Management Modules Essential to Dealing with Recruitment Challenges in Uncertain Times

Michael A. Kapin, Ph.D.
Researcher

Managing recruitment efforts in a private or proprietary college or university has always been a challenge. In today’s uncertain economic climate, it is critical that every qualified student be given the opportunity to lear n the attributes of your school in order to make matriculation a reality.

The mortgage crisis, corporate bankruptcies, factory and company closings, the scarcity of credit, stock market declines, layoffs and rising unemployment have created an environment where the benefits of post-secondary education are more difficult to explain and the costs are a much more determining consideration for students and their families.

Effective communication has always been important but new economic realities make it essential. Colleges and universities must continue to provide all the basic information to prospective students but such communication must be data-driven and subject to constant analysis and evaluation.

Walking students and their families through each step of the admission process will always be a key aspect of the communication plan. Encouraging campus visits, educating families about financial aid programs (whether need-based or academic), explaining institutional teaching methods and curricular strengths, exploring co-corricular opportunities such as student clubs, organizations and athletics and touting distinct benefits associated with attendance at a particular institution are more relavent than ever.

It has been my experience as a researcher that similar communication objectives are common in college and university recruitment strategies, but they are often not calculated, demonstrated, analyzed and tracked in a data-driven, systematic way.

The need to incorporate all types of communication into your plan should be obvious. Information must be provided to prospective students in person, on the telephone, via some form of direct mail and/or written publications, and in all electronic formats including your website, e-mail, text messaging and social networking posts. The hard part is finding an efficient mechanism to track all communication in a manner that produces data and outcomes that can be utilized in day-to-day decision-making in enrollment management.

Recently, I had the opportunity to review the Recruitment Management Module offered by Collegiate Apps, a Moorestown, NJ organization led by a group with diverse expertise in sbujects including technology, executive and university leadership, data management, and telemarketing. The company offers an off-the-shelf software product designed to assist enrollment leaders in the task of accurately tracking and reporting communication efforts and results. As described by the team, the product is low cost and high yield and makes the difficult task of managing and evaluating all types of recruitment communication manageable. Most important this is an “academic specific” enrollment management tool, not just a remake of something used by the business community.

The module reviewed is a SAAS tool, (i.e., no requirement for investing in hardware or software as everything is web-based and can be accessed from any PC) in which each prospective student’s profile can be loaded and matched to specific communication actions.

• Users are able to use all forms of communication with prospective students systematically. Specific communication tasks can be timed and delivered throughout the cycle.
• The module addresses list management: purchased names, inquiries, first time applicants and transfer or adult applicants and even currently enrolled students.
• Calling guides can be easily designed to include scripts and hot topics for communication.
• The product can readily perform any necessary credential calculations such as test score conversions and grade point average scales.
• Important dates can be scheduled, tracked and monitored such as date of application, date of acceptance, campus visit date, financial aid application date, deposit date and registration date.
• Admission counselor and student recruiter activities can be reviewed and evaluated every week and positive outcomes assessed.
• Additional modules address Development requirements in the same manner.

The influence of effective communication with prospective students and their families is vital in these uncertain economic times. Enrollment managers should be sure to utilize the latest technology in order to provide the information necessary for families to make decisions regarding higher education choices.

Additional information can be obtained through Collegiate Apps website, http://www.collegiateapps.com, or by contacting them at support@collegiateapps.com.

Dr. Michael Kapin, has broad experinece in research including drug discovery, clinical development, project management, data package review, and marketing in addition to university teaching and lecture experience.