NAGAP Perspectives - Summer 2018

VOLUME 30 NUMBER 2 SUMMER 2018

PERSPECTIVES A Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals

IN THIS ISSUE  2 From the President  4

NAGAP Member Needs Assessment & New Strategic Initiatives

 5

Digital-First Strategies to Shape the Success of International Student Recruitment

 8 Personalization and Automation and Analytics: The New Essentials of Graduate Enrollment Marketing  11

Member Spotlight: Tracy Collum

 12

Toronto 2019 NAGAP Conference

 13

2018 NAGAP Award Winners

 15

Reflections on the 2018 Pre-Conference Institute

 16

Conference Session Summaries

 75

Saturday Prize Winners

www.NAGAP.org

FROM THE PRESIDENT Welcome to the summer edition of Perspectives! As your new President, I have to admit I am a little overwhelmed by the thought of serving in this capacity. For over 13 years I have described NAGAP as my professional lifeline. Now, to be entrusted by you, the members, to lead the association is both gratifying and humbling. Thank you for the confidence you have placed in me and our other newly elected officers.

Before I share any other thoughts with you, I want to thank Julie Deland and the members of the Governing Board who faithfully served the association over the last term. Their hard work and dedication have strengthened NAGAP’s foundation, and we are in a better place now than we were two years ago. I also want to express my appreciation to those who have agreed to serve on our 2018-2020 Governing Board. We have many new faces that have come up through the committee and chapter ranks, and I am excited to be working alongside such an amazing group of talented leaders in GEM. The summer issue of Perspectives is always fun because we get to reflect on our Annual Conference. Congratulations to the Conference Committee for coordinating one of our most successful conferences ever, breaking records for both the number of registrations and the number of vendors, while offering outstanding professional development and networking opportunities. I also want to thank all of the presenters and volunteers who helped make the event possible. Whether you were able to attend or not, I suggest you read the summaries to find some ideas that you can apply in your work immediately – and then share this publication with a few colleagues on your campus who are not members of NAGAP, and encourage them to do the same. I am confident you will be glad you did.

Inside this edition you will also find a summary of the results of the Member Needs Assessment conducted last fall. These data are already having an impact on Governing Board discussions and resource allocations that will impact member benefits in a very tangible way. For starters, we are currently researching online networking platforms, developing a GEM-focused leadership academy, and preparing an educational webinar series. We have started discussions with several existing and potential partners to explore joint research projects. We are also planning to expand the number of international, regional and special interest chapters to provide greater support for GEM professionals across the country and abroad. Finally, we are increasing our efforts to engage members in volunteer and leadership opportunities that will help us to successfully accomplish these strategic initiatives.

In closing, I want to issue a challenge to everyone reading this letter. In recent weeks I have asked the members of the Governing Board one simple question: “What does success look like?” Take a minute to ask yourself that question and write out 3 or 4 goals for the coming year based on your answers. Then think about the products and services NAGAP offers and how we might assist you on your path to success in the upcoming academic year.

Thanks for your commitment to your students and the GEM profession. If you have ideas for what we can do to better serve our NAGAP members or if you simply want to get involved in a deeper way, please contact me or another member of the Governing Board. Have a great summer! n Keith Ramsdell NAGAP President

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PERSPECTIVES A Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals

Editor, Raymond A. Lutzky, PhD Senior Director of Enrollment and Admissions Cornell Tech 2 West Loop Road New York, N.Y. 10044 NAGAPpublications@gmail.com NAGAP Perspectives is published three times per year (fall, 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 email. 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 30, January 6, May 16.

Copyright © 2018 NAGAP 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 U.S. and internationally.

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NAGAP Volunteer Opportunities NAGAP is a member-driven association, and there are many ways to get involved!

Check out the Volunteer Opportunities Page to

For more information, or to talk to someone about ways to become more involved with NAGAP,

learn more about the

you can email a member of the

committees, organizational

Leadership Cultivation and Elections

activities, and other projects for which you may volunteer your time.

Committee.

We hope you will take the time to consider the opportunities for volunteer participation, and that you will discover a way to become more involved in NAGAP.

NAGAP Chapters

Join or Start a Chapter Today!

For those of you looking to get more involved with NAGAP, your local chapter is a great place to start. Chapters provide a wonderful opportunity to network, to participate in regional workshops and conferences, and to assume leadership positions.

They are also a great resource for learning more about GEM, especially if you are unable to attend the national annual conference.

NAGAP has eight regional U.S. chapters, one international chapter, and two special interest chapters. To find out which chapter your state is a member of, visit NAGAP’s Chapters page. Here you will find contact information for each chapter president, and a link to the chapter’s website or social media page. Most chapters have a “join” or “contact us” link right on the landing page.

If you find your state is not affiliated with a chapter, you may be interested in beginning a new chapter. For more information, review the How To Get Started overview. Questions? Please contact us at info@nagap.org.

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NAGAP MEMBER NEEDS ASSESSMENT & NEW STRATEGIC INITIATIVES

By Jennifer Kulbeck, Saint Mary’s College of California, and Keith Ramsdell, Bowling Green State University Last fall we conducted a survey to assess NAGAP member needs and inform the strategic initiatives of the association, and these data are already shaping Governing Board discussions and resource allocations that will impact member benefits in a tangible way. There was a strong response rate; 326 members with a wide range of years of experience in GEM participated.

Members reported finding the most value from NAGAP’s networking opportunities and educational resources such as annual conference, professional development institutes, Perspectives magazine, webinars, and the online resource center. Of those who responded to the survey, almost half do not belong to another professional association, and nearly 80% consider NAGAP to be the primary source for their professional development.

Word of mouth continues to be the dominant membership recruitment method, with 78% of respondents having first heard of NAGAP through a colleague at their own institution. More than half reported that they initially engaged with NAGAP either on the recommendation of a supervisor (21%), to fill a knowledge gap (19%), or when they started a new job in GEM (16%).

Nearly half of the respondents attended a chapter event for the benefits of networking with peers in the region and sharing ideas. It is exciting to see members engaging with our chapters.

We are planning to expand the number of international, regional and special interest chapters significantly in the next two years, to provide greater support for GEM professionals across the country and abroad.

The survey included a question about new services and products, asking members to indicate which would be their priority if NAGAP had resources to offer one new initiative or benefit. The top three items selected as priorities were a

leadership institute (25%), an online networking platform (24%), and an additional professional development event (20%). When asked specifically about participating in or finding value in a NAGAP online networking platform, nearly 80% of respondents responded positively. In response to this feedback, we are researching online networking platforms and developing a GEM-focused leadership academy, which we hope to announce soon. The Education Committee has also been developing a robust webinar series, in collaboration with our chapters, which is scheduled to launch later this summer.

Although members indicated that NAGAP currently provides sufficient professional development to meet their needs in the most commonly shared functional areas of recruitment and marketing (71%), admissions operations (71%), student support and services (35%), and advising and retention (23%), we are working to expand our efforts to support our GEM colleagues working in areas outside of recruitment and admissions. We are committed to moving the GEM model from concept into practice, highlighting the value of an integrated understanding of the full student lifecycle into best practices for all professional roles in GEM. We have also engaged in discussion with several existing and potential strategic partners regarding joint research projects, and we are developing a new committee focusing on international initiatives.

Across all of these strategic priorities, we are increasing our efforts to engage members in volunteer and leadership opportunities that will help us to strengthen the portfolio of resources and support for NAGAP members. By growing member involvement, we hope to strengthen our association and have a lasting positive impact on our students’ experience and success, and on graduate education overall. n

Check out the

NAGAP Online Resource Center Featuring a database of Holistic Admissions resources as well as archived book reviews, GEM articles, webinars, doctoral research, and more. nagap.org/online-education-resource-center

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DIGITAL-FIRST STRATEGIES TO SHAPE THE SUCCESS OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT RECRUITMENT

By Rahul Choudaha, PhD, Studyportals In 2009, 1.8 billion people around the world had access to the Internet. Eight years later, Internet access has grown by over 130% to reach 4.16 billion people in 2018. In my article published in 2009 in NAGAP Perspectives I advocated that to maximize the return on investment, graduate schools must embrace online recruitment as one of the channels for international student recruitment. One of the biggest rationales was the student-decision-making process, which was increasingly moving to a more self-directed search behavior supported by peer-to-peer online communication and social networks.

In the last decade, maturing of Internet and communication technologies coupled with the shifting communication and choice patterns of a new generation of prospective international graduate students towards online, mobile, and social media is also changing the way institutions define and achieve their recruitment strategies. Studyportals, which started in 2009, also experienced this shift in student decision-making process. In 2018, over 29 million users informed their study abroad choices, and of this nearly 13.8 million users were searching for master’s programs.

We are at an inflexion point where online recruitment is moving from one of the recruitment channels to the first and most important channel for attracting and enrolling international students. This is what I refer to as “digital-first” strategy of international recruitment. To gain a deeper understanding of the rationale and approach of digital-first strategy, let us review the context of international graduate enrollment and consider perspectives of institutions that are adopting digital marketing for international student recruitment to align with student decisionmaking processes and market characteristics.

Context of International Graduate Enrollment Recent history of international student mobility can be viewed from the perspective of three waves defined by key events. Wave I and Wave II were shaped by the terrorist attack and global financial recession, respectively. The Third Wave is shaped by the new political order, which will intensify global competition for attracting international students (Choudaha, 2018).

Looking forward, intersection of sociopolitical, demographic, and technological megatrends coupled with the global ambitions of Asian and European universities with English-taught programs are making it increasingly challenging for American universities to gain the attention of prospective students in a politically unsupportive environment (Choudaha, & Van Rest, 2018).

The synthesis of historical and future trends indicate that future international recruitment strategies must innovate and adapt to the competitive environment and shifting student behavior. This competitive environment becomes more evident from the recent international graduate enrollment trends and differences by the Carnegie Classification of universities (Table 1).

In 2016, 346,745 international graduate students formed 19% of total graduate enrollment of 1,839,104 students (see Table 1).

However, there is significant skew by institutional type. Doctoral Research Universities with Very High activity enrolled two-third of all international graduate students in the U.S. These universities also cornered much of the enrollment growth—both domestic and international. Between 2010 and 2016, Doctoral Research Universities with Very High activity experienced a growth of

Table 1. Change in International Graduate Enrollment by Carnegie Classification (2010-2016) International as a % of Total Enrollment (2016)

% of Total International Enrollment (2016)

% Change Enrollment U.S. Citizens* (2010-2016)

% Change International Enrollment (2010-2016)

Total

19%

100%

1%

42%

Carnegie Classification

Research Universities (RU/VH)

29%

65%

19%

55%

Research Universities (RU/H)

19%

16%

-10%

10%

Doctoral/Research Universities

9%

7%

-18%

33%

Master’s Colleges and Universities

8%

10%

-11%

28%

Other

10%

2%

114%

73%

Source: Analysis by Rahul Choudaha based on CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees *Includes U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

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55% in international graduate student enrollment as compared to 10% for Doctoral Research Universities with High activity.

Digital Marketing for Cost-Effective, Targeted Outreach

All types of universities except for Doctoral Research Universities with Very High activity experienced a decline in domestic enrollment. Growth in international enrollment provided some support for universities outside Doctoral Research Universities with High activity.

Digital marketing for international student recruitment allows schools to experiment with and scale their efforts in different markets. Marci Fradkin, Director of International Outreach at Valparaiso University, notes that “we can’t be everywhere with limited budgets. Digital marketing opens up new markets in a cost-effective manner and helps us tell Valparaiso’s story.”

An analysis of the data suggests that U.S. institutions enrolled 21,390 fewer international students in Fall 2018 as compared to Fall 2016 (see Table 2). With average tuition and fees of $25,000, higher education institutions are likely to lose potential revenue of $535 million for the first year of studies alone (without factoring any tuition discounts or waivers).

Graduate students come to the U.S. with higher expectations of career outcomes and hence are more sensitive to the changes in the employability opportunities and immigration policies. Recent policy directions and discussions related to curtailing of H1-B work visa and increasing scrutiny of Optional Practical Training (OPT) is largely responsible for this decline. Graduate students in Science and Engineering fields contributed to the more than twothirds of the decline (69%) in international enrollment.

In sum, American graduate schools are increasingly reliant on international students for sustaining enrollment goals. However, not all schools have the budgets and brands to sustain the new competitive environment. This makes it very important for graduate schools to innovate and adopt recruitment strategies that are not only cost-effective but allow for targeted outreach in line with student behavior. This is where digital-first marketing strategy plays a critical role.

Laura Montgomery, Director of Academic Program Marketing at The New School, highlights that while the New York City location and institution’s specialty brand makes it less challenging to get the numbers, it is not always easy to attract the right-fit international student who can bring diversity and is able to thrive on an urban campus.

“This is where the digital channel provides tailored content opportunities, which helps in connecting with students and enabling their choice by providing the right content at various stages of the process,” Montgomery adds. “Specifically, digital marketing allows us to target our campaigns by county to improve international diversity and provide contextual information.”

Michael Terrazas, Director of Communications at Georgia Tech College of Computing, says that their overarching goal for the online MS in Computer Science is to recruit a diverse group of students in terms of gender, race and ethnicity, and countries of origin. “Digital marketing is one of the more targeted approaches we have for reaching one or more of those specific groups of students,” says Terrazas.

Ali Yares, Assistant Director and Campaign Manager at Kogod School of Business, American University, concurs. “As a business

Table 2. Change in International Graduate Enrollment by Level of Education and Field of Study

Fall 2018

Fall 2016

Absolute Change

Percent Change

Est. Financial Change ($ millions)*

All Fields

367,920

389,310

-21,390

-5.50%

($535)

Science and Engineering Fields

229,310

244,040

-14,730

-6.00%

($368)

Non-Science and Engineering Fields

138,610

145,270

-6,660

-4.60%

($167)

Source: Adapted from analysis by Rahul Choudaha based on Science and Engineering Indicators, National Science Foundation data. *Financial contribution based on a conservative estimate of annual tuition and fees of $25,000. In Fall 2016, average tuition and fees for Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity was $29,462 for public universities (out-of-state) and $49,588 for private, non-profit universities. Data excludes students in Optional Practical Training (OPT), a program that allows international students to stay and work in the U.S. for one to three years while remaining on a student visa. Graduate enrollment includes doctoral and master’s programs. These financial estimates do not include the effect of tuition waivers, discounts, scholarships or assistantships.

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school we are looking to recruit people all over the world and digital marketing fits to broaden our reach. Many international students come to us because of our digital marketing partnerships.”

Building new markets takes time and consistent presence and digital marketing provides that critical continuity in communication and engagement. Fradkin notes, “It is important for us to have an integrated marketing and communication strategy as it can easily take up to three years for students from a new market to show-up on our campus. Digital marketing allows us the ability to continuously commute with prospective students and improve our approaches.”

The digital channel also adapts to student decision-making processes. Terrazas notes that given that the MS program is online, “students in this program must be comfortable with online communication and information sources, so in that sense digital marketing aligns quite well, though this is true for both domestic and international students.”

Montgomery notes that “students are more independent in their decision-making, and digital channels provide the resources over a longer term through deeper content and richer stories that allow for exploration to make the choice. It allows us to pull the student toward our institution instead of pushing our message.”

Conclusion The Third Wave of international student mobility is characterized by a higher reliance on international students to sustain graduate enrollment goals in times when it is increasingly challenging to recruit them due to competition and political climate. It’s high time that graduate schools start aligning their resources and priorities with student decision-making processes and market characteristics through digital-first strategies. Success of many institutions will depend on how quickly and effectively they innovate and adopt digital-first strategies to the new environment of the Third Wave. n

References Choudaha, R., & Van Rest, E. (2018). Envisioning Pathways to 2030: Megatrends Shaping the Future of Global Higher Education.

Studyportals. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/Megatrends2030 Choudaha, R. (2018). A Third Wave of International Student Mobility. Research & Occasional Paper Series.

The Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/RC-CSHE Choudaha, R. (2009). China and India: Understanding Market Characteristics for Online Recruitment, NAGAP Perspectives.

Winter issue.

Cuellar, M. & Yu, F. (2018, March 6). The Path to Digital-First Marketing. The Wall Street Journal.

Fischer, K. (2018, November 13). International-student enrollment is slowing — and it isn’t all Donald Trump’s fault.

The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Okahana, H., Feaster, K., & Allum, J. (2016). Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2005 to 2015. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools.

Pavlik, A. (2018). Personalize Recruitment Efforts and Resources to Appeal to International Students. NAGAP Perspectives. Fall issue.

Redden, E. (2018, September 5). International enrollments: From flat to way down. Inside Higher Ed.

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PERSONALIZATION AND AUTOMATION AND ANALYTICS: THE NEW ESSENTIALS OF GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MARKETING

By Michael McGetrick, Spark451 Personalization is everywhere. Your Pandora playlist makes suggestions based on what you have already played and what other people who have played those songs also liked. Your Netflix account displays shows and movies selected for you by algorithms. And, of course, your Amazon shopping cart is hard at work making shopping suggestions for you. Consumer products companies have deftly used what they know about customers to create experiences that are personal and driven by demographics, behavioral and motivational data points.

We in higher education marketing have made some strides in this area, but most of us will admit to having a long way to go.

This article strives to give you an operating model for ramping up personalization, and automating your communications campaigns; an approach that will not only increase engagement but also enrollment.

Building personas

Personalization and personas

• Augment and map historical data of enrolled classes: age, gender, proximity to campus, etc.

Graduate admissions marketing is a nuanced undertaking.

Whereas undergraduate admissions marketing focuses on promoting a “coming of age” overall university experience for high school students, graduate marketing generally targets the promotion of a single master’s or doctoral program. Within that, of course, there are many potential reasons why a student would pursue a master’s degree. Those reasons help us to create “motivation categories” and when overlaid with demographic data allow us to construct “personas” that help us to contextualize and frame the graduate opportunity to the prospect’s particular situation. With our personas identified, we can then go about the challenging but rewarding business of making personalized communications based on a user’s motivation, work experience, location or any of a number of categories.

A framework for building a personalized and automated marketing plan

In literature, an archetype is a character that represents universal patterns of human nature. In a very similar way, we build “personas” for each academic program in a graduate portfolio to identify “symbolic groups” of prospective students that enable us to communicate with them in a personal way. This process is both quantitative and qualitative. Some techniques we employ to develop personas include: Quantitative • Mine enrollment data from student information system and CRM – location, age, years of work experience, motivations for graduate school • Conduct surveys for current program prospects asking about their motivations for pursuing the program

Qualitative • Interview current students – why they chose programs, what they chose • Interview faculty – identify ideal student types, who you were designing the program for…

• Interview employers from professional organizations who hire graduates from these programs • Read application essays for trends not in other data Below is a typical template we would use for persona development. The background and demographics rows help to define whom we are speaking to, while the identifiers help us to know how to talk to them.

1. Build persona profiles 2. Build your communication plan 3. Execute the plan with great content in a marketing automation platform

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PERSONALIZATION AND AUTOMATION AND ANALYTICS CONTINUED The research will generally yield three to four persona groups to which we will assign names such as “recent graduate, career shifter, or liberal arts to tech” for example. Below is an example of the resulting persona description, which identifies who they are, what they want, and what we want them to know.

Example Profile: The Career Shifter

Personalizing E-Communications Graduate education is personal and program-focused. Your e-communications should be, too. Here are a few tips for using personas in your e-mail marketing campaigns. The key is to use a CRM or e-mail marketing platform that allows you to use dynamic content blocks that target the interests of each persona: • Use your CRM to tag individuals as a particular persona, either automatically or manually

Career Shifters Ages 25-45 Location: 25 miles from campus What we want them to know The [program] will help you find a job you enjoy.

What they want Fulfilling job, more money, strong work/life balance How they feel Unfulfilled. Though they may enjoy their company or industry, they aren’t excited with the day-to-day responsibilities of their job. They want to shift or change careers to something that suits them better.

What they want to know How the [program] will help them enjoy their work more

Build your personalized communication plan We apply these persona profiles to the parameters of digital marketing campaigns, landing pages, and personalized e-communications for each persona group.

• Build personalized campaigns for each program with dynamic content blocks for each persona • Ensure that every student is receiving your full narrative in context. (i.e., based on their status as a prospect, applicant, admit, deposit etc.)

Try to build the e-communications program as a flexible narrative. Think of everything you’d want a prospective student or applicant to know about a program, and construct that narrative as a series of emails.

Automation: Put Your E-Communications on Auto-Pilot Marketing has its buzzwords for sure, and perhaps the most used at the moment (outside of artificial intelligence) is “marketing automation.” Put simply, marketing automation is the process of using technology to segment prospects, integrate data, and execute campaigns. Of course, it’s possible to use manual techniques to accomplish these things, but it’s more often the case that you’ll need specialized software that can execute these tasks through sophisticated workflows.

Digital Marketing Good marketing reaches the right person with the right message at the right time. This universal principle, however, is much easier said than done. Persona modeling not only gives us good targeting parameters for each of our digital media channels, but also allows us to target look-alike audiences in specified geographical areas. Some specific considerations for personadriven digital media campaigns include: • Campaign creative targeted to each persona (e.g., career changers, college, graduates, etc.)

• Landing pages with analogous creative messaging to ads to convert visitors into prospects

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PERSONALIZATION AND AUTOMATION AND ANALYTICS CONTINUED It helps to remember that our primary objective is to get closer to our prospects by providing a more personalized and contextualized experience, not to get deep into the tech weeds.

We believe that true personalization is about using segmentation (graduate personas) with automation (workflows) to deliver the right message at the right time. Consider workflows for different phases of the enrollment lifecycle (prospect-to-applicant, applicant-to-admit, admit-to-enroll, anti-melt, etc.)

We can also use analytics to discover how our campaigns are performing. For example, in a recent campaign we learned through analytics that an “academics” email performs much, much better than one on “location” across almost all programs.

And the cool thing about using automation and workflows is that it’s easy to rearrange the steps without having to pause and set up the communication plan again. Here are some final considerations on your analytics picture:

Essential Analytics

• In an ideal world, you’ll build a central repository of all relevant enrollment and marketing data. A data warehouse can get you the right mix of data sources and control.

In admissions, we rely on our intuition to make decisions in our day to day operations. While we still need to use our knowledge and experience, we can shift to data-backed decisions when it comes to our marketing.

Analytics allow us to add a significant dimension to our already rich personas: behavior. The result can often be a lead (or predictive) score that encompasses all of the activities that the prospective student takes relative to our graduate program across channels. Some of the user actions we might take into our lead score include: • Number of email opens/click-throughs • Events attended (online or on-campus) • Conversations with counselors • Visits to our website and pages viewed A lead score can help us predict their likelihood to take a particular action (e.g., apply) or to prioritize more personal follow-up such as phone call.

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• Graduate admissions needs insights into all marketing efforts as they relate to enrollment.

• Program directors need streamlined, customized dashboards with essential pipeline information for planning.

• If your IT organization does not have the time or resources to build such a data store, consider contracting with a consultant who understands enrollment marketing.

Conclusion It pays to get personal with your graduate students. In our testing, we’ve determined that personalized campaigns get a much higher engagement rate than generic communications campaigns—up to 40% higher. The process of persona generation, coupled with communications that are built for each persona (and an automated campaign flow), will yield the kind of campaign that gets results. It can be a significant undertaking, but well worth it. Good luck! n

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: TRACY COLLUM

2018–2020 NAGAP GOVERNING BOARD

By Troy Sterk, Seattle University Tracy Collum is the Associate Dean of the Graduate School at Idaho State University, and previously worked as the Associate Dean for the Evening Degree Program at Idaho State as well as at the Graduate School at High Point University. A first generation college graduate, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from High Point University, a master’s degree in physical education–sport psychology from Springfield College, and a doctorate in adult education and higher education from North Carolina State University. Tracy has started graduate research events at both institutions she has worked at and says that hosting the Graduate Research Symposium at Idaho State has become her favorite role. Her other duties at Idaho State center on policy and planning. In addition to her work, Tracy enjoys spending time with her seven-year-old son.

Officers President Keith Ramsdell Assistant Dean and Director of Graduate Enrollment Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, OH (419) 372-2209 kramsde@bgsu.edu Vice President Jeremiah Nelson Wake Forest University School of Business

Tracy joined NAGAP in 2011 and was happily shocked by the level of sharing, collaboration, and involvement among the members. She has found NAGAP members very willing to share how they are doing things on their campuses and has come back from conferences with many ideas ready to implement.

She states, “It’s great to have the connections that NAGAP helps build to email or message a question, get advice on a software or process change, or to just have familiar faces when you attend the conference and sessions.” Tracy also helped form the Southeaster Chapter (SEAGAP) for which she served as Vice President. n

Treasurer Andrew Kim Memorial University of Newfoundland Secretary Teisha Johnson Illinois College of Optometry Immediate Past President Julia B. Deland Harvard Graduate School of Education

UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Executive Director Dana VanMeerhaeghe NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management

Summer Institute for New Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals July 19–20, 2018 Las Vegas, Nevada Winter Institute for Advanced Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals January 17–18, 2019 San Juan, Puerto Rico 2019 Annual Conference April 10–13, 2019 Toronto, Canada

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TORONTO 2019 NAGAP CONFERENCE

Directors Paula Baker University of Minnesota

By Naronda Wright, 2019 Conference Chair, Georgia Southern University The Conference Planning Committee is already working behind the scenes to put together the 2019 annual conference in Toronto. The committee is so excited to be preparing for NAGAP’s first international conference in beautiful Toronto, Canada. The 2019 conference will be held at the Sheraton Centre Toronto, located in the heart of downtown Toronto. The hotel offers numerous dining options, a spa, and a full fitness center. The property is beautiful and near the Hockey Hall of Fame, wonderful shopping, and great dining.

Katherine Beczak Rochester Institute of Technology Colleen L. Gabauer Purdue University Marcus Hanscom Roger Williams University

We encourage those who need it to start working on renewing your passport or applying for your very first one and joining us next year. To renew or apply for your passport, visit the Department of State website to download the form and find out where you can go in your local area to submit it in time to have your passport ready for that Toronto stamp.

Jennifer Kulbeck Saint Mary's College of California Raymond Lutzky Cornell Tech

The Conference Planning Committee is hard at work to ensure that you have a memorable experience at our annual conference in Toronto. This event is the highlight of the year for many of our members and we are very excited to be working on the planning with our colleagues in CAGAP, the Canadian chapter of NAGAP. The annual conference allows us the opportunity to connect with colleagues, meet new friends, and learn from leaders in the higher education field.

Amanda Ostreko University of Kansas Sara Pettingill Bellarmine University

As you read through this issue of Perspectives, think about submitting a proposal to lead an education session for next year’s conference. We know that our membership has vast expertise and we want to capitalize on those strengths.

Consider presenting or facilitating a discussion on topics that would contribute to the professional or personal development of your fellow GEM colleagues.

Naronda Wright Georgia Southern University

Publications Committee

Save the date! Mark your calendars for the NAGAP's 2019 Annual Conference on April 10-13, 2019 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto. We look forward to seeing all of you there. n

Denise Bridwell University of Kansas Dave Fletcher Barry University Marianne Gumpper Fairfield University Jennifer Kulbeck Saint Mary's College of California Kate McConnell Pennsylvania State University Great Valley Kittie Pain McDaniel College Caela Provost University College Cork Troy Sterk Seattle University

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2018 NAGAP AWARD WINNERS NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, would like to congratulate its 2018 award winners.

These awards were presented at NAGAP’s 31st Annual Conference in New Orleans, La. on Thursday, April 12, 2018.

Distinguished Service Award The Distinguished Service Award is presented to an individual who has contributed exceptional service to the profession and to the association, and it represents NAGAP’s most prestigious award. The 2018 Distinguished Service Award was presented to Jennifer Kulbeck.

Jennifer Kulbeck has worked in the field of higher education and graduate enrollment management for over 20 years.

She currently serves as the Assistant Dean of Liberal Arts Congratulations Jen! at Saint Mary’s College of California in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to her experience at Saint Mary’s, she held several positions at Alliant International University. A NAGAP member since 2005, Jen has served on the governing board of NAGAP as chair of the publications committee and editor of Perspectives (20122018), and as a member of the education committee (2014-18), leadership cultivation and elections committee (2014-18), experts bureau (2016-18), awards committee (2016-18), bylaws revision committee (2013-14), and marketing committee (2010-12). She is also a poet and letterpress printer, with an MFA from San Francisco State University.

Visionary Award The Visionary Award is presented to an individual in the higher education community who has demonstrated a unique and innovative vision in the graduate enrollment management Congratulations Noreen!

(GEM) profession, the field of higher education and/or in NAGAP. Noreen Golfman received the 2018 Visionary Award.

Dr. Noreen Golfman is Provost and Vice President of Memorial University of Newfoundland, where she oversees pan-university

initiatives to ensure that decisions align with Memorial’s mission and strategic priorities; sets goals that are integrated across academic and administrative units; and ensures university planning and budgets align with academic priorities. She previously served as dean of the School of Graduate Studies at Memorial, and under her leadership the school experienced tremendous growth and transformed its approach to graduate enrolment management. During her time as dean of the unit, the number of graduate students doubled and continues to grow today. Dr. Golfman is a professor of English and holds a PhD from the University of Western Ontario. She served two terms as president of the Canadian Federation of Social Sciences and Humanities, a national education advocacy group, and she is past president of both the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies and the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools.

Promotion of Excellence Award The Promotion of Excellence Award recognizes new or existing methodology that demonstrates best practices for graduate enrollment management. The Community of Scholars Program Congratulations Noro and the COSP! at the University of Minnesota, led by Noro Andriamanalina, was selected for the 2018 Promotion of Excellence Award.

The Community of Scholars Program (COSP) works towards creating an institutional environment that supports the academic and professional success of graduate students who are underrepresented in academia. COSP assists students to more fully participate in the University; develop supportive relationships with advisors and mentors; build a sense of community through academic seminars and professional development workshops; and connect students to the Twin Cities and broader University of Minnesota system through teaching, research and community engagement opportunities.

Dr. Noro Andriamanalina is Director of Academic and Professional Development for the Graduate School Diversity Office at the University of Minnesota. She is the COSP director and oversees strategic initiatives to support graduate students across disciplines. Noro credits the collaborative effort of her colleagues for the ongoing success of the COSP. Dr. Karla M. Padrón, is Program Coordinator for the Graduate School Diversity continued on the next page

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2018 NAGAP AWARD WINNERS Office, where she supports the Writing Initiative and links students to community engagement opportunities to enhance professional development and community connection. Dr. Jasmine Kar Tang, is Co-Director of the Center for Writing and an Affiliate Graduate Faculty member in Literacy and Rhetorical Studies at the University of Minnesota. Prior to this position, she was Coordinator and Postdoctoral Researcher for the Graduate School Diversity Office where she led the COSP Writing Initiative.

Chapter Leader Award The Chapter Leader Award is presented to a current or past NAGAP chapter board member who has demonstrated a commitment to the success of their chapter community, Congratulations, Sal and Matt! connections between members, and strengthened chapter communications with the NAGAP leadership. In recognition of their exemplary service to the graduate education community, the 2018 Chapter Leader Award was presented to Matthew Cipriano and Salvatore Calabro, co-founders of BioGAP, the NAGAP special interest chapter focused on biomedical research programs.

Matt Cipriano is the Manager of Enrollment and Education Operations at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He was the president of NYGAP and vice president and co-founder of BioGAP. Matt has presented at various NAGAP national, special interest and regional conferences, NASPA webinars and most recently at the Understanding Interventions conference in Baltimore.

Salvatore Calabro is the Director of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment for the Graduate Division of Biomedical Sciences of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In 2011, he co-founded BioGAP and was elected its first president. Sal is currently serving on the board of BioMedCAS, a centralized application system for biomedical graduate programs.

Future Leader Award The Future Leader Award is presented to an individual who has exhibited leadership qualities and an enthusiasm for the profession that distinguishes them as a rising leader in NAGAP and in the field. Ryan Taughrin was selected for the 2018 Future Leader Award.

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CONTINUED Currently serving as the Assistant Director for Graduate Recruitment in the University at Buffalo’s College of Arts and Sciences, Ryan Taughrin brings a customerservice focused Congratulations, Ryan! approach to his work in graduate enrollment management (GEM), approaching marketing and recruitment strategy through the lens of empathy and vulnerability from the ground up, anticipating student needs and creating processes that highlight program offerings and student experiences. Ryan is currently the President of NYGAP, and is also a doctoral student in higher education at the University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Education. During his year as President, Ryan has worked to provide new opportunities for social connections between GEM professionals in New York, and instituted a new webinar series focused on current issues in GEM.

Graduate Student Enrollment Management Research Grant The Graduate Student Enrollment Management Research Grant is designed to encourage emerging knowledge and understanding of the complexities of graduate enrollment Congratulations, Stan and Gavin! management including all aspects of admissions and recruitment, enrollment, retention and graduation in higher education.

This year, Stanley J. Kania III received funding to support the completion of his doctoral dissertation, “The Use of Social Media and E-marketing in Graduate Student Recruitment: An Investigation of Graduate Enrollment Practices,” and Gavin Sanders received funding for his research exploring the challenges and opportunities faced by underrepresented doctoral students during the dissertation writing process.

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REFLECTIONS ON THE 2018 PRE-CONFERENCE INSTITUTE Christine Pinella, Graduate Admissions Manager Sonoma State University, School of Business and Economics When I heard that the theme of this year’s pre-conference institute was Managing Disaster - Strategic Action and Responsive Communication in an Ever-Changing World, I knew it would be well worth my time to attend. Just six months ago, a wildfire had swept through my university’s home base of Sonoma County, and left a dark and empty space in its wake.

In October of 2018, our students were evacuated off campus for two weeks. In the months that followed, we struggled with student drop-out due to trauma, loss of housing, and economic troubles. Our admissions were largely affected as well – even as I write this we have just closed the application window for our 2018 MBA cohort, and our class is nearly 10% smaller.

I imagined the pre-conference institute topic would make for maybe a gloomy or daunting first day of the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference. I was pleasantly surprised that it was neither. Led by George Haddow of FEMA, our small group was presented with tactical action plans to use during emergency periods on campus and in our communities. Mr. Haddow began the session with a statement that has stuck with me since, when he said, “My industry is a growing industry,” meaning that it’s not a question of if your community or school will face a disaster; it is a question of when.

This may sound like an ominous statement, but what followed was a set of practical tips from leading GEM and other higher education professionals about how to be a good leader during a disaster, how to communicate effectively with all students, and how to regain steady footing on campus when you’re forced to confront mass trauma.

Mr. Haddow and the panelists shared stories of different types of disasters, ranging from Hurricane Harvey and Katrina, to the mass shooting at Virginia Tech, to a student international travel group from SUNY Empire State College stuck in a war zone.

All of these disasters differed in their origins, but the emergency responses all shared the same center of gravity: communicate, be flexible, and create a culture of care. My biggest take away from the pre-conference institute was that we, as leaders on our campuses, should take action to be as prepared as we can be, because the truth is that all of us will experience a disaster at some point in our lives and careers. And while being prepared is the first step, the best thing we can do in recovery is to create a culture of care on our campuses, where students, faculty, and staff feel included, heard, helped, and cared for. If we can lay this foundation in our university communities now, we will be much more prepared for future disasters.

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Kathryn Kendall, Christine Pinella, Mary Palin, Katie Beczak Mary Palin, Assistant Director of Graduate Admission St. Catherine University, St. Paul, Minnesota My normally quiet university has experienced two bizarre incidents this year that really shook our campus community and made our leaders reevaluate the way in which the university responded to emergencies. I applied for the PCI fellowship to learn more about what other universities are doing when disaster strikes.

I don’t think there could have been a better person to explain how to manage disasters on a college campus than Mr. Haddow. Toward the end of his presentation, he made an interesting comment that I have continued to think about. He mentioned that parents and students should consider disaster preparedness when visiting college campuses and deciding on schools. It seems that in many cases, schools don’t have a plan for how to deal with a disaster until something big happens that warrants planning for what could happen next time. Denial is one of the biggest issues in managing disaster – you never think it will happen to you. As part of a panel of GEM professionals, Karen DePauw from Virginia Tech told of her experience on campus with the shooting in 2007. Their response after the shooting and their changes in preparedness for the future have become a model for other universities simply because they were one of the first to deal with a mass shooting on campus and they had to figure out how to respond.

Part of the reason I was interested in this topic was the way my university responded to the incidents we experienced in September and January. The speakers stressed the importance of clear timely and accurate communication and having a crisis communication plan in place. These are two things I hope to bring to the attention of our public safety team to see what plans we have in place for emergencies in the future. This preconference institute was a great way to start my first NAGAP experience and I would definitely recommend it.

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CONFERENCE SESSION SUMMARIES Creating and Sustaining a Student Ambassador Program Presented by Stephen McGowan and Vincent Tinnerello, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service Reported by Stanley Kania III, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine In 2015, the Student Ambassador program was launched in Fordham University’s Graduate School of Social Service. The program’s purpose is for current Master of Social Work (MSW) students to aid in the recruitment efforts of prospective MSW students. Student ambassadors are responsible for an array of recruitment duties, such as answering prospective student questions, conducting campus tours, attending open house events, calling accepted students, and logging interactions and communications with prospects into the CRM database.

The Student Ambassador program first began with three unpaid ambassadors representing two campuses. These ambassadors would meet one time per month and called approximately 40% of admitted students. Since 2015, the Student Ambassador program has grown to now consist of seven paid student ambassadors and five alumni ambassadors. Currently, they aim to call accepted students within two weeks

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of their admissions decision and reach approximately 75% of accepted students.

The following four suggestions were presented as best practices for starting a student ambassador program: • Start small, but think big. It’s great to pilot test and launch a student ambassador program with a few students to kick start the program and work out major details.

• Be transparent and open about student ambassador goals and responsibilities.

• Ensure data and documentation accuracy to track activity.

• Focus on the quality/qualitative aspect of the program as well. The quality of interactions with students can have a greater impact on the success of the program versus the amount of interactions.

Other important aspects of the Student Ambassador program include student

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training and ambassador evaluations.

There is an annual training session student ambassadors must go through prior to starting their position. This training covers everything from using the CRM to interacting with prospective students and campus resources. Annual student ambassador evaluations help ensure the overall quality of the program.

Ambassadors complete self-assessments and peer evaluations to provide constructive feedback to help improve their individual leadership skills. The student ambassador program includes four pillars of success: • Defined roles for the student ambassadors • Community and team-building initiatives and exercises • Student ambassador leadership development and responsibility • Empowerment of student ambassadors to take charge and ownership of the program

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More Than a Trend: Strategies and Insight on Public Health as the Social Media Leader for Marketing, Recruitment, and Education Presented by Emily Gordon, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, and Nick Moran, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Reported by Anne Baronitis, University of Houston-Downtown Since the introduction of social media in 2006, usage among young adults age 18-29 has risen to nearly 85%. It is no wonder colleges and universities have jumped on the bandwagon to maximize usage as part of their marketing and recruitment efforts.

The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health both launched highly successful social media public health campaigns that lead to increased website traffic. The campaigns utilized Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube.

deadlines, virtual fair promotion, and the distribution of their newsletter. ASPPH developed a social media campaign titled, This is Public Health, to educate the public on the broad, interdisciplinary nature of public health and to attract a vast cadre of prospective students. The campaign focused on photos taken of a sticker with the words This is Public Health. The photos captured the many places where the stickers were displayed, each location representative of the message. This well-executed social media campaign leveraged students and their social media network for promotion; this tactic proved quite beneficial.

ASPPH made use of their centralized application service, SOPHAS, as a communication tool for prospective students. Within their client relationship management CRM system, they focused on emails blasts about application

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health used students and ambassadors engaged in public health to further their brand. Press releases were sent to the media who published content on Facebook and Twitter, which

lead their audience back to the Johns Hopkins’ website. The promotion was subtle, yet effective – the Facebook campaign attributed to a 5% increase in applications. A student take-over of social media also proved quite impactful.

As students were given control of a social media outlet for a day, analytics demonstrated the power of re-posting as student’s families shared their posts.

Many may remember the well-known public health social media campaign – The Ice Bucket Challenge – which raised both awareness and money for A.L.S. Over 2.4 million videos were posted to Facebook and 3.7 million videos were uploaded to Instagram. The Challenge was recognized for an acceleration in research due to the increase in funding.

The power of social media can be strong when campaigns are developed and executed properly.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Operationalizing Predictive Analytics in Your Enrollment Mix Presented by JeanCarlo Bonilla, Spark451 Reported by Holly Bland, The University of Chicago With a background in engineering and data science, JC Bonilla saw a need for more data in the admissions process during his time in graduate enrollment at New York University. Over the past thirty years, there has been a transition from intuition-driven to data-driven admissions management, yet the GEM profession has not widely adopted the most sophisticated tools developed in the fields of machine learning and data analytics.

Most GEM professionals are very familiar with the funnel model from the 1990’s, and have the ability to forecast steps along that path based on basic information, such as number of individuals at each stage. Over time further developments have led to analysis of data such as email open rates and other interactions, and many – though not all – enrollment offices today make use

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of tools developed in the late 2000’s for tracking behaviors, such as time spent on a website, which is more predictive.

In recent years, a new model has emerged which can – predict the likelihood a prospect will perform an action based on hidden patterns in attitudes and behaviors, and derives much of its power from data in text, rather than just actions. These predictions can allow GEM professionals to hypersegment their prospect pool and prioritize certain students, or territories – thus engaging in “smart targeting”.

To use this approach, analysts rely on the principles of machine learning: using historical data to “train” an algorithm, selecting a subset of the historical data to “test” the accuracy of your model. The model will identify certain variables as the most important in identifying student

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behaviors, such as likelihood to apply or unsubscribe from an email. The model can predict such actions with 80-90% accuracy.

With this probability-based model, GEM professionals can determine not only which variables are most relevant such as geography, other demographic information, or program of interest, but which will convert most effectively. There are a variety of ways to use this data.

Perhaps a school decides not to focus on what program is of interest to an average prospect, but to develop untapped aspirational areas which convert at high rates.

While JC acknowledges this is hard work, and requires a great deal of data, the transition to more sophisticated analytic tools offers enormous potential to GEM professionals.

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We Were Forced To Work With Undergrad, And We Liked It! Presented by Danielle Ianni, State University of New York at Buffalo; and Lisa Coia, State University of New York at Buffalo Reported by Dana Mordecai, University of North Texas It all started with key vacancies, a Slate implementation for undergrad and grad, along with a desire for more collaboration, and the enrollment management operations was formed at SUNY Buffalo. “One Admissions” became the mantra.

The University of Buffalo had been using a homegrown application system, but the benefits to moving to an inquiry and application system used by both undergrad and grad would allow for more efficiency and less redundancy.

This move would create an opportunity to redefine how control was managed and leverage colleges and schools in order to better meet enrollment goals.

An MOU was created with each school to work within one graduate Slate instance. A primary decision group was created and each unit was responsible for implementation and maintenance.

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Centralized training sessions were developed and follow-up meetings helped to maintain communications.

While there were defined areas in Slate for undergrad and grad, there was a need to document pain points from each side. With 3 different system implementations in three years, a process review was conducted and one thing became clear: both sides’ detailed processes could benefit the other side.

With Slate, the data life cycle helped to create a cohesive view across both sides. Sharing data was transformed. In the past, separate data reports were use, each containing different data points.

Creating a report that showed the same data helped to create a better picture.

Because undergrad went through implementation first, there were opportunities to use what they created for the graduate area. Examples of

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communication templates, queries, and API’s, served as a foundation for development within the graduate area. Cross-training ensured there was expertise available to allow for vacations, sick days, etc. Peaks and valleys of the application lifecycle become easier to manage with the current staff eliminating the need to hire seasonal staff. Additionally, restructuring positions through attrition helped support needed areas rather than simply filling another duplicated role.

With more eyes looking at the processes, this created an opportunity for those working in this new environment to share ideas and feedback, their own experiences, and share best practices. It did take a while to find out why “we’ve always done it that way” and to tackle new ways of thinking of how to do things.

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Eyes Wide Open: Talking with Prospective Students in Low-Earning Fields about Financing Graduate/Professional Education Presented by Katherine Smith and Lillian Lammers, Vanderbilt University Divinity School Reported by Caela Provost, University College Cork Throughout the realms of fiction – on the screen and across printed pages – characters we come to know, love, admire, and even emulate often face conflicts that become defining moments as an individual.

(Economic Challenges Facing Future Ministers) initiative as an example of both challenges and solutions surrounding the topic of talking honestly and intelligently to prospective students entering lowearning fields about finances.

Faramir chooses to set Frodo and Sam free rather than succumb to a need for power in Tolkien’s renowned Lord of the Rings. Boo Radley – though reclusive – reveals himself at the end of Harper Lee’s celebrated novel To Kill a Mockingbird in order to rescue Scout and Jem. We see these characters as courageous ultimately because they resolve to make the right, just, ethical choice even if and when that crucial decision is one that is unfathomably difficult. Their heroism is found in their ability to see the world with “eyes wide open”.

The presenters encouraged discussion and questions amongst session attendees while sharing lessons learned from their experiences working with students at the Vanderbilt University Divinity School, including but not limited to:

While the choices we make as graduate enrollment management (GEM) professionals may appear to be of less prominence than those of the adventurers we befriend in narratives, to the students we serve and interact with our choices can be and are heroic. Such intrepidness through small, meaningful acts was certainly discussed and highlighted by Katherine Smith and Lillian Lammers, both of the Vanderbilt University Divinity School, in their presentation entitled “Eyes Wide Open: Talking with Prospective Students in Low-Earning Fields about Financing Graduate/Professional Education”.

• The need to proactively reach out to prospective and first-year students about finances, budgeting, and income planning after graduation • Holding one-on-one counseling sessions with students about creating sensible financial plans early on in their graduate programs • Providing students with orientation and first-year programs with a fiscal focus

• Understanding that “real talk” – real, honest conversations with students – can often lead to the greatest amount of student happiness and success Heroism comes in many forms. To the students we serve as GEM professionals, heroism is helping them plan for their futures in a sensible way. Heroism is learning to work with colleagues, faculty, and staff invested in student matriculation and success to ensure that program commercial transparency is an issue at the forefront of conversations.

Heroism is aiding students in finding job opportunities, inexpensive accommodations, and sensible travel options. Heroism is placing honesty at the top of our “to do lists” even when recruiting with such candor may take practice to perfect. Heroism is engaging in difficult dialogues to ensure student growth and achievement.

For us, heroism isn’t simply found in fiction.

Smith and Lammers showed neither blindness to the reality of “bottom line accountability” pressures felt by GEM professionals, nor did they discredit the numerous challenges facing all peoples tasked with supporting both school and student. Instead, they utilized a case study showcasing the ECFFM

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Jazz Up Your Orientation: Two Innovative Approaches to Graduate Student Orientation Presented by James Black, Georgia Institute of Technology; Lizzie Kerrick and Mary Wacker, Marquette University Reported by Ann D’Abrosca, Brown University These dynamic presentations outlined a dual approach to innovative orientation practices. Part 1 was dedicated to a Graduate Student Orientation Makeover and Part 2 was dedicated to extending orientation programing groups. Outcomes identified strengths and weaknesses in current orientation programming and identified creative strategies to enhance student satisfaction while reducing stress.

The Makeover: Orientation 2018

• Academic rigor

• Defined timeline

• Safety

• Intimate venue

• Finances

• Seven speakers, 60 minutes, half the slides!

Why Grad Groups? They can better connect students socially, expose students to campus resources, and tap into seasoned graduate students.

Part 1: From Drab to Fab: An Orientation Makeover Story at Marquette Graduate School

• GSO after party

Marquette is a Catholic, Jesuit institution with a total enrollment of 11,500 of which 3,200 are graduate students. There are 70 different on campus programs. In January, 2016 a new graduate dean was appointed bringing new leadership and the opportunity to survey student satisfaction, reorganize staff, launch a new CRM (Slate), and assess existing practices.

The Before Picture: Orientation 2016 • Evening event • Seven speakers, 90 minutes, 123 slides • Located in 1,000 seat theater

• Relevant content, Meet Milwaukee video

Grad Groups: Program Structure

• Trivia transitions between speakers

• Small groups of first semester students led by older graduate student

Post program survey comments: great, succinct, efficient, effective, enjoyable, wonderful, and great prizes. Final takeaways: find pathways to yes, avoid “we’ve always done it this way,” maximize resources and document the process, and build on success and share ideas.

• Meet bi-weekly for an hour; 15 minutes campus resource info and 45 minutes informal discussion • Fall 2018 – 16 groups at program capacity of 250 students • Summer training meetings for leaders

Part 2: Extend Your Orientation - Georgia Tech’s Grad Groups Programs Georgia Tech has a decentralized administrative graduate landscape. There are 7,000 on campus graduate students with 42% being international. STEM/ Computing dominate with smaller liberal arts programs.

Graduate Orientation Structure:

Grad Groups can only thrive with onboard campus partners such as Centers for Career Development, Teaching and Learning, Counseling, Conflict Resolution, and the Library.

Grad Groups: Keys to Success for Leaders • 30 hour commitment - $500 stipend • Logistics handled by administration • Diversity of leaders

• Planned by Director of Graduate Business Services

• Decentralized and disturbed

• Empathy for the struggle

• Limited one-hour session

Student survey feedback: too long, things already covered via email or can be found on web, great free swag and refreshments, more interaction between students needed

Challenges and Sources of Stress – Student Survey 2016

• Campus connections and group facilitation experience

The Three-Step Makeover

• Finding an advisor

• Define purpose and goals

• Acclimating to Atlanta and U.S./ language and culture

• Identify strengths and weaknesses • Innovate – Think like the audience

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Grad Groups helped to build community through embracing school traditions and social outings. The benefits included an improved student experience as well as the opportunity for campus partners to interface with graduate students and receive relevant feedback.

“Some of the best advice I ever received came from older graduate students”

• Emotional health • Awareness of campus resources

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Building Community in Graduate Programs: From Recruitment to Graduation Presented by Adam Mael, University of Michigan Reported by Moises Orozco Villicaña, University of Illinois The Council of Graduate Schools PhD Completion Project (2007) found that PhD students’ likelihood of dropping out remains the same regardless of what year in the program the student is enrolled. Guided by data that indicate that PhD students run a continued risk of dropping out beyond the first year, the presenter outlined the benefits of building community throughout the lifecycle of graduate students (admissions phase, integration, and candidacy). The outcomes of building community are: • Improved retention rates • More support for student socialization • Better engagement with students at all phases of student socialization • Leveraging different ways to engage and socialize the students To successfully build community among graduate students enrolled in the Macromolecular Science and Engineering (Macro) program at the University of Michigan, the presenter had to define the challenges to building community, which consisted of: • Space–Lack of a common physical space dedicated to students • Program size

• Language or cultural barriers • Variation of prior degree experiences among students • Different goals between the various degree levels • Lack structured events With a firm grasp of the challenges to building community, the presenter developed a strategy to engage with Macro students from the moment of application through to eventual enrollment in the program. For example, he designed a coordinated communication series to engage applicants in admissions and recruitment, which then continued through summer to fall orientation. He also established a mentorship program that randomly pairs an incoming student with a continuing student. This mentorship program allows for building cross-cohort connections and leadership opportunities for students.

Through formative and summative evaluations of these efforts to build community, Macro students shared that the mentorship program provided them with an opportunity to adjust to life in Ann Arbor and sustain relationships outside of the lab. With respect to other programs focused on developing community,

Macro students reported that their voice was being valued by the program, they felt a strong bond to the department, and they appreciated the development of the whole student.

The presenter’s efforts to build community across the entire life-cycle of a graduate student allowed for students to engage with leadership and gave them the opportunity to take ownership for their graduate education. To adapt this approach to other programs, the presenter provided the following recommendations: • Consider your needs and challenges.

• Be flexible.

• Establish norms early.

• Engage students.

• Secure internal and external funding.

Each graduate program has its own unique circumstances and challenges to building community. The numerous benefits of building a supportive, vibrant, and responsive community should drive us to find ways to address our unique challenges to building community and to evaluate these efforts.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Staying True to the Mission When Leaders Transition: Thriving During Leadership Changes Presented by Scott Gordon and Scott Lyons, Western Kentucky University Reported by Denise Bridwell, University of Kansas Turnover of personnel is not a phenomenon that is exclusive to graduate school, or even higher education. It is something that all of us have likely experienced and could tell great stories about around a good cup of coffee.

Whether they be horror stories or triumphant successes, there are things we learn from these experiences that we carry with us for the duration of our career.

Some of the challenges that GEM professionals encounter in leadership transition are: • Different organizational structures • The philosophy of the incoming leader • Shifting priorities • The interplay of the existing culture and the new leader’s culture • Advocacy of long-term projects

Of course, knowing the challenges is only one piece of the puzzle. We are all dying to know how we best navigate these murky waters when it comes to our own situations. Here are a few transition strategies to keep in mind:

Consultants These can be both internal and external.

Take advantage of those on campus who can give you insight. Then, take all of your skeptics and put them on a committee.

Seek their advice and get their buy-in.

Have a quiet period As a new leader, take 100 days to simply observe. Don’t change anything.

This is key to building relationships. Plus, it can be enlightening and help ensure that the intended changes make sense.

Data Retention Ensure that documents and policies are stored in locations that are easily accessible to multiple people. Examine prior agreements, decisions, exceptions and precedents. Then, determine if you will follow suit or establish new norms.

Technology You can only improve at the rate that your technology systems can support change.

Training Recruit and hire the best people. If you don’t like an applicant pool, start over.

Train and cross-train all employees. Staff should spend a day in the life of other colleagues to observe their strengths and struggles.

• Prioritize and pick your battles in order to successfully execute pieces in support of the overall mission.

• Write policy that covers 95% of what you need and deal with the rest through exceptions.

• Progressively diminished role of the graduate school

Strategic Planning Understand when things can shift and be prepared to do that.

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Quick Tips • Have a plan in place before you need it.

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Your GEM Career: The Knowledge and Skills Required Presented by Wendy Marshall, University of Southern California; and Tom Hoener, California Lutheran University Reported by Mackenzie Marosy, University of Michigan

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When the Center for Enrollment, Research, Policy, and Practice at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education began looking into the profession of graduate enrollment managers, it was discovered that there is no framework or common body of knowledge required for professionals within this domain. Unlike other professions that often have a set career path, graduate enrollment professionals come to their roles following, more often than not, a winding path. We do not find ourselves making graduate enrollment a life plan.

becoming increasingly complex. This work requires a holistic view. While we recognize that change is the constant in this role, professional development for GEMs is episodic and often includes a lot of self-teaching.

• Developing admissions policy and practices

The Center for Enrollment, Research, Policy, and Practice distilled common skills required for GEMs into the following core competencies:

• Updating curricular and program developments

• Data mining, analysis, research, and reporting

Learning more about the profession, Wendy Marshall used her network and friendship with fellow enrollment professional, Tom Hoener, to find that most enrollment professionals can enter the domain from anywhere. Based on conversations throughout the room during the session, it became evident that the “lack of consistency is the only consistency” when it comes to our colleagues’ paths to a career in graduate enrollment management.

• Executing international recruitment

The Center at USC recognizes that the profession of graduate enrollment managers is growing and the field is

• Utilizing recruitment tools like CRMs

Throughout the session, the presenters encouraged both personal reflection and community building. Data from an immediate survey about session participants’ proficiency with the previously listed core competencies revealed that we all possess varied skills. Regardless of the competency, there was not a single skill where everyone, or even the majority, felt beyond proficient. To grow as graduate enrollment management professionals we need genuine networking and must use our own narratives to make connections and drive our careers. We can close the gaps regarding our own competencies by building and maintaining networks.

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• Discussing student financial aid and optimizing net revenue • Navigating and utilizing new communication platforms, such a social media • Selecting and managing consultants and vendors • Achieving and sustaining enrollment diversity • Creating and managing data systems and operations

• Marketing and branding strategy • Executing graduate admissions • Projecting and forecasting enrollment

• Possessing and exercising personal/ professional emotional intelligence

• Retaining students and providing responsive, effective student services

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Building Partnerships in a Centralized Graduate Model: Using Technology to Work Collaboratively in Graduate Admissions Presented by Kara Wada and Lisa Davis, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Jon Hazelgren, Enrollment Rx Reported by Laura Look, University of North Dakota The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) faced many challenges with their previous CRM and application, including:

• All applications in one system, including graduate assistantships, scholarships, and fellowships

• Multiple accounts and log-ins

• Dynamic customizable system

• No link between applications

• Better reports and access to data

• Limited customization

• Single login for faculty/staff and students

• Limited messaging capabilities/ communications • No easy or accessible data/ tracking/reporting • Limited resources Many external factors supported selecting a new CRM and application, including an expiring contract with the previous vendor, an improved fiscal climate, and new executive leadership. The Graduate College identified the following needs in a new system: • Student lifecycle CRM (prospect through placement)

checklist requirements, faculty reviews, personalized communications, application questions, department views, and reports and dashboards.

The Graduate College provided training and constant communication with each department during implementation, which helped each program build application questions to meet their needs. To provide continued support, an open lab is offered where faculty and staff can come in with an issue or problem and someone familiar with the product with help them solve it.

With these needs in mind, UNLV selected Salesforce as their new CRM and application system. The Graduate College did not have the staff to support the implementation of a new CRM, so they needed a partner vendor and selected Enrollment Rx for this role.

Enrollment Rx helped implement a CRM using Salesforce and has many pre-built systems available as a foundation.

There have been many successes during the first phase of implementation and the UNLV Graduate College plans to continue to a second phase that will bring in current student support and services.

There are also plans to include graduate faculty status and committee tracking, as well as creating integration with e-signature forms.

The result of their work was the Grad Rebel Gateway, a UNLV-branded portal. This customizable portal includes a student-facing section,

2018-2020 NAGAP Governing Board

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Innovative Strategies for Recruiting and Supporting International Students: What Works, What Doesn’t Presented by Rahul Choudaha, Studyportals; Timothy Council, Claremont University; Simon Harley, CUNY Baruch College; and Michelle Vakman, New York Institute of Technology Reported by Melissa Sweda, Wayne State University With the recent decline in graduate enrollment of international students at most educational institutions in the United States, most graduate schools are reassessing their recruitment strategies and resources in order to maximize their recruitment budgets to attempt to stabilize, if not increase their graduate enrollment.

Michelle Vakman, Director of Graduate Admissions at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) discussed challenges with potential applicants being more frequent and detailed in their requests for information. She asserted that students feel they are in the “driver’s seat” because there is greater competition for students between increasing numbers of graduate programs. Timothy Council, Dean of Admissions at Claremont Graduate University also expressed that there have been increased requests for virtual tours and additional program information before students will apply to graduate programs at Claremont. Students want to confirm their interest and “fit” in a particular graduate program before beginning the application process.

Rahul Choudaha, EVP of Global Engagement and Research at Studyportals presented his views on the current graduate international student educational market and expanded the discussion with his statistical research that supports his assertion that graduate schools are currently in the midst of a “Third-Wave” of hyper-competition (2013-2020) between institutions that will ultimately see an estimated graduate international student enrollment increase of 5% from 2013 through 2020. It is undeniable that there has been a shift in the political climate after the recent presidential election in the U.S. and overall increased barriers at the Federal level with fewer visas (both student and work) being approved and issued at a slower pace. In addition, there is a perception that U.S. employers are not sponsoring international workers to an extent as they may have previously.

Prospective students have diminished expectations of finding CPT and OPT opportunities in the U.S. that may lead to full-time offers of work which is leading them to study in other countries.

The recent across-the-board decline in international graduate students in the U.S.

is undeniable, but it is expected to slow and stabilize.

All three panelists offered advice on how to increase graduate international student enrollment. Michelle stated “Get to know your international students.” She commented that her programs at NYIT offered environments where international students could thrive, and that successful programs increase enrollment through shared experiences and stories of alumni to prospective students from both shared and diverse backgrounds. Simon Harley, Assistant Dean for Graduate Enrollment at Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, CUNY, offered that Zicklin alumni are his best recruiters when they are traveling abroad. He commented that alumni are best prepared to share details of their studies and experiences and are also the greatest representation of a successful program. Timothy Council suggested that a best practice for recruiting was to identify your top areas for admission applications and enrollment and then focus your resources centrally to expand enrollment. It is best to centralize resources in areas where your programs are in top demand.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Stop Rolling the Dice: A Hard Look at Graduate Fair Best Practices Presented by Brett DiMarzo, Simmons College; and Matthew Painter, Texas State University Reported by Lindsey Weglarz, University of Chicago In-person graduate school fairs have historically been an important part of the recruiting process but currently face many challenges: •

Costs (including event registration and travel, and opportunity cost)

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Risk of not participating (when your competitors are)

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A trend amongst millennials to shun in-person events

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Hospitality of host institutions

Matthew Painter wanted to identify what makes a successful event, from a recruiter’s perspective, in order to provide information to institutions hosting fairs. In the spring of 2018 he conducted the TxGAP Recruiter Survey, asking 151 individual recruiters who attended events in Texas to complete a ten question survey. With 45 responses received (29.8%), the subsequent analysis produced a white paper, available on the TxGAP website and circulated to institutional career offices. The main takeaways were: •

Recruiters prefer fairs that take place late morning to midday.

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The most common complaint was low attendance.

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Recruiters are growing increasingly weary of unproductive traditional grad fairs and may begin to avoid fairs with low attendance.

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Brett DiMarzo then presented on the use of virtual fairs within the recruitment strategy at Simmons College’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Virtual fairs were just one part of a larger new recruitment strategy at Simmons, which also included more traditional practices like increasing attendance at in-person fairs, use of various media for advertising and marketing, identification of professional venues to initiate outreach, researching target audiences, and GRE name purchases.

In terms of measurable outcomes, they found that virtual fairs, alongside other aspects of their marketing strategy, had the following successes: •

66% increase in overall prospects, much of that from virtual fairs

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Increased brand awareness outside their region–20 to 30% increase in the number of states represented within the applicant pool

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Average chatroom attendance of 8.5 students per event, better than 50% of the traditional fairs attended (Registrant lists averaged 345 for a regional event; 1788 for a profession-specific fair.)

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Average cost of a virtual fair ($300) less than the average cost of a traditional fair ($450, including travel)

Brett found that virtual fairs had many benefits: •

Targeted approach to marketing and recruitment

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Partnerships with organizations and associations to provide maximum exposure and marketing support

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Branding opportunities

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Ability to promote the fair with internal prospect databases and (re) connect with those students

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Ultimately, both institutions learned the following: •

Ability to connect with potential students outside normal demographic range

Evaluation is key to making informed choices.

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Diversify as much as you can.

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Pay attention to resources.

Event registration lists making communication with prospects easy (including those that did not visit the chatroom)

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Virtual fairs are just a part of an overall recruitment strategy.

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Prospective graduate students have complex lives and using different recruitment tools helps to reach them within that complexity.

• Cost-effective for the school

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Counseling the Student Council: How We Moved from Programming at Students to Programming with Them Presented by Meg Barry and Danni Difazio-Smith, Northeastern University Reported by Brian Desrosiers-Tam, OCAD University The College of Computer and Information Science (CCIS) at Northeastern University tackled low attendance and disengagement of their graduate students in its programming initiatives by radically rethinking how they planned and delivered professional development and extracurricular activities to a cohort of approximately 1,000 graduate students, spread across four master’s and three doctoral programs.

The small (but formidable) graduate student services team believed they were investing time and resources on programming they thought graduate students wanted, but instead experienced poor attendance even though advance notices and multiple reminders were provided. Additional challenges included a graduate population that was not homogenous–consisting of both onsite and online graduate students and a large population of international students.

The solution CCIS implemented was to turn the tables on the students and offer

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them the tools and resources to plan and deliver their own activities. CCIS was in the enviable position of being able to create a Student Council from scratch: setting out a council structure, with clear officer positions and terms of reference.

The CCIS Student Council provides graduate students with crucial leadership opportunities and gives them the needed agency to influence and deliver the type of programming they receive.

The Student Council maintains a close relationship with the Graduate School, meeting once a month in a setting that is open to all graduate students. Examples of activities planned by the students for the students include: • Alumni talks on their co-op experiences • Mini CCIS TED Talks • Peer advising

By providing graduate students the resources and the ability to make decisions and plan events, the CCIS Student Council has been a big success.

Areas for improvement include ensuring gender balance and diversity among student representatives and streamlining the event planning process for the students by providing them step-bystep guides. Although the current CCIS Student Council leadership rotates every semester, documentation of past events and processes by the students helps the incoming leadership to plan accordingly.

Institutions wishing to adopt a similar initiative will need to carefully review their college’s governing policies and regulations as student council structures and mandates may not be easily changed. Offering a minimal level of oversight, over financial expenditures for example, and regular meetings ensures effectively delivery and transparent programming.

• Ice cream social (big winner!)

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Innovation vs. Sustainability: A Case Study of a Successful Graduate Ambassador Program Destined to Fail Presented by Allison Machiaverna and Jay Stefanelli, Rutgers School of Communication and Information Reported by Annabelle Fernandez, North Carolina State University Graduate School Ambassador programs can provide institutions with opportunities for recruitment, better retention and stronger alumni relations. For the alumni or student, engaging as an ambassador can present organic networking, foster relationshipbuilding and develop soft skills, essential for personal and professional development. For prospective candidates, they can gain perspective about the program and university from the alum or student, and feel a connection to the campus community.

This session focused on a Graduate Ambassador Program developed for Rutgers School of Communication and Information, and addresses the program’s initial success, then failure and subsequent rebound. In Machiaverna and Stefanelli’s presentation, they explain how to craft an ambassador program, then share the challenges experienced and pitfalls to avoid. At the end, they recap what worked and what didn’t.

For background, Rutgers University spreads across three separate campuses, all in New Jersey – Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick – and its overall student population amounts to ~69,000.

With 20,000 graduate students strong, ~2500 of those students are in the School of Communication and Information, ranked seventh in the nation.

To start a program, Machiaverna and Stefanelli recommend determining the goals, vision and mission, aligned with focus on the graduate community.

a name change for the ambassador program.

• Analyze if your goals align with students goals

• Facebook groups to increase interaction

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Are they engaged?

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Do you have student groups?

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Do you hold events?

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Online student participation?

• In person and virtual events Additionally, future plans and ideas include: • Additional resources, guidance and awards recognition

• Evaluate outcomes and make changes as needed

• New events

However, even the best laid plans can go awry. The Graduate Advisory Network (GAN) was discontinued within 18 months. What went wrong?

• 40% loss in enrollment

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Welcome back

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Work/life balance workshop

• More focus on student health and well-being • Focus on online students (~40% are online)

• Attention needed elsewhere • Lack of resources and dedicated training • Too many cooks….

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• Mingles after events for engagement

• Identity technology and support needs

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o Responsibility assigned, students OWN the space

• Design initiative for student engagement

In fall 2015, their ambassador initiative launched and engaged 25 graduate student liaisons, called the Graduate Advisory Network (GAN).

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There is a happier ending to their story. Currently, program enrollment is up. They’ve implemented a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and added a staff member to help with process. Additional changes include

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Current initiatives include:

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Increase interaction

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Develop social presence

Final lessons learned – start small and manageable. Be innovative; try new things. Develop initiatives and implement processes that supports sustainability of your ambassador program.

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Graduate Recruitment Strategies that Make the Dean’s List Presented by Jack Klett, Jefferson University; and Amanda Scott, Capture Higher Ed Reported by Stephanie Miller, Saint Mary’s College of California Over the last few years, post-secondary enrollment has been on a steady decline.

Graduate programs can be viewed as a kind of antidote to this in that they draw in additional resources to promote overall enrollment.

concentrate on affordability and ROI in the face of political instability. Maintain a sense of foundation and stability to prospective students through alumni testimonials and positive messaging from current students and faculty.

• Digital advertising

Like anything else in higher education, graduate recruitment comes with its own set of challenges:

Competition will continue to be a factor and, as old pipelines for recruitment dry up, new relationships must be established through internal feeder networks and external partnerships. These relationships are better managed and better targeted through technology solutions like campaign specific landing pages, progressive messaging, and other macro marketing strategies.

Organic lead generation goes hand in hand with shaping the class. Identifying the proper channels through which quality applicants can be found relies heavily on content marketing rather than promoting the institutional brand.

• The political/economic climate • Competition • “Shaping the class” • Organic lead generation • Limited resources Amanda Scott offered solutions to each challenge, much as she would advise a client. Jack Klett spoke up in agreement, having introduced these solutions in the aftermath of an institutional merger.

Political factors are a wild card because they cannot be foreseen or controlled.

The key is to be aware, advocate for any potential reform that is positive, and

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Shaping the class is an important consideration in graduate recruiting.

Terminal degree-seekers are much more independent during the application process and their choices are varied.

Recruiters must ensure that they are attracting quality applicants. Technological marketing and recruitment strategies that focus on personal interaction with tailormade content are key:

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• 1:1 automated messaging that calls to action and influences behavior • Online info sessions that are personalized

Having limited resources is perhaps the most common challenge. By applying technological solutions to recruitment, one can bring bandwidth or reach to one’s efforts. Recruitment is focused, nuanced, and predictive, allowing for easier identification of applicants.

After the merger of Philadelphia University and Thomas Jefferson University, recruitment changed entirely. If strategies like the ones proposed here helped Jefferson re-create its entire identity, how might your program benefit from boosting its recruitment in similar ways?

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“You’re Young Enough to Be My Daughter!” Millennial Managers Mentoring Cross-Generational Teams Presented by Sarah Wanger, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Reported by Caela Provost, University College Cork It’s no secret that countless websites, companies, and publications have composed articles on the generations working together in today’s greater workplace. Perhaps it’s because it is so incredibly difficult for the generations to function as a team or unit in some semblance of peace, balance, and comradery: Boomers are seen as workaholics, Xers as too cynical, Millennials as entitled. For many of us, it has become all too comfortable to make companions out of such stereotypes, forgetting to explore paths that may lead to a more positive and productive workplace. Presenter Sarah Wanger, through the illustration of her employment of both traditional and reverse mentoring techniques, gave session attendees the tools necessary to effectively guide and support cross-generational workplace teams.

Using her own experiences at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota as examples, Wanger showed the strengths, areas of improvement, and workplace needs of each generation while discussing ways the generations can learn from and teach one another through communication, trainings, and mentorship opportunities. Through her teamwork-style leadership, accomplishments and growth were seen in numerous areas including:

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• Boomers growing more comfortable with social media and other Millennial and iGen communications styles • Millennials becoming more aware of the importance of networking and career expertise in any workplace • All generations feeling a greater sense of job loyalty and satisfaction

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• All generations gaining a better understanding and appreciation for the reciprocation of skills and assets within the team environment Close to the end of her presentation, Sarah Wanger spoke the above words to the group. Though simple, they serve to epitomize the importance of teamwork across generations at our institutions, in our businesses, and in our everyday lives.

Mentorships in the 21st century, in this ever-changing realm of education, aren’t simply ideal, but rather indispensable.

It is vital that GEM professionals take the appropriate, albeit perhaps a bit unsteady, strides towards crossgenerational mentorship solutions in our own offices. Without such steps, we may very well become the proverbial “Mr. Potters” in environments that desperately need “George Baileys.”

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New to International Admissions? Tips for Growth in the Field Presented by Emily Tse, International Education Research Foundation; Fran Reed, Marymount University; and Arlinda Fair, Rhodes College Reported by Ian Wright, World Education Services For NAGAP professionals moving into international recruitment and admissions, this panel gave a thoughtful, informed approach that is student-friendly and creative.

The goals for the session were to help GEM professional just getting started to: 1. Identify and develop resources 2. Understand conferences and committee work 3. Explore publishing, research, and travel opportunities A key element for getting started effectively is to conduct a campus-wide SWOT analysis to establish current positioning, constraints and strengths, and then understand how you might adjust marketing and recruitment methods to reach your goals and objectives. It is critical to know your institution’s relative position in the market and which specific academic programs you offer that will interest students. Several resources provide data-rich overviews of mobility trends by country and area of study: IIE Open Doors, NAFSA, EducationUSA, and SEVIS by the Numbers.

Leveraging connections on- and offcampus while being culturally sensitive enhances what you already do well in admissions, and may help your office better understand the students you are seeking. Key partners include: faculty,

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international student services, intensive English programs, and undergraduate admissions. The first two assist with understanding what is unique about your current students; the latter two may increase your footprint abroad while reducing marketing and recruitment costs.

Other specific suggestions are: • Develop a student ambassador program to assist with social media • Develop targeted collateral • Improve yield activities with peer-topeer communications and webinars • Visit on- and off-campus stakeholders semi-annually The presenters provided several resources for evaluating and equating foreign academic credentials along with suggested peer networks for discussing best practices. GEM professionals need to find the right mix of resources for their institution and embrace partnerships, including looking to peer institutions for guidance on occasion.

In addition to NAFSA and NAGAP (volunteer at the local or committee levels), several organizations offer conferences and meaty (often free) resources for professional development: www.internationalacac.org; www.aacrao.org; www.taicep.org; www.AIRC-education.org. Networking is critical and these groups provide

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opportunities for publishing, research, and travel grants as well.

Questions about issues not previously discussed by the panelists included: 1. Which countries were being targeted? Marymount shared the challenges of being an unknown player in saturated markets such as India and Saudi Arabia, and focusing on markets to address the resource limitations that exacerbated this lack of awareness.

2. How do you access sponsoring organizations? Panelists stated that visiting embassies in person (especially in Washington, DC) is critical. Peer support and third-party match-making workshops were recommended for newcomers.

3. What concerns exist, if any, when there is a faculty member responsible for a pipeline? While articulations with partner institutions can be effective and consistent once established, be mindful of what percentage of your enrollment is coming from just one school and how it may impact domestic enrollment and the classroom environment, or is dependent upon an individual rather than an institutional relationship.

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Let’s Talk! Facilitating Conversations about Connecting Graduate Admissions Processes with Goals Presented by Rochelle Michel, Matt Keating, and Dawn Piacentino, Educational Testing Service Reported by Andy Crawford, University of New England Professional staff from Educational Testing Service (ETS) led an engaging and interactive session with focus on the importance of organized discussion between graduate admissions offices and faculty-led admissions committees to best align admissions processes with goals.

ETS and the GRE program, with support of the GRE Board, interviewed approximately 70 faculty and staff members from 8 institutions to learn more about admissions models and holistic file review. Many individuals who were interviewed were prompted to consider issues about their own admissions process that had not previously been discussed.

As a potential solution for admissions staff and program faculty to better refine goals and outcomes, ETS created a comprehensive discussion guide entitled Connecting Graduate Admissions Practices with Goals: Questions to Consider. The discussion guide provides important questions specific to stages in the admissions cycle that include:

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• Preparing for the admissions process • Collecting applicant information • Reviewing applicant files • Selecting applicants and making final decisions • Evaluating the admissions process Facilitated by the session presenters, attendees were allowed time to engage in thoughtful conversation among colleagues while reviewing sections of the discussion guide. Common areas of interest and discovery in small group conversations and in full group discussion were: • The importance of defining what holistic admissions means per admissions model • Understanding the process of consistently evaluating, scoring, and weighting components of application files for a successful holistic admissions strategy

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• Realizing that holistic application review takes time and training • Realizing that collaboration to define goals is essential as motivations can vary among admissions staff, institutional leaders, and program faculty based on the demands and responsibilities of their position(s) • Understanding that defining goals and establishing admissions processes can provide clarity for recruitment and help with retention The key takeaway for attendees was the opportunity to further explore the discussion guide and to engage in similar conversations at their own institutions. Continued collaboration with those involved in faculty-led admissions committees will help to create and sustain common goals and desired results for future admissions cycles.

The discussion guide can be found at holisticadmissions.org.

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Incorporating Faculty into Your Recruitment and Yield Efforts: Innovative Ideas and Strategies to Create Buy-In Presented by Dana Messinger, The New School; Simone Varadian, Columbia University Teachers College; Brendan Troy, New York University Reported by Sam Beddow, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University For those working in GEM or related fields, a simple happy hour may be the difference between a cross-continent partnership and, well, just a hangover. As the title of this presentation may suggest, the goal was to give some advice to admissions professionals looking for ways to involve faculty in their recruitment efforts. As admissions directors, all of the presenters had significant experience working with faculty within their institutions and in doing so, methods for coopting them into their recruitment efforts. At Columbia Teachers College, where 21% of graduate-level students are international, Ms. Varadian emphasized the importance and facility of webinars to deliver meaningful and engaging content to prospects. Some of the benefits of using webinars included: • Ability to connect in real-time with large groups of students outside of one’s area • Modest time and resource commitment • Ability to record and re-tool webinar presentations for different purposes

Mr. Troy’s efforts focused on bringing prospects in on the many goings-on around NYU’s campus. His suggestions regarding the sort of events one can bring faculty in on were: • Featured speakers (keynote/plenary) • Open-house or fair-style departmental information sessions • Have prospects sit-in on classes or student activities • Invite prospects to pre-existing faculty events (research presentations, meet and greets, etc.)

For Ms. Messinger of the New School, incentivizing faculty to engage with their own professional and academic networks was a must. One of her most successful models was the happy hour session.

In this case, admissions or a specific department can fund a happy hour gathering of professors and prospects in a given city (ideally where a professor already has an appointment). Not only can this serve as a means of promoting the professor and their program to specific students, but in the long run

it often results in interdepartmental connections between universities.

Some of the audience expressed concern over the fact that faculty can be reluctant to do admissions-related work. How do we get them to buy-in to our idea?

• In enlisting professors, highlight the potential to expand their professional/academic networks • Make it painless for professors by commissioning a staff-support team who can cover the planning, administrative work and follow-up reporting • In instances where direct communication is difficult, enlisting a provost or dean to apply a little “topdown” pressure may be necessary but this isn’t a preferable In the end, having a strong relationship with at least one “champion” – a faculty who is willing to try out new methods and communicate their efficacy on your behalf to their colleagues – is crucial for GEM professionals.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Tackling Low Enrollment while Serving the Needs of Rural and Disadvantaged Communities. Meet the MRSS: A Framework for Beginners Presented by Janet Kim, Karen Wilson, and Waynele Yu, The University Hawai’i at Manoa Reported by Sena Agawu, The University of Chicago The University of Hawai’i at Manoa has not been immune to America’s growing teacher shortages. Staff members at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa face a unique challenge in recruiting students to the School of Education: prospective students are spread out over eight islands and are often located in remote and disadvantaged communities. The question posed at the beginning of the session was “what does one do, from a recruitment standpoint, when you are starting from nothing?”

The points used to frame the session focused on how to reach out to students in rural areas, the challenges stemming from highlighting a career in teaching as a viable and important role, and the difficulty of building bridges between communities that geographically disparate. These challenges were addressed through the implementation of the MRSS model, which is comprised of three parts: • Marketing: creating a brand awareness and effectively

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support from the Dean’s Office to create marketing materials and ‘swag’.

disseminating information to all islands about the types of programs offered • Recruitment: providing prospective students with more detailed program information, tailoring it even more specifically for those who indicate an interest in applying • Student Support: evaluating the best practices for converting prospective students into applicants, building professional relationships with staff at community colleges, and giving students support through the registration and enrollment process Through the implementation of the MRSS model, Janet, Karen, and Waynele began to make changes in their recruitment and outreach strategies. From a marketing standpoint, they were aware that a sense of place/home is important to many Hawaiians. By highlighting the importance of teachers returning to their communities, and through the creation of an official slogan for the School of Education, they were able to obtain

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From a recruitment standpoint, they realized they needed a way to make themselves available across the islands.

Their solution was straightforward: utilize a CRM that allowed prospective students to view their travel schedules and sign up for advising appointments when university employees were in their geographical area.

Finally, from the student services vantage point, they began to build relationships with individuals associated with the smaller, more spread out, community colleges in rural areas who were able to refer students to their program.

These components of the MRSS model worked together to effectively reach prospective students spread across the islands, often in remote areas, resulting in very little drop off between the number of prospective students and the number of students who ultimately enrolled.

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Why the Election Matters: Navigating Uncertainty in Graduate Education Presented by Robert Ruiz, Liaison International Reported by Lynn S. Villafuerte, University of Kansas The impact of the recent U.S. election on higher education particularly in the number of applications and changes in policies was explored. Robert Ruiz presented that the types of voters and the level of their educational attainment had an effect on the election results.

• Trump supporters had differing views on women, immigrants and minorities from Clinton supporters.

• Republican Trump voters lacking high school education were more likely to support him than Republicans with a college degree.

Furthermore, the current state of U.S. higher education will need to address three areas that serve as sources of students.

• There is projected decrease in high school graduates by 2020-23 in addition to lack of diversity among this group.

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• Racial disparities in projected drop-out rates among high school graduates increasing among Hispanics.

• International students are losing interest in applying and enrollment in U.S. academic institution (Fall 2016 data) Several policies being implemented by the current administration have or will have a considerable influence in the graduate education. This includes the (a) Travel Ban (b) Public Service Loan Forgiveness Programs, and c) Repealing DACA, each of which have both specific and broad implications.

• The travel ban will lead to lower numbers of applications and enrollments in Engineering, Economics, and Math disciplines, which are the graduate programs with majority international students (NSF data).

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• Decreased access to and availability of Public Service Loan Forgiveness Programs increases the economic burden to certain populations that are already experiencing disparities in health care.

• The repeal of DACA will not only take away educational opportunities for the Dreamers but also reduce labor workforce (740,000 workers) and cut aggregate GDP ($72 billion).

There are many ways to address these challenges and uncertainty in graduate education. Among the relevant actions that should be considered are to evaluate and support the rise of community colleges, adapt or improve strategies to diversify academic institutions, and reevaluate our view of the increasing numbers of non-traditional students and incorporate new technologies in recruitment, admissions, and enrollment.

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Not Just a Donor: Engaging Alumni to Increase Yield and Support Recruitment Presented by Ariana Balayan, Suffolk University Reported by Alexis Reynolds, Texas Tech Graduate School Suffolk University, like many others, has asked the question: How do we use our alumni to support our recruitment efforts?

The speaker shared with the audience how Suffolk has been able to engage and increase her alumni participation by these following recommendations:

• Referrals form alumni receive a fee waiver

Why Alumni: • Supportive of the “cause”

• Admitted Reception- once a semester cocktail format

• Value of personal connection

• Webinars

• Success story

Off-campus Events: • Fairs: national/international

• Networking opportunity for the students Referrals: • Alumni opt-in for contact information posted on website

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• Alumni of the referral receive a gift On-campus Events: • Open House- panel of alumni • Info Session- round table by program

Recruitment: • Alumni encourage colleagues to pursue a graduate degree After the presenter explained how Suffolk uses its alumni base she went on to

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discuss the role of technology. The email communication plans include testimonials, stories of success, promotions, and new jobs of alumni. For those who opted-in for direct contact with students, the school has allowed them to record the interactions by the use of the CRM. Calling campaigns and social media all play a part as well.

Growth will continue by ensuring that all programs participate with active volunteers. Although relatively new, Suffolk’s efforts show that engagement is about 25% of its 170 participants. The speaker closed with these statics to show transparency in the performance of the program but leaving the audience with tangible next steps to engage alumni at their own institutions.

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Making the Team: Onboarding New Employees Into Your Department Presented by Stacy Doepner-Hove, University of Minnesota Reported by Elsa Evans, University of San Francisco In a competitive employment market, managers in higher education need to cultivate employees by on-boarding them properly and developing their talent.

Onboarding Process Be intentional about designing the human relationship with new employees.

Prepare yourself: assume they have a lot to offer and will learn skills to be successful. Speak honestly about how you like to interact with your team. Make sure you are available on their first day to take some time with them, and if not, set a different start date.

Prepare your team: assign a peer coach, share the team’s role in supporting and training the new staff member, arrange opportunities for them to get to know each other. Explain why you are excited about the new hire and what they will bring to the team. Also, explain that they should come to you with concerns about the new hire.

Prepare your new hire: be explicit about your expectations of them in the first few months and give them time to learn. Let them know it is okay to make mistakes and ask questions. Express your confidence in their ability to do their job well. Make their work incrementally challenging. Send messages to them leading up to their start date to welcome them and provide useful information.

Prepare their new environment: make sure it is clean and welcoming! Take them on a tour to meet key people, sign them up for trainings/orientations and set those up on their calendar before they even arrive.

Employee Engagement The extent to which an employee will commit to something or someone at the organization, plus how hard they work and how long they will stay are the keys to engagement. With higher engagement rates, you will see higher productivity, customer ratings/satisfaction, profitability, and reduced turnover and absenteeism.

Keeping employees engaged in those first 90 days means providing more than just an orientation. Ensure that they have a clear understanding of their role, access to training/knowledge/skills to do the job, and the motivation to keep going.

Beyond training and skills, they need to feel connected to the work and the team.

Workplace Socialization You may not have control over your organizational culture, but you do have control over the culture on your team.

New people notice negative culture and are more likely to leave in the first 90 days if they do not feel like they fit in. Engage them in those first 90 days to identify how their role supports your department, division or school. Schedule check-ins regularly with the new hire.

Check in with your team as well to see if they have any feedback. Create opportunities to share and socialize, for example, before they start ask them about their favorite snacks and have some on hand during their first week.

Many thanks to the 2018 Planning Committee for a successful conference!

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Building Innovative Credentials: Connecting Expertise with Graduate Education Presented by Cammie Baker Clancy, SUNY Empire State College Reported by Caela Provost, University College Cork We live in a society that yearns for prestige. In many ways we are in constant competition with one another: tweaking our resumes, filtering our photos, innovating, growing, planning, evolving…always changing and always in motion.

How then, do we ensure that we are moving in the most innovative directions when it comes to serving our students?

The laws of physics tell us that there are four basic types of motion in relation to mechanical systems: rotary motion, linear motion, reciprocating motion, and oscillating motion. If we look at these types of motion, it is clear which type we should emulate in the structuring of our curricula: linear motion. After all, we certainly don’t want the student credentials we create to send our students in rotary circles, constantly oscillating from side to side, or taking one step forward and two steps back.

In her presentation entitled, “Building Credentials: Connecting Expertise with Graduate Education” Cammie Baker Clancy employed a case study from her home institution to give attendees insight into building credentials (certificates, higher diplomas, etc.) that move students and schools alike in a decidedly linear direction. Specific emphasis was placed on recognizing the need to take these straightforward steps:

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1. Identify academic needs in response to the marketplace 2. Review existing programs to ensure they are meeting student needs 3. Utilize current student interest surveys to proactively modify offerings 4. Find relevant areas of study in relation to the marketplace 5. Ensure academic growth aligns with the institutional mission 6. Open to internal and external partnerships that may allow for the enrichment of certifications 7. Look for places to integrate qualifications into already existing programs Ultimately, the creation of efficacious credentials for graduate students is dependent upon our collective ability as GEM professionals to keep students in linear motion towards fruitful careers and professional endeavors. To accomplish this goal, we must never neglect our need to actively research market changes, establish partnerships, and listen to the students we serve in order to create credentials that not only look good, but do good as well.

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When Does the Sentence End? Examining the Role of Criminal Background Information in Graduate Admissions Evaluation Presented by Laura DiMarcantonio and Christine Morales, Rutgers University; Kathryn Kendall, State University of New York at Buffalo Reported by Lisa Klope, University of San Francisco Requiring applicants to disclose their criminal background information highlights the tension of advocating for potentially marginalized communities, while simultaneously protecting the often vulnerable communities students may be working with. In comparing how two schools of social work approach the collection of applicants’ criminal background information, presenters share current practices and challenges, and offer recommendations to consider when collecting criminal background history.

Presenters investigated who is collecting criminal background information, why it is collected, and what type of information is collected. From this investigation they found: • 66% of postsecondary institutions are collecting criminal background information of prospective students, • private and four-year schools are more likely to collect and use this information, • less than half the schools that collect this information have written policies in place about collecting this information, • only 40% of the schools that collect this information train admissions personnel and evaluators on how to look at the information, • the type of information being collected varies (i.e. felony conviction or pending felony charge,

misdemeanor history, a criminal background check), and • who reviews this information varies (i.e. all admissions personnel, senior admissions personnel only, special committee).

Collecting criminal background information presents challenges to student privacy, and has ethical implications such as that people of color are disproportionality impacted by criminal conviction laws and criminal background information can be misleading or inaccurate. There is no documentation that the collection of this information makes campuses safer, but research demonstrates that education prevents recidivism and increases the public health of the community.

Through a case study of their own schools, presenters shared how two schools of social work made changes to the collection of criminal background information.

Rutgers School of Social Work: • Criminal background information is a required section of application.

• Admissions office simplified that section to collect only felony and misdemeanor history, established an admissions committee to review applications with criminal background history, and added statement in application notifying student of their responsibility (not

the school’s) to secure placement required of the program and the license.

• The simplified criminal background section contributed to an 11% increase in completed applications last year.

University at Buffalo School of Social Work: • SUNY system removed felony inquiry on application.

• SUNY added statement in application notifying students that they would be asked at time of registration about their felony history, which may impact their ability to secure a placement and/or license.

• Removing the question at time of application has ultimately shifted work from the admissions team to the field placement team.

The presenters closed by sharing recommendations to consider when criminal history is collected, including being purposeful about what is asked, being clear about the information that is not needed, being specific about time limits, having a clear appeals process in place, being transparent about how information is used in the candidate’s evaluation, and consulting with campus colleagues including the legal office.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Using Simple Tools for Budget and Enrollment Forecasting: A Case Study for a Small Graduate Program with Flexible Enrollment Options Presented by Jennifer Kulbeck and Kelly Luquet, Saint Mary’s College of California Reported by Arlinda Fair, Rhodes College Many institutions are seeking different enrollment forecasting models that will help them make more data-driven decisions with regards to budget planning. Jennifer Kulbeck and Kelly Luquet of Saint Mary’s College of California view budgeting as an opportunity for creativity and have adopted a set of methods and tools that have enabled them to make enrollmentbased decisions and projections in a very practical way.

Saint Mary’s College of California, a private, comprehensive university based in Moraga, has a total enrollment of 3,779 students. Thirty percent of their enrollment is made up of graduate students. Saint Mary’s uses a hybrid decentralized GEM model with a centralized admission operation and a shared CRM. However, each academic school owns programspecific responsibilities across the lifecycle of student enrollment.

The program’s flexible options are great selling points for prospective students, but they can be hard to manage in terms of budget. To help with budget planning, Kelly uses individual student academic plans. The academic plan, designed based on a student’s specific concentration, is completed by a faculty academic advisor and shared with students as they move through the master’s degree program. This simple, yet powerful tool has not only strengthened retention rates, but it also improved program completion rates. The consistent practice of creating the academic plans has also strengthened the partnership and level of mutual understanding between faculty and staff in enrollment and academic course planning.

The data generated from each individual academic plan is used in pivot tables

created by Kelly to project course enrollment, estimated tuition revenue by term, and new student enrollment goals.

The pivot table is an example of another simple tool that can be used for quick enrollment forecasting updates, mid-year adjustments that may need to take place in recruitment efforts, as well as long-term program planning.

These simple tools have helped Jennifer and Kelly take a more proactive approach to enrollment forecasting and budget planning. They have enhanced their ability to better monitor their progress throughout the academic year, have transparent communication when adjustments need to take place, and make data driven decisions that will not only benefit the Master of Kinesiology and the School of Liberal Arts but the institution as a whole.

As the Assistant Dean of the School of Liberal Arts, one of Jennifer’s key responsibilities is managing the school’s budget. It is her goal to understand the varying factors that can affect the bottom line and use this knowledge to inform budget planning across the school.

As the Program Manager for the Master of Arts in Kinesiology program, Kelly works with students from the initial point of inquiry, through the application process, to the point of enrollment. Kelly also oversees the budget for the master’s degree program, which offers several enrollment options. These include: • Two different start terms • Full-time and part-time enrollment • Rolling admission

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How 300 NAGAP Schools Respond to Inquiries and What It Means for Your Communication Strategy Presented by David Cotter, Boston University; Robert Ruiz and Suzanne Sharp, Liaison International Reported by Andy Morris, Binghamton University The participants were asked after introductions to take out their device and to find and complete a graduate inquiry form online. Even after several minutes many could not locate or complete their own college’s form. Later participants were asked if they had received a response.

The “2018 Secret Shopping Project” began with the following process: • Visited web pages for sample of graduate schools on the NAGAP membership list (359 schools)

g. Make the inquiry form available on the home page.

b. Consumers may need six channels before buying.

h. Be sure to use all the information you collect to personalize communications.

c. Email, print, social media, telephone, microsites, text, etc.

i. Pay attention to your response page.

2. Be fast a. 61% of students enroll at institution that contacts them first.

3. Be relevant a. Responses can increase by 135% when a person’s name is added to a full-color direct mail piece.

• Searched for inquiry forms/ways to indicate interest • Submitted inquiry forms and logged date and time o Emails – date, time, level of personalization, number sent

b. responses can increase by 500% in a full-color piece with name and other relevant information.

o Print pieces – dates received, level of personalization, type

c. Leverage all the information you have and make it personal.

• Tracked responses from each school:

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Phone calls – date and type

4. Use multiple channels a. Multiple channels can increase in ROI.

• All results were compiled four weeks from respective date of inquiry

The greatest message brought to light in this well researched presentation was to: • Test your own sites.

• Test other school sites.

• Be a secret shopper to your own campus and then measure your efforts to what service and content other colleges afford their students.

• Personalize your messages/ responses.

• Put into place as speedy a response/ response team as possible at your campus.

• Constantly review, revise and improve.

Having used NAGAP institutions the research and researchers turned a mirror onto ourselves. What we choose to see in that mirror is left to the viewer to decide. They recommend we look.

Four Keys to Successful Communication: 1. Be available a. Can students find what they need? b. Make inquiry form easy to find. c. Make inquiry form simple to complete. d. Update your forms. e. Do not generate a generic response or ask student to jump through additional hoops. f. Offer a response that keeps them engaged and offers information they seek.

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Engaging and Advancing Students through the Graduate Student Success Institute Presented by Valerie Burke, University of Nevada Las Vegas Reported by Heather Miller, University of North Texas • Grad Rebel Ambassadors Program

The Graduate Student Success Institute (GSSI) at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) is a three-year-old endeavor offering professional development opportunities for graduate students. The office is staffed by one full-time employee, who is assisted by student employees.

The institute offers four main initiatives to meet the co-curricular needs of their students:

who complete a certificate program will receive campus wide recognition as well as a notation of completion on their transcript. Students must apply to join the certificate program(s). Participants are required to submit their attendance and completions forms to the GSSI office and to track their own progress toward completion through a checklist in PeopleSoft.

• Four academic support certificates in teaching, research, communication, or mentorship

GSSI assists in planning college events, and in partnering with campus offices to offer and disseminate information about professional development opportunities for graduate students. Partnerships with campus offices include: the library, the career center, the community engagement office, and others. College wide events include programs such as graduate student orientation, graduate showcase, and receptions honoring diversity research and mentorship.

• Professional development opportunities through campus collaborations • Graduate college events • The Grad Rebel Program The requirements of the four certificate programs offered by GSSI vary but include requirements such as campus workshops, cohort meetings, and portfolios. The certificates are yearlong and free to graduate students. Students

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• Rebel Research and Mentorship Program (RAMP) • Graduate College Medallion Program • Grad Rebel Boot Camp

The final initiative is the Grad Rebel Program, which is the umbrella for several sub programs:

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RAMP is especially unique in that it pairs a graduate student mentor with an undergraduate mentee. This program has aided undergraduate students in their endeavors to enter graduate school; while at the same time it has given graduate students improved job prospects and transferable skills for their CV. With the current success of the GSSI, future plans allow for additional growth.

Not only will the GSSI have dedicated space in a new building, but the office plans to seek outside funding to support the programs. The funding will support stipends for the RAMP mentors and for fellowships. Further information can be found at www.unlv.edu/graduatecollege/ institute.

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Building a Strong Professional Foundation: Key Skills for Today’s GEM Professional Presented by Alice Camuti, Tennessee Technological University Reported by Kathleen Carter, Piedmont College Have you noticed what you focus on is what you get? Just as a picture slowly develops, so do we as GEM professionals. The six key skills needed to develop a strong professional foundation: 1) Confidence: The belief in one’s own abilities.

• Dress sharp: When we look good, we feel good.

• Walk faster and purposefully.

3) Leadership: Do not be a spectator but be a participant. Be willing to take a position and develop into the job. Take opportunities when they are given and do not let internal barriers alter our behavior.

• Good posture: How we carry ourselves tells a story.

Have eye contact with others.

4) Taking healthy risks: We as GEM professionals need to expose ourselves to healthy risks and venture up. Do not get stuck in a rut. Experience life at a new level.

• Personal commercial: Highlight our strengths and goals to ourselves.

5) Flexibility: Be willing to take positive risks.

• Gratitude: Mentally list for what you are grateful.

• Compliment others.

• Speak up: Speak at least once in a meeting. Not speaking up may mean you agree even if you do not.

• Work out: Physically fit = positive attitude.

• Focus on contribution: Think about other people and how you can help make the world a better place.

2) Adaptability: Ability to adjust to different conditions. This is a defining characteristic between growth and failure.

• Change: You cannot always change what happens to you but you can change how you react to it. Try to be purposeful and positive in your response. Some people thrive with change others do not. Be aware of what is happening; make a commitment showing you are a team player. Have the discipline to not give up. It takes 66 days to form a new habit. Identify the internal and external obstacles. Once we eliminate our internal obstacles, we are able to handle the external obstacles.

• Initiative: Be motivated by doing things not just thinking about them. To show initiative; think as a team member, do more than is required, speak up, be prepared,

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• Vary your routine.

• Reach out to different people.

• Change your usual reading material.

• Sit in the front row: Be visible.

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do research, ask the “what if?” questions, and make decisions.

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• Turn off the TV. • Take different route to work.

• Listen to others without forming a response.

• Try a new hobby or take a class.

• Dress differently for a day.

• Take risks in less critical areas such as volunteering for something different.

• Do not assume you know what others think.

6) Positive mindset: Look at a challenge as an opportunity. We can have a more positive attitude with practice.

• Identify the change you want to make.

• Write down your goal.

• Set a date.

• Find substitute routines. Practice the change.

• Talk to yourself. “Yes I can”, “Today is a new day” • Anticipate sabotage. Remind ourselves that change is hard.

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Predictive Model for Graduate Application to Enrollment Presented by Vahid Lotfi and Brad Maki, University of Michigan-Flint Reported by Jaclyn Farina, Brandeis University There is an increasing demand for data in graduate enrollment management. In this session, the presenters shared their methodology for creating a predictive model. Their problem definition was to determine if an admitted graduate applicant will register.

Gathering the data to build the predictive model involved collaboration with various offices, such as the Office of Graduate Programs. Some of the variables Maki and Lotfi included were demographic information, program information, education level, test scores, application date, date of admission, financial aid offer, loan information, enrollment deposit requirement, distance to campus, and length of time between application completion and admission offer.

A preliminary review of the dataset revealed that: • Not all applicants received an offer or award of a scholarship, grant, or fellowship • The vast majority of applicants received an offer of just one of these types of aid

They advise not going into the modeling intending to arrive at a specific and prescriptive model.

There were three primary parts to their methodology: 1. Predictive modeling for all graduate applicants using Classification and Regression Trees (CART), which is a decision tree algorithm; this was done using statistical software SPSS Version 22 2. Comparing the model with that of the Bayesian Network Model to re-affirm CART’s predictive power 3. Developing predictive models for specific program samples Maki and Lotfi were surprised to find that the Term Loan Offer was a high predictor of matriculation. In the future, they would like to use information such as this to help develop recruitment strategies. The presenters intend to use the predictive model to: 1. Examine how to effectively use financial aid to influence yield (would offering institutional scholarships to programs with lower enrollments increase yield?)

• The effects of these types of aid were considered to be the same and were therefore combined in a single variable, Financial Aid, that recorded the offer amount for both the entire year and the first term of enrollment

2. Encourage faculty admissions committees to make more timely decisions

Maki and Lotfi’s goal was to present a framework for using predictive modeling in the recruitment of graduate applicants.

4. Use predictive variables in enrollment forecasting

3. Spend more recruitment effort regionally rather than national/international

Thanks to Liaison for a fun and successful member event!

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It’s a Team Effort: Using a GEM Model to Design a Comprehensive Extended Interview Day Presented by Jeremiah Nelson and Jillian Stubbs, Wake Forest University Reported by Beth Hargrove, University of North Texas At Wake Forest University a new GEM team wanted to improve the interview process for their MBA program. The Wake MBA is a part-time program for working professionals with an average of 10 years work experience. The private institution competes with multiple public programs in their same region. Wake MBA enrolls 60 students in a cohort style program with new classes starting twice a year. They seek to build a diverse cohort each cycle.

Opportunities to capitalize on:

Challenges of their interview process included:

One major win was the buy-in and support from the new Executive Director. Having the message from the top about the importance of these events and direction forged by Admissions was key to success. The next major success was the inclusion of an alumni panel in the interview day. Feedback consistently shows candidates rating this as the most valuable portion of the day.

• Intense candidate pressure – limited to 1 on 1 interactions • Intensive time commitment from staff • Value of staff participation unclear • Did not mirror values or culture of the cohort program Jeremiah Nelson and his team began the redesign process by evaluating what they wanted out of the interview day. Their goals included: • Get to know the candidate better (determine fit) • Educate candidate about Wake MBA (our fit) • Introduce local team and support strategies

• Location, new facilities in the downtown business hub • Deeply committed students • Track record of success – strong ROI • Alumni eager to engage • New Executive Director buy-in and support

Lessons learned and strategies that led to success: • Appointing key administrative personnel to manage the day was essential • Keeping it fun with a commemorative photo with the mascot.

• Multiple confirmations with students and alumni panel members – they’re busy folks

• Offer student and alumni connections

• Establishing interview protocols – standard questions but still allowed to go off script

• Emphasize benefit of cohort model

• Strongest alumni matched with the strongest candidates

• Highlight program strengths

• Small group sessions included in the day. Wake looks to see how the students interact with each other. It also reflects the small team and cohort experience

• Address concerns and pain points • Get excited about experience

Through careful analysis and thoughtful redesign the Wake MBA team has a 90% yield rate from their admission offers. Jeremiah and Jillian attribute this success to a dynamic new team of GEM staff that was willing to try new things.

• See themselves in the program

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Inbound Enrollment Marketing Case Studies: 3 Data Driven Stories Presented by Fran Reed, Marymount University; Tony Fraga and Zach Busekrus, Direct Development Reported by Dagmar Beck, Rice University Marymount University’s (MU) enrollment office teamed up with a consulting company, Direct Development (DD), to improve their application and enrollment numbers discovering that “inbound enrollment marketing” techniques proved to be successful over time.

MU is a small school offering 30 different graduate programs.

Traditional outbound marketing, such as purchasing GRE names, prospect lists, direct mail promotion, email blasts, paid digital ads and regional space ads had shown poor results. They were ready to try “inbound” marketing techniques, which rely on fresh content generation, publishing articles, and other premium content on blogs weekly, creating multiple landing pages with sign-in forms, and remarketing of “evergreen” content on social media and other platforms. These techniques, combined with track content-trailing of prospects, allowed the school to engage with prospective students triggered by their behavior and responses.

The challenge for this approach is the creation of content, and MU recommended engaging the faculty to create articles on what is hot in their respective fields; and writing info booklets/ guidebooks with topics of interest to prospective students.

The applicant journey consists of three stages: awareness – consideration – decision. Universities must identify applicants’

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needs, personalize their marketing, and nurture prospects. Your fresh content could help students make a decision in favor of your university.

MU started with blog posts and social media postings of premium content, then held information sessions and events, providing information on topics of interest to prospects, such as benefits, careers, jobs, trends in field, and information on school and alumni.

DD also helped to create content hidden behind a form, i.e., student has to provide information before looking at content, which exposes a little creative curiosity! MU used “social nurturing sequences” providing multiple ways to learn more about their programs, and made sure there were no dead ends within the web pages.

DD recommended that this social strategy should constantly change, continue looking at your audience and see what works and what doesn’t. DD’s platform can track all the users and capture their info. This type of interaction will help rank your page high in Google organically without you having to pay for it.

For MU this strategy seems to work. Over a four-year period, MU realized that more inquiries were coming from inbound marketing than from traditional marketing, and they saw improved application numbers and higher enrollment.

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Website Insight: How Prospective Graduate Students Search and Gather Information Online Presented by Becky Morehouse, Stamats Reported by Alexis Reynolds, Texas Tech University Stamats conducted an annual study with adult student participants, which sought to identify how these students search for the information they need to make their decisions about the next step in their educational path. Their primary focus was usability testing - how a user can navigate a website for specific information. o Prospective students' ages ranged from 31-64 o 25 participants (17 earned a bachelor’s degree, 8 earned a graduate degree) • Goals o Navigation: Find the program detail page o Ease of task completion: Identify the length of the program o Comprehension: Identify the cost of attendance o Intuitiveness: Determine the course delivery methods • Method o 5 institutions – Penn State World Campus, Liberty University, Southern New Hampshire University, University of Phoenix, and Western Governors University o Each institution was tested on those four goals Not every institution offered all the programs tested

o Five participants were assigned for each institution as prospective graduate students

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Participants narrated their thought process

• Findings and Takeaways

• Participant Profile

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o Task completion typically aligns with the participant’s confidence level o

Age was not a significant factor on task completion

o

A consistent look and messaging will create a story

o Visitors are hesitant to share personal information when first enter a website o Establish multiple pathways to important website destinations o

Avoid higher education jargon

o Critical touch points program page, program details, financial aid o

Be clear on total tuition and average time to completion ■ Many

participants found it frustrating to convert credit hours into actual time

With an audience from a wide range of institutions the presenter shared the data in a way that was not just informational but applicable in making wiser website decisions.

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Meeting The Needs of International Doctoral Students Across Disciplines Presented by Corina Todoran, North Dakota State University Reported by Sam Beddow, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University How can GEM professionals help ensure both a smooth transition for international doctoral students and a stable environment for them when they arrive?

Ms. Todoran’s presentation was based on a summary of her research on the experiences of international doctoral students in the United States. She was especially interested in what sort of relationships they form with their advisors, professors and peers and how this affects their ability to acclimate. Her primary research method was based on 25 interviews conducted with students from 15 different countries.

International PhD students often rely on their advisor(s) not only for academic advising, but for advice related to social and immigration issues as well. In order to ensure a smooth transition, students often got in touch with faculty advisors well in advance of applying to their chosen school, establishing frequent and long-lasting communication with them. For this reason, GEM professionals need to be especially sensitive to the particularities of a given international student’s situation; including what resources they have as far as immigration, insurance, and housing; and how the political climate in the U.S. (especially now) might affect them. They also need to be aware that though there may be solid support systems in place for master’s students, PhD students are often in a less stable position, and they frequently don’t have the resources available to them that master’s students do.

Ms. Todoran found that the recent political climate in the U.S. in general and in particular President Trump’s travel ban had a huge effect on international students, even those not from the countries on the list. In this case, students needed a place they could feel secure. Having a space for students to gather unofficially was often a source of relief for the students interviewed. Also, being able to interact with their peers and faculty in places where diversity was accepted and celebrated played a key role in students’ sense of security.

The audience had a number of questions about health insurance, as premiums recently more than tripled in the last couple of years. STEM students often receive higher stipends and better health-insurance coverage from their institution than those in the humanities. It is crucial therefore for GEM professionals to find a way to negotiate with the institution to pay higher health insurance costs and to work with the latter students to determine alternate sources of funding.

It was also determined that PhD students will often get conflicting information regarding immigration – make sure they have one go-to person. Ideally, this will be an immigration officer but having one person in the school who specializes in keeping track of changes to immigration laws and how these affect students helps.

In the end, finding ways to help balance these students’ social and academic lives was a key factor in ensuring their success.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Enhancing the Foundation: Utilizing the Smarter Measures Readiness Assessment to Impact Graduate Student Success Presented by Dana Horne, University of Buffalo School of Social Work Reported by Brandy S. Wood, Indiana University School of Medicine Incoming students seem eager to begin their graduate program but are they prepared for graduate study? Dr. Horne observed incoming graduate students were disengaged during the summer months prior to matriculation, and the program experienced notable attrition within the first 10 days of classes. To counter these issues and address an orientation that was deemed too long, too much, and too boring by students, Dr. Horne reorganized summer correspondence to create pre-orientation online programming, which began two months prior to the start of courses. Topics included: registration, financial aid, parking details, bookstore, and library tutorials. Incoming students also completed a learning readiness assessment and time management exercises and participated in discussion boards with their peers. This reduced the in-person orientation to one day for seated students and five hours for online students.

After this implementation, common themes emerged that required further exploration: students lacked self-awareness of their own learning styles and needs, were not prepared for graduate workload, suffered from imposter syndrome, and were experiencing ‘life issues’ which impeded their success. Enter the SmarterMeasure Learning Readiness Indicator which “indicates the degree to which an individual student possesses attributes, skills and knowledge that contribute to success in learning.”

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Using this tool, Dr. Horne found that students who struggled in their first semester of the program tended to have lower scores in the attributes of Persistence, Procrastination, Time Management, and/or Locus of Control. Analysis of three years of data (N=553), concluded the model was not significant when all attributes were compared to overall GPA; however, the procrastination individual attribute, when isolated, was a significant predictor of overall GPA. Armed with data, faculty were approached and data driven conversations became key.

From those conversations, the program developed orientation group discussions that focused on strategies for success and common learning styles. If a student scored less than a 50% on a readiness indicator, the student was advised individually while those scoring between 50-70% were watched for signs of struggle. Student services also planned programming to meet needs identified from the assessment: time management workshops, goal setting workshops, academic tutoring, and monthly ‘community meeting’ check-ins.

Dr. Horne noted that while the SmarterMeasure tool may not be an option for everyone, there are free assessments available online to achieve similar results, and as GEM professionals we must address challenges that are barriers to student success and properly prepare students for graduate study.

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Personalization and Automation: Achieving Intelligent Graduate Admissions with Element451 Presented by Ardis Kadiu and Steve Kerge, Spark451 Reported by Vincent James, Harvard University The purpose of this session was to introduce the audience to Element451, which covers the entire life cycle of a student’s journey through higher education. This is more than just the traditional funnel going from prospect to matriculant. The funnel continues through their experience as a current student and possibly when they re-enroll in another degree program. Element451 allows users to monitor the entire lifecycle of the student and provides a feedback loop over a multi-year period where the user can change and improve the various parts of the lifecycle. For example, what classes are students enjoying that you can convey in your front end messaging?

They talked about the importance of personalization and user experience.

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and is forty times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter. This is their primary method of communication to students.

They worry that institutions are spending large sums of money and resources to differentiate themselves in a crowded competitive marketplace. However, they are on platforms that do not allow differentiation. Events look the same – online processes look the same – communications look the same.

The rest of the time was a demo of the features of Element451. This platform is able to provide true personalization where the right message is sent at the right time by combining content that is relevant to who the person is with content that is relevant to what the person has done. They also covered email campaigns, workflow and the “automated decisioning” process.

They talked about the business case for personalization. They described how companies like Spotify, Amazon and Google do this well, and how it leads to brand loyalty. “We as marketers and recruiters have to do the same thing for our students.”

The big takeaway about Element451 is that it is very modular. You can pick and choose which features you would like to utilize to meet your specific needs.

They provided statistics that stated that email is the most personal channel for Millennials and Generation Z prospects

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Take Your Leadership Skills to the Next Level by Empowering Your Graduate Admissions Team Presented by Brandi Weber-Mortimer, Jerry McCombs, Nancy Ejzak, and Sean Voorhees, Slippery Rock University Reported by Andy Crawford, University of New England Professionals working in Graduate Enrollment Management are commonly challenged to maintain quality and consistency in process and service in a constantly changing environment.

Slippery Rock University’s number of graduate-level program offerings expanded from 28 to 41 in a span of 5½ years, charging Graduate Admissions to recruit, admit, and enroll rapidly increasing populations and conquer numerous tasks with limited resources. Attendees in this session were fortunate to learn from and interact with the University’s Graduate Admissions leadership team on how they have successfully managed staff, developed positive morale, and exceeded enrollment goals through points of growth and change.

The session began with an icebreaker leadership quiz, where attendees had time to reflect on personal leadership qualities and lessons based on previous experiences. The presentation then shifted to compare characteristics associated with the terms “boss” and “leader” with emphasis on career development and benefits of effective management. Key takeaways from the session include: • 75% of workers who voluntarily left their jobs did so because of their bosses and not the position itself.

• Effective leaders do not command expectations, they set them.

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• A person that leads can set expectations by praising the positives and coaching the negatives.

• Leaders in line with their organization’s mission hire the best people to empower their team and are conscious of placing each employee in the right spot to excel.

• Transparency from leaders to employees is important for accountability and morale.

• Career development is a lifelong process to move forward personally and professionally.

• Successful leadership within organizational systems result in improved morale, retention, empowerment, and management succession opportunities.

The presenters concluded the session by sharing helpful leadership resources for attendees to explore. Resources discussed were The Forte (www.theforteinstitute.com), StrengthsFinder 2.0 (www.gallupstrengthscenter.com), and Leadership 360° Assessment (www.ccl.org). A quote shared in the presentation rings true for leaders whether managing small or large teams, through successes and in times of adversity: “Great leaders don’t set out to be leaders…they set out to make a difference. It’s never about the role – always about the goal” (Lisa Haisha). Those in attendance left with helpful tips to refine individual leadership skills and strategies to encourage greater levels of success for members working in their teams.

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Motivation & Persistence: What Sustains Professional Association Leaders?

Presented by Colleen Gabauer, Purdue University; Brett DiMarzo, Simmons College; and Dana Mordecai, University of North Texas Reported by Leslie Brezina, Regis University Membership engagement is key for every professional association. The session speakers/project leaders are building a research pilot to measure motivation among NAGAP chapter presidents. In building the research pilot, the project leaders have looked at the science behind motivation and the role of emotions. The impact of this pilot is expected to provide data for GEM professionals as they reflect on their own professional development needs, leadership interests and skill building, and career aspirations.

The research pilot focus includes: • The data on chapter presidents from 2011 to 2018.

• Type of chapters: regional, special interest, and international.

The science behind motivation and persistence state: • Extrinsic rewards have a limited impact once basic needs are met.

• Intrinsic rewards drives and motivates people in the long run.

Dan Pink, author of “Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us,” shows that for complex tasks, humans are motivated by the need for three forces: • Autonomy • Mastery • Purpose

• The research pilot will be specific to chapter presidents and will eventually include additional chapter board members.

In addition, emotions play a role in motivation because human brains are structured by things we feel. “We rarely do anything we don’t feel and it’s very hard to resist things we do feel. It’s how your brain is structured” (Barker 2014).

• The project leaders are developing a hybrid model of measure for application that will include the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI). “The IMI assesses…levels of interest/enjoyment; perceived competence; effort; value/ usefulness; felt pressure and tension; and perceived choice” (selfdeterminationtheory.org). The hybrid model will also directly relate to career impacts pre- and post-presidency, professional development goals, along with qualitative assessments to gather narrative voice of the subjects.

Applying the science behind motivation and persistence, the pilot will focus on high-impact leaders, their motivations to lead and their reasons for continuing or considering stopping out.

Once the measurement tool is built, IRB approval will be sought so the study can move forward. Stay tune for announcements as additional survey questions are released. The results of this pilot will be shared with the NAGAP membership for their reflection on their own professional development needs, leadership interests, skill building, and career aspirations.

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Exposed! Reshaping Business Processes Revealed by Your New CRM Presented by Mary Pascarella, Sam Houston State University Reported by Vincent James, Harvard University This session focused on the journey of a CRM installation and how it became “a whistleblower” of the institution’s business processes. The presenter first described her institution, Sam Houston State University (4-yr public, 21,000 student, of which 12-14% are graduate). Before the installation, applications were loaded into Banner and the process was totally paper-based.

Applciations are now loaded into the CRM (Radius and Ellucian’s CRM Recruit) and their process is paperless. The Recruit CRM implementation was a 6 month process that provided a better student experience through self-service.

Exposed process challenges associated with the new CRM: • The need for end user training as well as a ramp up in the admissions office with a platform change from Banner to a Window-based environment.

• Student self-service was creating duplicate records. This was corrected by improving the duplicate detector settings in the CRM. A suggestion was made to keep track of the volume of duplicate records that occur to let stakeholders know that the process is working.

• The possibility of requirements changing, specifically transcripts – students list their prior colleges on the application, and it became the checklist for receiving official transcripts.

• The need to tighten the policy that decisions could not be made on incomplete applications as well as keeping admissions in the loop on all decisions.

Unexpected expositions dealt with the online catalog of application requirements, training/documenting (with the suggestion of using a VCP - Vocabulary, Concept, Procedure

excel template as a guide), security roles, decision flow, and end of term processes.

The session continued with a tale of a newly blended office where graduate admissions was merged with undergradergraduate admissions to become one admissions office in the middle of the CRM implementation. This created challenges but also added additional resources such as more student workers at the front desk and the use of a call center.

Admissions staff are also utilizing the cases and tasks features in the CRM, which allow them to keep track of the additional work they do beyond email and application processing.

Post-implementation, they were happy with the results. Spring 2018 applications were down 11% but acceptances were up 4%. There was also an 18% improvement in the number of complete applications from the prior year.

The presenter offered the following take-aways • Understand your duplicate detection settings • Processing apps in your CRM? o Support your business operations with queries and filters o

Take full advantage of student self-service pages

• If you are implementing a CRM o

Document as you go

o

Don’t forget end user adoption

• Use the notes/task/case module • Challenge yourself to share data in new ways

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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NAGAP, Carnegie Dartlet, & Google Digital Insights for Graduate Enrollment Report Presented by Mark Cunningham, Carnegie Dartlet; and Marcus Hanscom, Roger Williams University Reported by Jenna Tinsley, Simmons College We do not simply go online anymore; we live online and consume more content than ever. Sridhar Ramaswamy, Senior VP of Ads and Commerce at Google, stated, “the old days of predictable, periodic media sessions have been replaced by numerous short bursts or micro moments of digital activity throughout the day”. NAGAP partnered with Carnegie Dartlet to survey hundreds of NAGAP members on what mattered most to them in considering digital marketing on their campuses.

With similar goals of increasing applications and enrollment along with branding, results showed that enrollment professionals are facing similar barriers to implementing digital: budget, expertise, and internal resources. Most members felt that there were mixed results in the outcomes of digital campaigns.

Of the respondents, 58.5% were interested in how prospective students are conducting their searches. First page visibility in a search is indispensable, with 75% of searchers never clicking to the second page of results. Search engine optimization is complimented by user experience as once searchers click on a webpage having a good experience helps users easily navigate

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to learn more and request information. However, one visit is often not enough to convert which enhances the importance of other digital strategies such as retargeting, Google Analytics, and ensuring a mobile-friendly experience.

When integrating different digital trends and insights to a specific campus it is important to remember the following: • Be reflective and determine what may work best for your office; it is not one size fits all.

• Graduate students are starting their searches with a much more open mind.

• Think about your target audience and goals.

• Expectations continue to grow for user experience, relevancy, and personalization.

NAGAP will be offering a webinar series over the summer, which will cover additional tactics and insights for digital topics including social media, SEO, PPC, Google Analytics and measurement, and emerging trends.

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Deconstructing Barriers to Enrollment & Embracing Opportunities for Success Presented by Kate McConnell, Pennsylvania State Great Valley Reported by Caela Provost, University College Cork Those of us who work in the field of graduate enrollment management are no strangers to encountering barriers, walls, and hurdles in our paths as we work to increase student matriculation at our institutions. “Cost” becomes our Hadrian, “commitments” our Jericho, “fear of failure” our Berlin. Thankfully, history has shown us that all such walls can be torn down, allowing opportunities for growth and success to arise.

Time, Family, and Commitments

During the session, “Deconstructing Barriers to Enrollment & Embracing Opportunities for Success” presenter Kate McConnell led conference participants in facilitated open discussions in order to glean best practices when dealing with frequently encountered professional obstacles. Individuals were broken up into six groups, each discussing a specific barrier and then reporting back to the group as a whole. Amongst the findings were the following pieces of advice and points to ponder:

• Speak to students frankly about requirements for programs.

Cost

• Include family in orientation activities.

• Peer mentors can go a long way in making students feel prepared and comfortable.

Fear of Failure • Be aware of institutional weight placed on standardized tests, personal statements, and references.

• Be prepared for difficult conversations.

Anxiety and Myths Surrounding Online Learning • Listen to and work to understand student histories to determine if the program is a good fit.

• Focus on partnership coordination and look into companies with tuition reimbursement options for enrollment.

• Online programs are not easier than in-person studies.

Online students must have good time management skills and be self-motivated.

• Leverage the alumni network for employment opportunities, internships, and professional mentoring.

• Students need to be given a clear picture of what to expect.

• Develop area/program specific funding research lists.

Unclear Fit, Value, and Desired Outcome • Realize that there is more than one type of incoming graduate student (i.e.: undergraduate transitioning, international, returning professional, part-time).

• Use faculty profiles, information graphics, and video testimonials to provide insight into the type and value of any given program.

• Honesty is best when discussing time, outcomes, goals, and commitment level.

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• Meet students where they are in their careers.

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Loan Debt in the Media and Conflicting Information • Work to troubleshoot myths floating around about student loans.

• Research loan types for better understanding of repayment.

• Speak to students honestly about financial options and provide examples.

The walls we face as educators are often towering, but when we place research, careful preparation, and honesty at the forefront of our difficult conversations we find that the walls quickly turn to rubble, allowing us to pave the way for new graduate opportunities.

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Building a Balanced Class: Diversity Recruitment & Admissions Strategies at a Highly-Selective Institution Presented by Holly Bland and Emily Easton, University of Chicago Reported by Lucy Hudson, Virginia Commonwealth University In 2012, the University of Chicago created a Graduate Enrollment Office to focus as a central resource to coordinate graduate admissions. The office functions as a central support unit for nine of the university's twelve graduate programs. The office consists of a core group that meets weekly to address functional/technological issues, initiate recruitment and outreach, and discuss legal policy.

Upon review of the data from implementing the initiatives,officials noticed an increase in the number of underrepresented minority applicants to the physical and mathematical science programs, which have had historically low numbers of minority applicants and graduates. Initiatives to increase applicants to physical and mathematical science programs included:

Although the university has a centralized admissions office one of the challenges faced by the university is the lack of diversity in multiple programs. To address the diversity issue the Graduate Enrollment Office created and implemented initiatives to target underrepresented minority applicants, including:

• Implemented automatic application fee waivers

• Creating a diversity recruitment position • Centralizing recruitment travel • Offering fee waivers • Implementing a faculty application reader training

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• Targeted outreach through national networks • Partnered with URM-focused fellowship programs • Created a database of stakeholders • Provided application preparation support • Implemented a holistic admissions process As a result of the above initiatives, in 2013-2017, University of Chicago, Graduate Enrollment Office has seen a 42% increase in URM applications, a 40% increase in admitted URM students, and a 40% increase in underrepresented minority students attending the university.

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Intercultural Socialization Experiences, Identity & Cultural Congruity of International Graduate Students in STEM at Public Research Universities in the U.S. Presented by Catherine Johnson, Montana State University Reported by Marina Gano, University of Washington International graduate students (IGS) in STEM programs encounter unique challenges at U.S. research universities. One of these challenges relates to the cultural isolation IGS encounter as they navigate American higher education. Catherine Johnson’s study, a secondary data analysis, examined the degree to which identity and culture are related during the socialization i process. Over a thousand IGS from twelve research universities participated in the Graduate Student Survey (GSS), a project funded by the NSF. The researcher’s preliminary findings and subsequent follow-up work will be a significant contribution to practitioners that support this student population.

Research demonstrates that the following challenges exist for IGS: • Cultural isolation (Manathung, 2011) • Navigating identity across multiple social, cultural and global fields (Phelps, 2016) • Recent 3% overall decline in IGS enrollment at U.S. graduate schools (Okahana, 2018) • Health insurance costs, travel ban, and visa regulations (Todoran, 2018) Factors found influential for IGS persistence include the advisor relationship (Crede & Borrego, 2014), peer interaction (Floresh-Scott & Nerad, 2012), and cultural and social support

(Fotovatian, 2012). Johnson’s study examined identity prominence (professional and social self-concept), interaction (mentor’s cultural support, mentor advising and peer group), intercultural experiences in STEM, and cultural congruity. These relationships were tested using a series of ordinary least squares regression models to examine the strength of these relationships. Preliminary findings suggest that the social identity of IGS and the cultural support of mentors are positively associated with intercultural experiences in STEM. Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanic Latino IGS have cultural experiences that are more favorable in STEM compared to White IGS. The full model explained 16% of IGS' level of intercultural experiences in STEM. With these initial findings in mind, attendees of this session brainstormed implications for enrollment management including best practices and policies to advocate for and implement at our organizations. Here are some of the major ideas summarized: • Decreasing student cultural isolation • Acknowledgment and appreciation of transnational identity • Responding to changing enrollment patterns and a competitive global market • Recognizing student anxiety in the current political climate

i

This research is part of an AGEP-T: Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate – Transformation program under the HRD grants #1432932 Washington State University, #1432910 University of Idaho, #1432694 University of Montana, and #1431773 Montana State University. This project is supported by Collaborative Research: The Pacific Northwest Alliance. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Life in the Fast Lane: Creating Connections through Speed Networking Presented by Jacquelyn Monnin and Jackie Stotlar, The Ohio State University Reported by Annabelle Fernandez, North Carolina State University Speed networking is just what it sounds like – quick, dedicated opportunities to meet new people. Whether you’re an extrovert or introvert, whether just starting your career or experienced, speed networking can provide an effective way to make valuable contacts and have noteworthy conversations in a short period of time.

Before starting the networking, as preparation, participants asked write their answers for four questions on the question card. Questions included conversation starters such as “what professional strengths do you value most” and “what’s the highlight of the conference for you”? After a few minutes of quick scribbling, the networking session began!

Presenters Monnin and Stotlar described speed networking as “short, guided conversations designed to make new contacts”.

During the hands on, interactive session, the presenters facilitated a new networking style with a structured process that keep participants engaged.

Some session highlights of note:

First, each participant needed to have three items: • A question card (provided by Monnin and Stotlar) • Business cards • Pen or pencil Participants sat in two long rows of “lanes” or chairs that faced each other. With the song “Life in the Fast Lane” booming in the background and energizing the group, participants were provided the following directions: 1) When the song plays, stand and move to your right 2) Once seated, exchange business cards with person opposite and introduce yourself 3) “Back lane” asks first question while “front lane” makes notes on business card 4) After two minutes, a honk will sounds to “change drivers” 5) “Front lane” asks second question while “back lane” makes notes on business card 6) After two more minutes, song plays and it’s time to stand and move right again 7) Repeat above steps 2 through 6, continue repeating until time is up

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• During the networking session, the high level of engagement was unmistakable and infectious.

• Using music and sounds as queues to drive action added to the energy of the room.

• Once participants became comfortable with the speed networking process and the flow of conversation, there was flexibility to change and adapt questions.

• Taking notes on the back of the business card is both smart and helpful. No matter how great you think your memory is, it’s easy to forget what you discussed.

At the close of the session, participants received two follow-up challenges: 1) Follow up with one new contact before conference ended 2) Email someone you met during networking on May 14th and check in In summary, speed networking is a style of networking that is effective, adaptable, and can help you create new contacts both professionally and personally. It can be rewarding while only taking a short amount of time, however as for any effective networking, follow-up is key for cultivating relationships. The next time you have an opportunity to network and are unsure how to, try the simple steps outlined above. You might find yourself enjoying the process and having fun.

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Partnerships and Programming to Increase Diversity in Graduate Education Presented by Simone Gbolo, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities Reported by Mackenzie Marosy, University of Michigan Successful diversity pipelines and/ or pathways offer support structures, wraparound services, and academic rigor for students identifying as underrepresented minorities within higher education. The presenter explored and investigated the impact diversity pipelines and/or pathways have on students in terms of preparing them for the academic rigors of graduate school as well as for building professional capital.

Rising-seniors apply to attend a summer institute with a partnered higher education institution. With resources provided by the partnered institution, students undergo rigorous training for a graduate program within the public policy discipline.

Programming offered during the 7-week institute includes: • Graduate-level coursework • Guest lectures and discussions with notable public servants • Site visits to local, state, and federal government organizations • A graduate school fair • GRE test preparation • Capstone project and presentation The presenter qualitatively evaluated the effectiveness of these institutes by

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conducting interviews with 25 institute alumni currently enrolled in graduate school or completed graduate school within the past year. Feedback from alumni of the institute indicated that the access to rigorous coursework, academic enrichment, and professional support was “life changing” and “transformational”.

Core themes from the interviews emerged, to include: • Affirmation that graduate school was a viable option • A valuable, established, and supportive network • Competitively positioned for other opportunities • Applicable skills that could be utilized immediately, such as presentation skills and writing policy summaries • Solidified career aspirations Students entered their senior year feeling that graduate school was not only an option, but they felt more confident about how to get to graduate school and how to be successful in graduate school.

Furthermore, the programming built a community of peers, institution-based admissions officers, and industry-related

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professionals for students to leverage as they proceeded through graduate school.

Diversity pipelines and/or pathways, intentional programming, and partnerships are necessary and institutions need to be committed to this work of preparing all students for graduate school.

Conversations must shift from building supports for yield to building supports to do what is best for all students. All students should feel affirmed through the graduate admissions enrollment process and should feel prepared to be successful, as a student and as a professional.

There are ways for every institution to engage all students, ranging from: • Mentoring of perspective students by current students • Including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offices in developing programming • Investing higher-level partners at the dean- and provost-levels in the mission of creating programs of diversity

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The Three-Minute Thesis: Helping Student Articulate What They Do Presented by Marta Bailey, University of Waterloo Reported by Yvonne Valdez, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio The presenter gave an overview of how the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) came to fruition at the University of Waterloo in 2008 before the first competition in 2013 and what the university has done to reinvigorate the program. Initially the 3MT took off when the competition collaborated with the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and students were excited to compete, but after the first few years, it was clear that participation and enthusiasm was starting to wane.

The 3MT thesis is a concentration of your doctoral work that can be no longer than 3 minutes, can use no props outside of one PowerPoint slide, and needs to be understandable to the lay audience. It needs to be thorough but broad.

audience. Branding was a key part in having the competition take off and the program covered the campus with cards initiating interest in competing and driving interested students to their website. From its inception, the focus has always been on the competition and not the idea of winning. Being coached in properly delivering an elevator speech to a broad audience at a time when competitors will begin their job searches is a major benefit of the program.

The idea of the 3MT started out with the intent to have graduate students show their work in an abbreviated way that is more palatable to the non-specialist

After the first few competitions, the program noticed a drop in participation so organizers surveyed the student body to figure out why participation was down.

Efforts to boost participation included highlighting stories of success from winners who were interviewed by media and using videos on LinkedIn to show the significance of student research.

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A mandatory boot camp was developed to prepare students prior to registration for the competition and to act as a coaching session. The primary goals of the boot camp include having students leave with a concrete plan of how to move forward and fostering a sense of collegiality between students who will compete.

Professionals in the field emphasize how valuable the skills they are going to utilize are and participants watch videos on successful talks and pinpoint ways to be successful. Participants also analyze what makes a successful slide and consider best practices of slide design.

All participants leave with a video recording of their 3MT, which is recommended to be attached to their LinkedIn profile and a professional headshot. Students have found the video to be very helpful in them obtaining faculty positions.

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Facing Today’s Recruitment Challenges: How to Set Up Your Institution for Success in Attracting, Engaging, and Recruiting Graduate Students Presented by Allyson Castes, Houston Baptist University; and Jennie Bailey, EAB Reported by Beth Hargrove, University of North Texas Health Science Center Houston Baptist University (HBU) is a Christian liberal arts college of 2,500 undergraduate and 1,009 graduate students. EAB serves higher education organizations by helping them find and enroll the right students, increase student retention and graduation rates, and improve academic efficiency and operations.

Results from initial partnership:

Pivotal Moment #1: HBU launched a centralized graduate school in 2010.

Pivotal Moment #2: Applications were trending upward but enrollments had plateaued.

Challenges included a decentralized admissions model, which resulted in too many cooks in the kitchen.

Further improvements and optimizations were made to bolster enrollments:

• Actions taken:

• Added additional admissions coordinators (recruiters) responsible for specific program assignments.

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Centralize and establish one graduate recruiter.

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Move decision making to central admissions team.

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Partner with EAB for marketing needs.

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Evolve marketing and recruitment models: optimize learning; create student-centered recruitment experience; identify right channels and timing."

Surprising results and takeaways: • 20% of applicants change their mind about program of study between inquiry and enrollment, which resulted in: o

Choosing comprehensive messaging over programspecific messaging.

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Buying test taker lists beyond common program of interest.

• Timing for test taker lists is key. Buy 1 year in advance of largest start term.

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26% respond after persistent and consistent engagement of 4 months to 1 year.

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40% of applications are submitted in response to a deadline reminder.

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• 55 students entered in 2012 connected to list buy and marketing efforts.

• 97 students entered in 2013 from same efforts.

• Streamlined admission requirements. Removed letters of recommendation when not significant to admission decision.

• Evaluating admitted students to determine who needs further follow-up. Simply asked, 1 question survey with a quick call to action. 70% responded.

Pivotal Moment #3: How can we reach new audiences? HBU saw test take audience was trending down and their name buy list was shrinking. Where else can graduate programs look for likely shoppers?

EAB provided recommendations and solutions including: • EAB has worked with leaders like Disney and Coca-Cola.

They will match university data to consumer data for a 360 view on who your student is. This information becomes your tool for targeting similar future students.

• Analyze what channels this audience will respond to. It’s not just online, print is making a comeback.

Houston Baptist University and EAB’s journey shows that it takes constant attention and updates to your recruiting strategies to drive universities towards success. Institutions must be willing to question the status quo, try new tactics, and track data to see where new strategies take you.

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International Issues: AACRAO International Activities on Bologna-Compliant Three-Year Degrees Presented by Ann Koenig, AACRAO; Staci Bernhard, Florida International University; and Elizabeth Spark, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Reported by Alounda Joseph, University of North Texas at Dallas Taking an in-depth journey into the “What, Why, How, and When” of the Bologna Process, this session aimed to provide information about AACRAO and their support of GEM, identify Bologna-related admission issues articulated at a 2017 AACRAO symposium, and discuss university practices and policies regarding 3-year degrees. AACRAO International, around since the 1950’s and staffed with former university international enrollment professionals and foreign credential evaluators, serves as a resource for other GEM professionals by developing and promoting best practices in international enrollment management and credential evaluation.

The Bologna Process • What: An agreement that created the framework that reformed higher education across Europe.

• Why: Provided ease for students, scholars, employers moving across borders.

• How: Created a common degree structure, credit system, and document (degree supplement).

• When: In 1999, signed initially by 29 countries (now 48) with proposed implementation by 2010.

The AACRAO 2017 Symposium, a follow-up to the initial one held in 2006, sought to learn what has changed and what the big issue is today with regard to the 3-year Bologna degree.

The most prominent issue remains that of equity specifically when it comes to the 3-year degree from India considering the sheer number of students studying in the U.S. Thus over 10 years later and reviewing the survey results from 369 U.S. institutions and obtaining perspectives from foreign credential evaluators, GEM,

employment and immigration professionals, AACRAO learned that not much had changed. Areas of concern included the following: readiness for U.S. graduate education, employment/ professional licensing, Europeans view of U.S. higher education, and marketing/recruiting in the current climate.

After hearing the perspectives of the panelists representing U.S. institutions, it can be concluded that there is no one centralized voice that speaks for all of U.S. higher education and as such the Bologna Process is not an “educational system” but a framework for 48 different countries that should be evaluated in the context of each country’s educational system. Therefore, there is a variety of ways of interpreting these degrees, which makes principles of best practices even more vital.

Principles of Best Practice • Get the initial training and keep on learning.

• Make decisions based on your institutional and departmental policies.

• Apply admission review criteria fairly across all countries.

• Evaluate based on official documentation.

• Keep notes and records of your admission decisions with document samples.

• Keep track records of students when you make a change in policy.

Take advantage of the resources available through AACRAO, NAFSA, Education USA, and/or your colleagues at other institutions. We are responsible for knowing what that credential represents in the country from which it comes.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Developing Strategic Partnerships to Foster Enrollment Growth and Retention Presented by Kristen Card, University of New England Reported by Laura Look, University of North Dakota Developing strategic partnerships is crucial in GEM and they can help contribute to enrollment growth and retention of students. There are many benefits to both the university and the partnering employer or organization.

Benefits to the college include word of mouth promotion, referrals, revenue stream, internship opportunities for their students, professional development for faculty and staff, better understanding of the market assessment and needs, and community involvement and engagement.

The presenter offered four questions to assist identifying potential partners: 1. Why are partnerships/networking important to your organization?

2. How would you rate the quality of your organization’s current external network or partnership opportunities?

3. Do existing partners or potential partners share similar organizational goals and mission?

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4. Where are your current developmental opportunities in relation to your partnership network?

• Clarity of Value – be clear, honest, and upfront regarding why you are interested in the partnership

When the institution is ready to identify potential partners, you need to consider the compatibility of a partner with your institution. You need to determine which programs have room for growth and which potential partners align best with your academic offerings. You should explore community connections including local networking organizations and local, state, and national businesses. The presenter suggests aiming to find partners whose missions align with the institutions and consider the reputations of both parties and accreditation standards.

• Understand the Why – develop a clear understanding of why your potential partner is interested in the partnership

Card included seven tips to creating winwin partnerships from the start: • Abundance-Scarcity – create mutually beneficial partnerships where needs are met

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• Compatible Visions – both partners should have shared values, passions and vision • Be Realistic – set realistic timelines, outcomes and evaluation • It Takes Two/Navigating Through Resistance – expect hurdles and challenges; protect your organization by documenting all negotiations and agreements.

• Assessment and Evaluation – create initial timelines for annual, ongoing assessment of the partnership

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Creating Inclusive Spaces for International Students to Succeed: Messaging and Career Outcomes in the GEM Life Cycle Presented by Emily Miller and Michele Lersch, Indiana University; and Bryce Loo, World Education Services Reported by Andy Morris, Binghamton University GEM professionals at Indiana University – Bloomington sought to engage in effective messaging specific to international students in an effort to create a sense of welcoming. By utilizing a variety of direct communications and virtual interactions, they set the stage for positive experiences and engagement, which resulted in successful recruitment and retention.

The analysis of data from sources like the Open Doors Report and Project Atlas provided strategic data:

• Employment status and satisfaction • Relevance of current job to education • Alumni current status in the U.S. The survey found work authorization is the biggest professional challenge, East Asian students often struggle with English throughout their time in the U.S., and almost half of students who returned home did so mostly for work-related reasons.

Strategies for assisting international students succeed include:

Three key areas of research included: • What are the career aspirations of international students and international alumni of U.S. colleges (HEIs), and how did those influence their decision to study in the United States?

• What were the career outcomes of international alumni who have graduated from U.S. institutions?

• Could international students’ experiences with Career Services Offices and related support services on U.S. campuses be improved?

The presenters conducted a survey of students on F-1, J-1, and M-1 visas currently enrolled in or graduated from degree programs at U.S colleges. A total of 1,067 current students were surveyed with a 9.9% response rate and 1,095 alumni were surveyed with a 77% response rate.

The survey examined: • Motivations for studying abroad among students enrolling in the U.S. • Top career-related factors in selecting a U.S. institution • How important was career-related factors when deciding to study in the U.S. • How many planned on using OPT or academic training when returning home is the top intention

Promoting the Career Services Office • Start before the students arrive!

• Promote at orientation.

• Follow up after orientation, however you can.

• Make the case for early career preparation.

• Have events for new students related to career engagement, such as fairs.

Helping students with work authorization issues • Ensure that the Career Services office is knowledgeable in the regulations.

• Make sure ISSS and Career Services have a good working relationship.

• Teach students to advocate for themselves.

• Educate employers in your network and advocate for international students Thinking about assisting students who leave the U.S. • Match current students or recent alumni who are working back home or abroad, particularly in the student’s field or industry.

• Usage rate of career services offices

• Promote and facilitate internships abroad during student breaks or during co-op programs.

• Reasons why current students have not used career services

• Develop a network of multinational companies.

• Career-related experiences during study by academic level

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The GEM Professional’s Role in Career and Professional Development for Graduate Students Presented by Kristen Sterba, University of Arkansas Reported by Denise Bridwell, University of Kansas It is becoming more evident every year that graduate programs do a great job of teaching students the intricacies of their discipline but less so when it comes to professional development and career preparation. Do PhD students ever receive training in teaching classes or preparing a lesson plan? What is the difference between a resume and a CV? Is contract negotiation ever mentioned in our graduate curriculum? These are all questions that are making their way back to GEM professionals as our alumni are hitting the job market and finding themselves grossly unprepared. There is a consensus that our university career centers are largely focused on servicing undergraduate student needs. So what can we do about it?

• Host Three-Minute Thesis competitions to improve communication skills

This session was a special interest forum that allowed GEM professionals across multiple universities to discuss current practices and collaborate on new solutions to our collective conundrum. Below are some of the generated ideas:

• Networking

• Utilize alumni to serve as mentors/career coaches

• Resume/CV Writing

• Develop a career roadmap that starts at orientation and continues through graduation

• Negotiation Strategies

• Collaborate with graduate student groups to determine their need and provide opportunities to address those needs

• Team Dynamics

• Create LinkedIn groups to engage alumni and current students • Use application statements of purpose to encourage students to articulate how this degree will help them towards their career goal and build programming from there • Utilize faculty or industry professionals to conduct mock interviews with students

• Build professional development tenets into either a new curriculum or an existing class that forces students to consider these important principles. “Scientific Communication and Ethics” is an example currently used by University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Many programs are developing workshops either in conjunction with career centers, student groups or stand-alone that cover topics such as: • Interviewing Skills • Etiquette • StrengthsFinder

• Taxes 101 • Communications Styles We are all busy with other tasks as a part of our “normal” job duties and this is an area that has crept its way into the forefront of our minds but maybe not our job descriptions. Hopefully, these tips can help you to successfully add some things to your curricula in order to improve the student experience and overall outcomes for your programs.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Design Thinking: Approaching Problem Solving with Creativity for GEM Professionals Presented by Jeremiah Nelson and Jillian Stubbs, Wake Forest University School of Business Reported by Lindsey Duble-Dice, George Washington University Jeremiah Nelson and Jillian Stubbs presented the idea that “Design Thinking” could help higher-education professionals think creatively and problem solve more effectively. Stubbs introduced Design Thinking as a process for creative problem solving: a solution-based process that is focused on opportunities. The process aids educators in identifying problems, uncovering hidden issues, and focusing on reframing the generation of multiple solutions and ideas.

Stubbs defined Design Thinking as a combination of right and left brain thinking – the best of both worlds!

Design Thinking began in the architecture field: using creativity and imagination in conjunction with logic, method, and process. Furthermore, Design Thinking includes a human component, and encourages educators to question the desirability of their products, systems, and experiences.

Stubbs also discussed the importance of Human Centered Design. Using examples from companies like AirBnB, Pinterest, and Warby Parker, she examined how Human Centered Design considers the needs and perspectives of the user. She went on to

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to understand the needs of your customers, and how they think and feel. Observe, engage, and immerse.

highlight the benefits including product/ system engagement and growth, gaining a competitive advantage, bringing the “wow” factor, and detecting less longterm risk.

• Phase 2: Define Based on what you have learned about your customers and the context, define the challenge you are taking on.

The presentation outlined the principles and phases of Design Thinking.

Principles: • The Human Rule: Put the human experience first o

Collaboration: Understanding that team experience is valuable

• The Redesign Rule: All design is redesign, the process will continue to evolve o Iterative: Continue to evolve and adapt as the changing needs of your end user • Ambiguity Rule: It is okay to not know the answer o Trust: Develop trust among each other and the process Phases: • Phase 1: Empathize To create meaningful innovations, you need

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• Phase 3: Ideate Generate the broadest range of possibilities, and remember it's not about coming up with the “right” idea.

• Phase 4: Prototype Create the experience and collect feedback from multiple sources in order to continue to iterate and refine the solutions.

• Phase 5: Test Pick the idea that strikes the best balance between user needs and the organization goal and test it. Continue to refine.

The session culminated with a hands-on activity where participants were able to put their Design Thinking into action.

Using the five phases of Design Thinking as a guide, participants broke into pairs and redesigned the gift-giving process for their partners.

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Hot Topics in Strategic International Enrollment Management, or, "What Are We Going to Do for the Next Three Years?"

Presented by Ian Wright, World Education Services; Raymond Lutzky, Cornell Tech; Edwin van Rest, Studyportals; Katherine Beczak, Rochester Institute of Technology Reported by Alounda Joseph, University of North Texas at Dallas As institutions across the U.S. are seeking to increase or sustain current enrollment rates from international students, they are tasked with directly responding to serious questions and concerns posed by students and their families as a result of the current political climate and the dwindling perception of U.S. education globally.

The fears of several universities across the U.S. last year are now the reality they are witnessing this year, as international student enrollment yields for the 20182019 cycle have seen decreases of about 5%.

• How are graduate programs responding to shifting demands of our global economy and the strains on internships and work experiences presented by visa regulations? How does online learning develop as a means to serve international students?

So, what are we going to do for the next three years? This decrease is not only a result of the “Trump Effect”, but also other contributing factors, such as an already flattening enrollment growth and increased competition from other popular destination countries (continental Europe and Asia). Sharing insight from the panel and session attendees, this discussion, led by Ian Wright, aimed to address the following topics:

• How can “big data” serve the needs of graduate educational professionals?

• How are we to respond effectively to the perception of graduate education in the U.S., Canada, Asia, Europe, or “not right now”?

• Where are the likely source markets of international students outside of China and India?

• What platforms remain “tried and true” and which new communication methods are emerging?

Overall, universities are being forced to rethink recruitment strategies and/or normal business operations if they expect to sustain or grow their international student populations. It is important to utilize communication channels to address valid concerns by perhaps having university presidents articulate the measures that are being taken to provide safe and culturally sensitive learning environments, and developing consistent, effective responses to key concerns

of their international markets (agent networks, partners). Many universities have also changed hierarchical structures (EM and Career Services under the same unit), program formats (accelerated masters), and delivery modes (online and micro master) as to be more flexible and provide creative solutions related to the career expectations of students, costs associated with study in the U.S., and unwillingness of many corporations to sponsor international students like in the past.

To increase diversity on campus and thwart competition from other countries for students from China, and India, many universities are also looking to different countries (i.e., Nepal, Vietnam, Africa, Turkey) while considering factors such as GDP, academic background/ preparedness, and funding sources. With limited dollars and high expectations of enrollment growth, innovative approaches in marketing and use of marketing channels (i.e., digital, social media) for target areas are as vital as measuring the success from those efforts, whether it’s from the use of agents and/or search services for future use in predictive analysis.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Leading Organizational Change Through Re-Framing an Admissions and Recruitment Strategy Presented by Katherine Ruger and Jessica Bilodeau, Michigan State University Reported by Anna Paradis, University of Kansas There were several organizational changes at Michigan State University when Dr. Katherine Ruger took on the position of Assistant Dean of Admissions and Pre-College Programs in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. The situation was made more difficult due to the culture of the group (fear-based) and outdated paper-based practices. Leading the change to more innovative and modern processes took over five years, but the results are very exciting.

The speakers set up the culture and environment before and after as follows: Before: Too much paper ➔ After: More efficient Before: Negative culture ➔ After: Culture of teamwork Before: Fear-based environment ➔ After: Inclusion Before: Resistance to change ➔ After: External partnerships Before: No questioning/exploring ➔ After: Idea sharing Before: Negative external perception ➔ After: Active and creative

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Before: Lack of trust ➔ After: Psychological safety Dr. Ruger identified several resources that helped her to lead this organizational change, but noted one of the most important factors was utilizing the current staff. She had to learn the job and understand their perspectives before she could put changes in place. She primarily utilized three strategies/tools: SWOT Analysis, the SPELIT Power Matrix, and Dr. John Kotter’s Change Model.

During the process, she included not only her staff and students, but also alumni, financial managers, faculty, IT, and the Dean. Several meetings were held to talk through the process and get feedback on the changes, and a retreat was organized to re-evaluate team structure and duties to be more efficient.

Cultural change is a difficult task; it requires consistent leadership and building long-term trust. Dr. Ruger emphasized designing a process map and highlighting short-term wins to keep everyone engaged and excited. She created a “secret” club of innovators: stakeholders who brought forward new ideas. Each member was given a lapel pin, for even

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a small change or innovation, to create a community committed to making the organization better.

Jessica Bilodeau then described how she utilized Dr. Kotter’s Change Model for a Student Ambassador Program. She followed the eight step process this way: 1. Urgency: Set a two month deadline to build training documents and videos to get students excited 2. Build a Team: Create a task force to identify ways students can get more involved 3. Vision: Define expectations (provide food and swag) 4. Buy-In: Identify needs – professional development events, recognition, and mentorship 5. Action: Create opportunities over the summer to build on foundation of activities 6. Short-Term Wins: Celebrate team improvements – reputation and data 7. Don’t Let Up: Seek collaborations and stay positive 8. Make it Stick: Process is important, but culture is essential!

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Reaching Out to War-Torn Regions Presented by Sylvia Findlay, Illinois State University Reported by Caela Provost, University College Cork In his novel The Promise of a Pencil: How an Ordinary Person Can Create Extraordinary Change Adam Braun – writer, philanthropist, and Founder and CEO of Pencils of Promise – pens the following, “At the greatest levels of affluence, and the deepest levels of poverty, parents share the same desire for their children to have a better future.”

This quote is strikingly relevant in today’s world…

• a world where 20 people are newly displaced every minute of every day • a world where there are currently 65.6 million people displaced • a world where 86% of refugees are hosted in developing countries where education is already a struggle Yet, amidst all of these obstacles – war, violence, persecution – refugee peoples from all over the world yearn for an education, a voice, a pencil with just as much ardor as any student in the United States of America. Unfortunately, while the need for institutions to reach

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out to refugee students seeking tertiary education is clear, action plans are all too often missing. Institutions face challenges involving policies, logistics, safety, visas and immigration, and communication; as a result, many simply don’t prioritize such student populations.

Enter Sylvia M Findlay who gave annual conference attendees hope for the future of refugee recruitment and matriculation via recommendations and resources for outreach in her presentation aptly titled, “Reaching Out to War-Torn Regions”.

In order to best reach out to student refugees, Findlay advocated for: • Building partnerships between institutions and NGOs such as NAFSA, UNHCR, and IREX in order to build a bridge between the student and institution • Investigating for-profit partnerships to work with offices on specific enrollment management processes • Moving away from a culture of “students as a commodity” and

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instead placing social justice in front of business as usual • Professionals becoming the leaders they are seeking in refugee education advocacy…we all have the capacity to become such leaders Findlay appropriately noted in her lecture, “What they [refugees] need is respect and dignity […] they need education and help beyond just food, water, and shelter.” Too often we forgot that our freedom of speech and expression, our ability to read and write, our talent for research and analysis exists only because we are among the educated privileged. Education is one of this world’s most powerful weapons against intolerance, bigotry, poverty, violence, and hopelessness, and for the sake of those we serve we must never be afraid to wield it.

For student refugees, education is a voice.

For student refugees, education is a way to change policies and injustices in their home countries. For student refugees, education is hope.

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New Student Onboarding, Orientation, and Retention Presented by Lindsay Pecosh, California University of Pennsylvania Reported by Carrie Kelly, Brock University The California University of Pennsylvania is a traditional, state university with approximately 8,000 students, of which 3,500 are graduate students. The office is responsible for the entire student lifecycle from recruitment through graduation.

Because investments in recruitment on the part of the university were substantial, the institution wanted to examine where in the process they were losing students. In order to do so, the period from when a candidate goes from a prospect to an admitted and registered student was studied.

The first step was to identify both the areas of opportunity and the styles of communication used with inquiries and applicants.

An average of eight “touchpoints” were found before a student applies. In order to ensure every step was clear and understandable, messaging at each point of contact from the applicant or student’s perspective was carefully considered. Just because the university staff knows what they need to do, does not mean that it is clear to the applicants or students.

The second step was an analysis of the current processes via questioning and brainstorming. What were the current methods of communication? How long did it take between messages?

What could be improved?

The third step was the action plan. A newly revised communication plan was created and presented to the Dean and Director. They chose one pilot program to start knowing

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that measurable results needed to be obtained in order to demonstrate results to get buy-in from others.

Choosing the largest online program for the pilot test, they analyzed the current communications flow, pinpointed all areas of concern, met with all units to get buy-in from other areas on campus, and then created step-by-step communications.

When an application is received, individuals follow up with a number of communications to begin the on-boarding process.

Communications are broken up into segments with no more than three steps at a time. Personal phone calls are made to remind students of dates or outstanding documents, send good-luck emails before the term begins, send emails to check-in, and/ or offer registration support, optional Skype meetings, or online tutorials.

The institution saw the following measurable results: • A 41% reduction of days from application to admission • A 37% increase of application to registration yield • Retention from semester one to semester two increased 9% over the three years of the pilot test • Students also said they felt more valued The institution is now rolling out similar plans to other graduate programs. Future enhancements to their communications include hand-written post-cards to give a more personal feel to their messages to students.

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Culturally Responsive Enrollment Management Presented by Sarah Wanger, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Reported by Katie-Ann Mason, Bridgewater State University The work toward culturally responsive enrollment management is not easy, but has many benefits including the potential to increase enrollment, retain students and staff, and help to make policies and processes equitable.

The ultimate goal is a diverse applicant pool in an inclusive culture where processes are equitable. First, gain an understanding of culture and associated terms like diversity, equity, inclusion, bias, and intercultural competence. Next, figure out how you define terms. For example, how does your team define diversity? Are you looking at racial diversity, gender diversity, or economic diversity? This will be important when goal setting.

Assessment tools to assess cultural competency and cultural responsiveness include: • Implicit Association Test that assesses implicit social cognition • Intercultural Development Inventory which gives you a baseline of your cultural engagement and adaptability and provides a plan and practice guide • Intercultural Conflict Styles Inventory, which assesses how an individual engages in conflict Assessment is critical because it allows the team to come to the same awareness and conclusions, ensuring the individual will not feel defensive or afraid of the process. These assessments allow you to objectively determine your team’s baseline.

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Once you have established a baseline, you can move on to goal setting. Examples include: • Diversifying Staff • Updating practices and policies • Building a more equitable and inclusive organizational culture • Effectively recruiting diverse prospects to increase enrollment and retention Review policies, procedures, and practices to determine areas for improvements. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota reviewed marketing and replaced stock “diversity” images with authentic diverse photos. Consider where in your admission policies might there be barriers that can be removed or improved? Try a website access audit to determine if your website is equitable online. Part of your action plan should also be to do continuous training and cultural activities.

Attendees shared a fear of “doing it wrong” or having your actions perceived as being intentionally insensitive. There is also a fear of “tokenism”. One attendee noted that she felt she had to take on more and was expected to know more as a person of color, even though she didn’t feel professionally trained or prepared for that responsibility. Presenter Sarah Wanger explained that there will be bumps in the road, but progress is made by asking the tough questions and through participation from all. There is no “I’ve reached competency, I’m done”, said Wanger, the work is continuous just as much as it is important.

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Higher Ed is Stressing Me Out! How to Cultivate Peace of Mind in an Ever-Changing Environment Presented by Emily Tally, Indiana University Reported by Lindsey Duble-Dice, George Washington University Internal and external pressures like declining enrollments, disgruntled staff, and ever-changing expectations can lead to intense stress. Emily Tally led the group in some meditation and stretching exercises that we could take back to our offices to help calm our nerves in times of high stress. She first discussed some of the historic roots of yoga and meditation; both practices have ancient roots and exist in many traditions.

We began with a meditation practice.

Participants were encouraged to close their eyes in order to focus on the internal experience. The first meditation focused on physical sensations and how our emotions affect us physically. The meditation lasted two minutes, and guided participants through even breathing and awareness of physical sensations in the body.

the filling of our bellies, ribs, and chests, followed by the exhalation of breath from our chests, ribs, and bellies.

• “Twisty Arms” • Prayer hands and reverse prayer hands • Behind-the-back arm clasp • Forward fold • Torso twist

• Well

Participants were encouraged to stand if they wished, but all poses could be accomplished while seated. Tally stressed the importance of continuing to focus on even deep, even breathing during all of these stretches. At the end of the session participants reported feeling calm, refreshed, and energized.

• Peaceful and at ease • Happy

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• Tiny back bends

• Full of compassion

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May I/ May a positive object/ May a neutral object/ May the whole world be…

The second meditation practice consisted of a two minute, three-part breath exercise.

We focused on inhalation of breath and

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• Shoulder rolls

Our final meditation was a metameditation. We focused on building compassion in ourselves and sharing it with the outside world. We repeated a chant four times, giving the intention to a different subject each time.

During the second portion of the session, we focused on some seated yoga and stretching to release tension in common problem areas of our bodies. The poses included:

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How Launching 12 New Graduate Programs in 2 Years Forced a Proactive Approach to Foundational Planning Presented by Olivia Nash, University of the Pacific Reported by Arlinda Fair, Rhodes College During the 2013-2014 academic year, the University of the Pacific, a private, nationally-ranked university with campuses in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Stockton, California, conducted a comprehensive review of their academic and administrative programs and services with the goal of enhancing the institution’s commitment to academic excellence and continuous growth in a rapidly changing higher education environment.

Upon completion of this review, known as FOOF (Focusing on our Future), the university established a Strategic Investment Fund (SIF). The fund enabled the institution to focus on accomplishing four strategic goals by 2020: • Build the institution’s academic strength and reputation • Pursue new students • Prepare students for success • Develop organizational capacity A key component of SIF included the introduction of new academic programs at each of the university’s three campuses. In 2015, Olivia Nash joined the University of the Pacific as the new Director of Graduate Admission and Recruitment and was charged with

leading the institution in launching 12 new graduate programs over the next several years. Managing this level of growth was a huge undertaking for Nash, but it pushed her to develop a foundational roadmap that would guide her team to successfully launch each degree program.

Nash and her team initially set time aside to brainstorm and explore how to best approach each program launch.

Weekly meetings with key departments vital to enrollment management, such as the Registrar, Financial Aid, CRM Team, International Programs, Marketing and Communications, were arranged to tackle questions related to how each of their respective processes and systems would intertwine or be affected by the launch of a new graduate program.

After moving through the initial brainstorming process, Nash stressed the importance of mapping out the student experience, from the initial point of inquiry, through the application process, to confirmation and ultimately matriculation. In each of these phases, Nash and her team identified all student touchpoints to assess what needed to be updated with a new program name or relevant information, including the central

admissions or graduate school website, forms, marketing materials, and student portals.

The next step in Nash’s approach to program launch was building a detailed checklist. While this step seems logical, the amount of planning and thought that went into this process was pivotal to the efficiency of each launch. Nash and her team thought about each program launch holistically and developed a checklist that identified key tasks and projects that needed to be completed. They then identified the right parties to lead each specific task and set realistic deadlines for task completion.

By incorporating these tactics into each program launch, Nash and her team have positively impacted the university’s growth over the past several years.

From 2014 to 2017, graduate student enrollment at the University of the Pacific has grown from 827 students to 1,124.

A formal Graduate School was created as well. These types of gains are the result of Nash’s pragmatic, inclusive, and enrollment-based approach to launching new graduate programs.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Coopetition: Mutual Success through Shared Special Interests, or How Competitors Help Each Other Succeed Presented by BioGAP Chapter Leadership Reported by Brandy Wood, Indiana University BioGAP is a special interest chapter of NAGAP that serves more than 40 schools and has more than 75 members.

The panel spoke about the history of the chapter, benefits to membership, and recent efforts to improve programming for members.

BioGAP members, who are primarily GEM professionals from biomedical science graduate programs, meet one day prior to the annual NAGAP conference and in other formal/informal settings such as recruitment fairs. Initially, this group formed after representatives from a few schools talked at the NAGAP annual conference about trends in recruitment and data outcomes as it related to summer programs and the

doctoral admissions process. This yearly gathering became routine, interest expanded, and the membership grew into a formal chapter of NAGAP. By design, membership in BioGAP is voluntary and open to any biomedical science graduate program, with tiers of membership tied to data sharing.

Those with full membership status share aggregate data about their entire GEM/student lifecycle from admissions, enrollment outcomes, summer programming, and retention rates. Similar to the way NAGAP can leverage hot topics in the GEM profession, BioGAP can focus on topics at the granular level while still thinking big picture. BioGAP has successfully hosted distinguished

speakers at their meet-ups, both in person and virtually. These speakers add value to the event, raise awareness on cuttingedge topics, and increase membership interest for BioGAP. Special topics have included: holistic review and the GRE, campus safety, recruiting and meeting the needs of students with a disability, and National Institutes of Health training grant discussions.

To further aid BioGAP members, the group has a website and online resources for members.

BioGAP also recently began shared advertising, hosting virtual fairs and virtual speakers, clustering at recruitment fairs, and exploring pooled recruitment activities.

2018 CONFERENCE SATURDAY PRIZE WINNERS Alounda Joseph from University of North Texas at Dallas “I was super excited to win a two-night stay at the 2019 annual conference hotel in Toronto. With ever-increasingly tight budgets, opportunities for professional development are often cut.

The hotel stay will definitely allow me Alounda Joseph to attend next year’s conference without putting a strain on my budget. I am thankful to NAGAP and the Sheraton Centre Toronto for this opportunity; and I cannot wait until NAGAP 2019!”

Ram Srinivasan from Galvanize Test Prep

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"I'm delighted to win an annual membership to NAGAP because the organization provides a unique opportunity to meet, interact, share perspectives and exchange ideas with highly passionate and accomplished GEM professionals. The fact that

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NAGAP, as an organization, is run by volunteers committed to the cause is clearly reflected in the quality of all the events and experiences at the conference."

Melissa Nieto from University of Houston College of Pharmacy “This year, I attended NAGAP for the very first time, and all throughout the conference all I could think about was how valuable it all had been and how impressed I was. Of course, I was hopeful for the opportunity to return Melissa Nieto to NAGAP in 2019, but with current budgets, I knew it would be difficult. At the closing ceremony, when my name was called, I could not believe my ears, I was shocked, because not only do I hardly ever win anything, but I had been hoping I’d get to go to Toronto in 2019 and with the $500 airfare credit, it felt more achievable than before. I’m ecstatic about the opportunity to visit Canada for the first time, but more so I am thrilled I get to attend the NAGAP conference 2019! “

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Prospect Lifecycle Retrospective: Analyzing and Improving the Digital Enrollment Journey Presented by Michel Frendian, Erikson Institute; Brian Connelly, Converge Consulting Reported by Elsa Evans, University of San Francisco The Erikson Institute began their partnership with Converge Consulting in 2015 to optimize their strategy for a new Master of Social Work program launched in 2014. They implemented a new CRM – Slate – in 2018.

Although interactions increased with the new drip campaign, focus still needed to be placed on prospective students who did not engage. Using a 30 second survey, both non-engaged and engaged prospective students were asked two questions:

With Slate, they have an inquiry form for the MSW that prefills the city/state based on zip code, and only asks for zip code, first name, last name, email, phone number, and street address.

They use tracking codes on marketing communications and digital ads to track click through rates, and the ping functionality in Slate to track how much is spent on specific university pages.

The tracking codes and ping data is then used to analyze the effectiveness of communications or ads.

• Are you getting enough communications from us? (yes or no)

Since the MSW was a new program, Converge invited the faculty and the marketing, admission, and alumni relations staff for interviews to ask: “What is your audience?” and “Who are you trying to admit?” to build their personas. For existing programs, you can look at information about who is enrolled versus who you want to be enrolled. Once you have a persona, you can build a messaging matrix for email and apply to marketing channels.

They implemented a ten-part drip campaign that spans 45 days, which includes an email from the program coordinator and one from the program director, a class visit invite, student/faculty/ alumni profiles, and an email dispelling financial aid myths.

These messages are focused on the prospective student – so they never say “contact us” instead they say “we will contact you.” The presenters recommended that you be specific with a single call-to-action per email.

• What do you like or not like about the communications? (open text) If someone engaged in the first three emails, that individual was likely to apply – given enough time. The people who do not engage in the first few emails did not find value in the emails and were ultimately less likely to apply.

Instagram ads have been successful as long as images are refreshed at least every three months. Finally, while registration for events doubled, but no-show rates tripled. The highest population of no-shows came from digital channels.

Next Steps: • Reorder or revise the drip campaign for inquirers 30 years+ since they are less likely to want to sit in on classes.

• Change the creative messaging for those that click a retargeting ad versus a display ad to provide new information.

Create a different landing page for retargeting ads.

• Launch Instagram video ads, which appeal to an audience under 35. Over 200 million users view stories daily. Keep it under ten seconds!

• Put short (under two minute) alumni testimonials on landing pages.

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Remodel in Progress: Enhancing your GEM Toolkit to Develop an Innovative Recruitment Blueprint Presented by Ashley Buckner, Laurent Carr, and Molly McLean, The Citadel Graduate College Reported by Alexis Reynolds, Texas Tech University The Citadel Graduate College: • A civilian graduate school within a military institute • Less than 1,000 students • 26 programs with 42 concentrations • Classes offered in the evenings and online • Online started in Fall of 2016 With the CGC celebrating 50 years in 2018 this brought to light growing concerns for the future. So, the college took a “look under the microscope” and decided that a drastic remodel was in order. In 2012, The Citadel published its strategic plan for the next six years with one of its initiatives being to develop its student population. Even more specific, was the desire to expand the enrollment of graduate college by 25%. How was this to be done? The answer was all hands on deck.

Roles, titles, and structure had to change within the college.

The pre-renovation approach was very siloed, relied highly

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on graduate students, and had no CRM. The result was no increase in applications or overall growth. The change started with staff structure: 9 full-time positions became 12 with tasks divided by academic schools and departments. All full-time staff members were told to participate in recruitment activities in some way, shape, or form. Post-renovation also included the use of graduate students as ambassadors. Lastly, CGC implemented a CRM to better communicate and follow its students through the admissions funnel.

The three presenters shared pro’s and con’s to their remodel experience thus far. And, in closing, they emphasized four takeaways for starting our own recruitment blueprints: • Evaluate your office’s strengths and weaknesses • Involve current staff and faculty in recruitment efforts • Identify the student populations you want to target • Gain the buy-in from leadership and departments to support strategic enrollment plans

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Easy Writer: Strategies and Roadmaps for Writing about Programs and People Presented by Jennifer Kulbeck, Saint Mary’s College of California; and Amelia Pavlik, Georgia Institute of Technology Reported by Marcus Hanscom, Roger Williams University Sure, Saturday sessions at NAGAP can be light in attendance after a little Friday night unwind, but for Jennifer Kulbeck and Amelia Pavlik, it was a packed house to hear about writing more effectively about academic programs. Pavlik’s serving of a side of mimosas with the morning’s session certainly didn’t hurt, either.

To be fair, the sparkling drink wasn’t just for show or to boost attendance when sleep is calling early on a Saturday morning.

“This is a lesson about first impressions,” Pavlik explained. “First impressions matter and it’s so true for writing.”

Pavlik comes from experience. She is currently the Communication Specialist for Graduate Education and Faculty Development at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the latest of her writing roles there over nearly eight years. For anyone who follows her online – she has a well-established side persona as “The Fit Belle” on her blog and various media sites – you know she’s well-traveled and is a regular contributor as a freelance travel and fitness writer to several Atlanta-area magazines.

She underscored the importance of making written pieces personal, both online and in print.

“You’ve got to have personality,” Pavlik said. “Give things a voice.”

We often tend to “announce what we have” in our writing, she said. What we often miss, she argued, is telling our story and those of our students and programs.

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Mary’s College of California. She was honored with the NAGAP Distinguished Service award at this year’s conference for many years of contributions to NAGAP. Writing is part of her DNA, though she empathizes with colleagues who don’t know where to start.

“Some people approach writing from a place of fear,” she said. “If you break writing down into pieces, you can create a sense of calm and productivity.”

She said we often tend to avoid spending much time writing because of the competing priorities of our jobs. She asked the audience what types of content they’d like to spend more time writing – social media posts, blogs, better emails, and web content, they responded.

Kulbeck instructed attendees to consider the format and purpose of their piece and the ultimate goal of the message.

“Why does your piece matter?” she asked. “Identify a format that will accomplish or contribute to your goal.”

Kulbeck gave a series of steps as you first approach your writing: 1. Identify the purpose and goal of the piece. Why is the piece necessary?

2. Choose a format that will contribute to the goal of the piece.

3. Consider the tone.

4. Find a strategy that will help you obtain the content you need.

5. Write!

6. Refine and polish your final piece.

“No one wants to read an academic journal in their day-to-day life,” she quipped.

“Write down the answers to each of these questions,” she said. “It will be really grounding and helpful.”

Kulbeck, a lifelong poet and the outgoing editor of six years for NAGAP’s Perspectives magazine, serves as the Assistant Dean of Liberal Arts at Saint

She encouraged attendees to spend time brainstorming, even if you brainstorm alone. “All ideas are welcome in a brainstorm,” she said.

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Since time and competing priorities tend to be barriers to writing, Kulbeck suggested that we should keep track of other pieces that are regularly produced on our campus and borrow content as appropriate.

She shared a joke from the poet community: “If we only had more time, it would be shorter,” she said.

She added some strategies for writing effective pieces specific to graduate audiences: 1. Interview students and faculty to add quotes and life to your stories.

2. Invest time with writers who tend to be undergraduate-centric and educate them on language, tone, and content for graduate students.

Kulbeck and Pavlik then spent some time with the audience on specific types of content.

Writing Profiles Pavlik discussed the importance of student and faculty profiles in marketing materials.

“They can be a huge community builder internally to profile faculty and staff,” she said.

She offered the following tips when writing profiles: 1. Aim for 650-700 words.

2. Have a standard set of questions to ask the interviewee.

3. When writing the profile, offer an anecdote, create a transition statement, and then provide the questions and answers from the interview.

4. Take a photo of the interviewee, especially if you can show them in a related environment to their work or related area to the story. continued on the next page

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Easy Writer: Strategies and Roadmaps for Writing about Programs and People (continued) Pavlik mentioned that writers have some freedom to “massage” content to avoid making profiles too lengthy and encouraged attendees to share the piece with the interviewee before publishing.

She cautioned writers on allowing interviewees to rewrite content: “You can run quotes by the interviewee for accuracy, but not for a rewrite,” she said.

The interview does not have to be in person, she said, and can even be done through email. She emphasized that the appropriate questions are key to a successful interview and writers should be sure to ask detailed questions. “Lighter” questions like, “Tell us about your favorite part of Atlanta,” help add life to a profile, she said.

At the end of an interview, Pavlik suggested asking the interviewee if they have anything to add to the story.

“Anecdotes are everything,” she said.

Video

Feature Stories

“Video offers a way to tell the story about the place and the people,” Kulbeck said.

These can include faculty and student profiles, internship spotlights, student projects, and more, and serve as promotion for academic programs without directly “selling” your program.

She suggested that we give three or four focus points in video and that we should start with the following two: • Why are you special?

• Talk about something inspirational about the program, i.e., “Pursuing this degree will benefit the world…”

When interviewing students and faculty for video, Kulbeck suggests telling people what you’re looking for, but not to write it for them.

“The brochure is the elevator pitch,” she said. “No one knows what you are unless you say what your values are.”

Kulbeck addressed a variety of media for “selling” academic programs:

“The website is a place for details that change,” she said. “The website should be filled with dynamic content.”

Make your calls to action clear on your advertisements and avoid too much text, she said.

Brochure

Writing Program Materials

Website

She suggested to attendees that they put reminders on their calendars to update the website.

She argued that we should use student and faculty voices as often as possible and to be mindful that information that changes should not be put in a brochure.

Flyers and Advertisements

The audience offered additional content areas that need emphasis on strategic and creative writing: social media content, information session presentations, email campaigns, and podcasts.

One attendee argued that it is particularly important to keep language basic when writing for international audiences. Their needs and interests vary from domestic audiences. For example, international students really want to hear from the dean of their intended school or program.

The audience also discussed the need to be mindful of the intended audience and use of language, tone, and the character of writing.

With or without mimosas, the session offered a great tutorial on effective writing for marketing academic programs.

“Avoid having these repeat what is in your brochure,” Kulbeck said. “Focus on what the receiver should do.”

Handouts and presentation slide decks from the NAGAP 2018 Annual Conference, including the keynote addresses and most sessions, are available on the NAGAP website: https://www.nagap.org/nagap-2018-annual-conference-handouts

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Who are the Gradvocates? Advocacy for the Student Success and Advancing Graduate Education on Your Campus Presented by Laura Look and Naomi Hansen, University of North Texas at Dallas Reported by Alounda Joseph, University of North Texas at Dallas As is the case on many university campuses, the lion’s share of resources and activities dedicated to student success are focused predominantly on the undergraduate student population.

The University of North Dakota School of Graduate Studies adopted a strategy designed to increase the awareness of graduate education and promote an enhanced graduate student experience. This effort led to the assembly of a group of faculty graduate advocates, Gradvocates, who would serve as a resource as well as a point of contact for students to bring issues and concerns.

The Gradvocates, which was comprised of a faculty representative from each graduate academic college, were tasked with defining objectives dedicated to promoting graduate education, the ultimate outcome being student engagement and retention. In consultation with the Dean of the graduate school, Gradvocates identified 6 critical objectives: 1. Identify the challenges and opportunities.

2. Encourage ongoing development of a diverse, campus wide community of scholars.

3. Promote internal and external communications and activities to foster dialogue and encourage collaboration.

4. Improve recruitment, retention, with a specific focus on women and students of color.

5. Promote public scholarship.

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6. Research trends, initiatives, success and metrics and best practices.

In the first year of implementation, the presenters reported that they focused largely on data collection – conducting surveys to learn about the individual programs and colleges and how they function. The surveys, sent to both faculty and students, were designed to establish a baseline of the general perceptions of graduate education on campus. Did students perceive that their needs were being met and determine what and where to focus the efforts of the volunteer Gradvocates? The first year also saw the creation of series of graduate student events and activities, including the Graduate Research Achievement Day. Now in its second year of implementation, efforts are focused on ensuring that the connections made between Gradvocates and students continues. Gradvocates have formed focus groups within their individual colleges which are expected to meet frequently to discuss ideas from students and obtain feedback on events. Even in these early stages of implementation, these student groups have provided valuable feedback and identified areas for improvement. These include providing stronger direction and support for the Gradvocate-student interactions, increasing the role that Gradovactes play in sponsored events, and focusing some attention on the online population to help them feel more connected and develop strategies to increase faculty buy-in.

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