SSG Targeted Recruitment of all Students

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SSG Targeted Recruitment of all Students

• Presidents Executive Council
• May 4, 2004

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Members

• Mr. Tom White, Team Facilitator
• Dr. Heather Snyder, Report Co-coordinator
• Ms. Bonnie Boylan, Report Co-coordinator
• Dr. Marian Beckman
• Dr. John Cussen
• Dr. Karim Hossain
• Dr. Gregg Hungerford
• Dr. Suzanne McDevitt
• Dr. Herb Tolbert, Guidance Team (until 4/16)
• Mr. Terry Carlin, Guidance Team
• Dr. Erinn Lake, Quality Advisor

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The Issue

• How do students get here?
• The team was also charged with working closely
  with the Work Study SSG team in order to
  determine how students get here and how they get
  secure work on campus.

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Improvement Statement

Examine the recruitment practices of traditional
and non-traditional undergraduate students at
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. These
findings will be compared with best practices in
higher education.
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FLOW CHARTS

• Targeted Recruitment of a General McLane Student
  to Edinboro University.
• Targeted Recruitment of a Non-Traditional Student
  to Edinboro University.
• Targeted Recruitment of a Son or Daughter of an
  Edinboro Employee to Edinboro University.
• Targeted Recruitment of Underrepresented
  Populations to Edinboro University.
• Edinboro Universitys Current Recruitment Cycle.
• Cycle of Best Practice Recruitment Events at
  Other Institutions.

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• When examining which groups are actively and not
  actively recruited, we found it important to
  examine traditional and non-traditional students
  separately.

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Summary - Points of serious SSG concern about the
recruitment of Traditional students

• Points of serious SSG concern about traditional
  students
• Strategic Targeting Currently, there seems to
  be a need to further develop a formal, written
  strategy and to actualize the strategies in
  keeping with best practices in higher education
  to attract particular groups of students, such as
  high SAT score students, legacy students,
  articulation agreement students, honors students,
  international students, students from
  underrepresented populations, etc.
• Strategic Planning Currently EUP does not have
  an integrated recruitment plan which actively
  involves all units of the University. Refer to
  SSG on Student Recruitment, April 2000.
• Lack of Technology Admission staff members are
  working diligently on publications, college
  fairs, etc. However, Edinboros webpage does not
  measure up to current admissions trends such as
  interactive web sites, and we still do not have a
  secure server to process application fees (as was
  recommended by a strategic study group in 1999).
  In addition, we need to better utilize email and
  web-based campaigns to target prospective target
  populations. While we have the capability to
  personalize publications as many schools, such
  as Slippery Rock, are currently doing, the return
  on our investment needs to be further
  investigated.
• Lack of Coordinated Use of Parents/Alumni/Students
  Currently, there does not appear to be any
  coordinated, strategic effort to involve
  parents/alumni or students in the recruitment of
  future Edinboro students.

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Points of serious SSG concern about the
recruitment of non-traditional studentsVarying
EUP Campus Definitions of Non-Traditional

• According to the SSHE Annual Data Collection Plan
  2003-2004, a non-traditional student is
• An undergraduate student who is defined as being
  a member of a cohort defined primarily by age.
  For the State System, any undergraduate age 25 or
  older as of September 1 of each academic year.
  Linkages cohort, undergraduate student. This is
  the definition used by Institutional Research in
  reporting in performance funding data via
  enrollment files, etc.
• According to the EUP Admissions Office, a
  non-traditional student is
• The EUP Admissions Office considers anyone a
  "Non-traditional" student who has graduated from
  high school and/or demonstrates special needs due
  to family, work, military or other "life
  situations" which may affect their ability to
  enroll in an "unqualified" manner. This
  designation then signals that the individual
  should seek assistance from offices such as
  Academic Support, Non-Traditional Student
  Services, etc.
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• According to EUP Non-Traditional Student Services
  Office, a non-traditional student is
• Basically it is any student who does not come
  to college within 3-4 years after graduation from
  high school. A student who is at least 24 years
  old is a non-trad but others are 20 year old
  single moms, fully employed or downsized workers,
  mid-life career changers, military veterans and
  students who never thought they could go to
  college when they were in high school. Source
  EUP Non-Traditional Student Services Web Page

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Changing Demographics

• Demographic data shows that the number of
  traditional high school students will be
  declining, and many adults are experiencing job
  changes that may motivate the return to school.
  For example, as the following figures illustrate
• While the number of high school graduates will
  continue to grow for the next five years,
  nationally and in Pennsylvania (and therefore
  college enrollments will increase), beginning in
  2009, the number of high school graduates will
  begin a long decline.

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• Therefore, Universities and the System need to
  plan for the inevitable decline in high school
  graduates and increased competition for those
  students, especially among non-traditional
  providers. Non-traditional students will need to
  be recruited aggressively academic offerings and
  schedules must be flexible to accommodate the
  students of the future.
• (Source State System Planning Data January
  2004 Dr. Bohl-Fabians Video Presentation/PowerP
  oint).

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• Data from the Pennsylvania Department of
  Education reveals that there is already a
  downward trend in high school enrollment in EUP
  area schools.
• For example, while there were 20,401 students
  enrolled in public high schools in Erie County in
  1997-98, there were 20,033 students enrolled in
  2002-03.
• There was a decline in Crawford County as well,
  with 5,963 students enrolled in public high
  schools in 1997-98 and 5,588 students enrolled in
  2002-03. Changes in local industries will likely
  contribute to migration in the coming years,
  which will cause further decline of enrollments.

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Decline in EUP Undergraduate Non-Traditional
Students

• The Fall 2003 enrollment data indicates there are
  1,249 undergraduate non-traditional students
  enrolled at EUP compared to 1,292 in 2002-2003
  representing a decline of 43 students.
• This suggests that current recruitment practices
  may not be effective for this target group.
  Considering the demographic data cited above,
  this is a great concern of the SSG.

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5-Year Trend in Non-Traditional Students at
Edinboro University (Source University Fact
Books).
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Other Baseline Data Reviewed

• SSG Work Study 80.7 of the responders said
  that student employment was not a factor in their
  decision to attend EUP.
• Feb. 2004 Commuter survey.
• SSG Master Schedule See Master Schedule II SSG
  report and the teams Pareto Chart on course
  scheduling, sections, etc.
• Fall 2003 Psychology Department survey.

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Best Practices Non-Trads.

• Survey of SSHE Admissions Officers It is
  interesting to note that few of our sister
  schools purchase lists, employ telemarketing or
  outside agencies, or produce special literature
  or hold special events for non-traditional
  students.
• Practices outside the SSHE - In addition to the
  survey of SSHE schools, recruitment practices for
  non-traditional students by local schools were
  also examined to determine best practices in the
  recruitment of non-traditional students OUTSIDE
  the State System of Higher Education

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Gannon, Mercyhurst, Penn State, Univ. of Phoenix

• Gannon - Center for Adult Learning staff help
  students apply for admission, file for financial
  aid, register for classes and make payment
  arrangements all at one location.
• Gannon offers special adult tuition rates this
  rate provides assistance to adult students who do
  not qualify for aid because most institutional
  financial aid requires full-time attendance.
  Students in the Weekend College also receive a
  special weekend rate.
• Company Reimbursement Plan - Gannon permits, with
  100 down, the deferment of a students balance
  until the end of the semester with no interest or
  fees.
• Gannon has an Office of Commuter Life.
• Mercyhurst offers the Catherine McAuley Adult
  Education Center, including a streamlined
  admission and registration process, advising,
  etc.
• They are able to evaluate transcripts from
  previous colleges, assess life experience,
  discuss concerns and develop an education plan
  that works
• There are approximately 90 course offerings on
  the page for Saturday mornings, Sunday evenings,
  and Tues/Thursday. There are approximately 80
  course offerings on Monday and Wednesday evenings
  for the year.
• Penn State - The Center for Adult Learner
  Services,
• University of Phoenix - online registration,
  books, materials Phoenix students never have to
  stand in line to register, pay fees or buy
  textbooks. For some courses, students download
  materials from the Web. For others, materials
  are mailed.

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Summary - Points of serious SSG concern about the
recruitment of Non-Traditional students

• In summary, the review of current practices at
  EUP, literature on recruiting non-traditional
  students, and best practices as used by local
  schools, reveals that Edinboro University has no
  effective strategy to attract the non-traditional
  student population in this region. In fact, we
  have seen a decline in the population at EUP at a
  time that changing demographics suggest that
  there should be an increase in the enrollment of
  these students.
• It is the recommendation of the SSG that we
  need to take immediate and aggressive action in
  this regard.

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Recommendation 1

• Traditional students
• We recommend that EUP develop a formal, written
• enrollment management strategy. This strategy
• should guide implementation to attract particular
• groups of students.

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Recommendation 2

• Within that enrollment management plan we
• recommend that EUP develop strategies for
• recruiting academically exceptional students.
  This
• will be evident in increased enrollment by
  students
• with higher SAT scores and grades.

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Recommendation 3

• Within the enrollment management plan we
• recommend the development of a strategic
• recruitment calendar for the coordinating and
  timing
• of recruitment events to more effectively recruit
• students.

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Recommendation 4

• We ask that the Access and Retention Advisory
• Committee look at the recruitment budgets of
• academic departments, their spending, and returns
• of investment to determine how to best target our
• resources for student recruitment, according to
  best
• practices identified in this report.

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Recommendation 5

• We recommend that EUP updates its Admissions
• website, so it is more interactive, has a secure
• server, and helps lead to active recruitment
  email
• campaigns.

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Recommendation 6

• We recommend that EUP identifies procedures to
• better use faculty/staff, parents, alumni, and
  students
• in recruitment efforts.

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Recommendation 7

• Non-Traditional Students
• We recommend adopting the following definition of
  non
• traditional, based on the work of Horn (1996)
  and the
• definition used by Penn State, to facilitate our
  ability to
• provide services and support for those students
  that meet this
• definition.
• Horn (1996) developed a definition for
  non-traditional
• students. If a student has even one
  characteristic, as noted
• below, they are considered non-traditional, 2-3
  moderately
• non-traditional and 4 or more extremely
  non-traditional

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Recommendation 8

• We recommend that EUP allocate resources to
  strengthen its
• recruitment of non-traditional students, such as
  providing
• services and support that facilitate enrollment
  and retention,
• including evaluating transcripts and awarding
  credit for non
• regionally accredited institutions, administer
  CLEP tests and
• life experience evaluations, assisting with
  scheduling, and
• identifying sources of financial aid for these
  students.
• Included within the Support Services would be the
  
• improvement of commuter lounges, etc., so it
  attracts more
• students to spend more time on campus.

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Recommendation 9

• We recommend that market data be obtained to
• determine the scheduling needs of prospective and
• non-traditional students in the area. More
  market
• research is needed to determine the needs of
  local
• non-traditional students, including identifying
• locations, times, and programs of interest.

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Recommendation 10

• We recommend that a strategic study group be
  formed to
• determine how best to use campus resources to
  improve
• enrollment of non-traditional students. For
  example, while
• there is interest in more evening classes at the
  Porreco
• campus, there is currently not sufficient faculty
  to teach both
• evening at Porreco and traditional day courses on
  the main
• campus. Therefore, more research is needed to
  determine
• how best to resolve these logistical conflicts,
  and provide
• incentives for faculty to teach at alternate
  times and places.

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Recommendation 11

• We recommend that EUP updates its recruitment
• materials for non-traditional students and
  actively
• use these materials in recruitment.

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Recommendation 12

• We recommend that EUP updates its recruitment
• materials for non-traditional students and
  actively
• use these materials in recruitment.

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Thank you.

• Questions?