculty holdouts in the process • Continued improvement of Transfer Student Orientation • MEANINGFUL dual admission program
8
7/15/2013
Questions/Discussion?
9
