Another "what works in recruitment" article

My friend, Sherilyn Emberton, was the provost at LMU. It sounds like this is the kind of thing I’ve been suggesting at a broader scale with the student information database and what we seem to be doing in a more targeted way by hiring Scannell & Kurz.

http://chronicle.com/article/A-Small-University-Embraces-a/125612/

Notice, by the way, some of the interesting conclusions about what seems to work and doesn’t work in small college recruiting. We’re clearly trying to do some of the things that this experiment might say actually deter students (such as faculty contacting prospective students and marketing materials emphasizing the university’s distinctiveness).

"Although Ms. Skaruppa credits some of the new strategies for those increases, the results of the experiment surprised her. Some ideas that she had pegged as sure-fire strategies did not seem to work.

For instance, the results suggested that the "top 10" T-shirts had deterred applicants. Ditto for faculty members contacting prospective students, letters sent to parents, marketing materials emphasizing the university's distinctiveness, and a presence on Facebook.

What helped? Recruitment outreach by the students themselves, for one thing. Lincoln Memorial also saw positive effects from more-frequent recruitment visits to high schools, calling students within 24 hours of their first inquiry, and including a letter about financial aid in a follow-up mailing to prospective applicants.
The findings prompted Ms. Skaruppa to further adjust her office's strategies. This year, for instance, Lincoln Memorial is sending parents of prospective students a link to the Web site of its parent club. In addition, instead of sending them just the one letter, the university is communicating more frequently with parents, and sending them tickets to athletic events."

What works in retention?

The short version appears to be first to do the kinds of things that Kim Eldridge has been suggesting (centralized follow up systems) as well as more full-time faculty and more remediation programs. Class size doesn’t seem to matter as much (at least from a student retention perspective, though I can tell you as someone who taught 240 students my first semester at JBU, class size does indeed matter from a faculty perspective).

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/12/10/productivity

“In addition to call centers and the greater use of full-time faculty, remediation holds up well as a cost-effective way to improve college completion, Harris said. Yet, strategies like cutting class sizes can drive rankings, increase prestige and garner attention.”