NAGAP Perpectives - Fall 2016

VOLUME 28 NUMBER 3 FA L L 2 0 1 6

PERSPECTIVES A Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals

IN THIS ISSUE  2 From the President  4 Measuring Success: Explore. Elevate. Engage.  5

NAGAP National Salary Survey

 7

The Ethics Corner

 9 Reflections on the 2016 NAGAP Summer

Professional Development Institute

 11 Innovative Strategies to Diversifying the

Professoriate: Resources for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals

 17 Alumni Engagement in the Recruitment Process:

Enrollment Management Best Practices

www.NAGAP.org

FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Colleagues,

The Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management

Welcome to the fall 2016 issue of Perspectives.

As I write this, I find I am simultaneously holding on to small remnants of summer (sandals, no jackets!) and also rejuvenated by the energy on campus that the return of students and the beginning of a new academic year brings. Soon – likely by the time you are reading this issue – summer will be but a distant memory and our recruitment seasons will be well underway.

For those of you who travel to graduate fairs and the like, don’t forget to wear your NAGAP pins. They’re a great way to identify other NAGAP members, meet friendly faces, and create new connections in an environment that may be otherwise unfamiliar or overwhelming. Consider giving back to NAGAP by sharing your NAGAP experience with others you see who may not be members of our association but who might really benefit from it. Remember that our collective good work can easily be expanded by engaging more GEM professionals to join this unique and valuable GEM network.

Today I am especially excited to share with you an update on the strategic planning session in which the Governing Board engaged this past summer.

With thanks to all of you who offered your thoughts on the current state and future of NAGAP by responding to the survey that we disseminated, I’m pleased to share that your comments set the foundation for the entire 2.5 day intensive session.

The session was held in Chicago and facilitated by a third party – Vicki Loise from Kellen. In addition to your NAGAP board members, the group was joined by Colleen Gabauer, Amelia Pavlik, Donald Resnick, Tom Rock, and Kristen Sterba. With rolled-up sleeves and an abundance of caffeine at the ready, we dove headfirst into lively discussion and debates about what it means to be committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion both in the field of GEM and within our association. We talked at length about the changing landscape of graduate education and the evolution of graduate enrollment management, and how we might position NAGAP to remain at the cutting-edge.

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PERSPECTIVES A Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals Editor, Jennifer Kulbeck Assistant Dean of Liberal Arts Saint Mary’s College of California 1928 Saint Mary's Road Moraga, CA 94575

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 © 2016 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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In the end, we settled on 5 goals for NAGAP to focus on over the next four (or more) years. NAGAP will: 1. Be the global knowledge center of informed, engaged and empowered GEM professionals 2. Be the advocate for graduate education and its intrinsic value to society 3. Be the advocate and thought leader for access to graduate education 4. Stay ahead of and help shape changes in the field of GEM 5. Have a diverse revenue stream to ensure sustainability and strategic growth

UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

From there we identified a number of objectives that would help us achieve those goals, some of which include:

Winter Institute for Advanced Enrollment Management Professionals

• Build awareness and leverage the value proposition of NAGAP and GEM • Increase collaborations with other associations and organizations to produce research, improve visibility, and create more shared programming • Enhance the knowledge base in areas of graduate student population, equity, diversity, and inclusion • Increase and diversify the products and services that generate revenue • Increase the number of strategic partnerships with vendors and peer organizations that benefit members

January 12-13, 2017 San Juan, Puerto Rico 30th Annual Conference April 19-22, 2017 Salt Lake City, Utah

Of course, now the real work must begin. But we’re ready! Through a combination of sub-committees, new task forces, and project teams, we are excited to engage you in helping us execute this plan. More information will be forthcoming about how to volunteer for these new opportunities and I encourage you to seriously consider participating in the work. We are an ambitious group but NAGAP is greater than the sum of its parts. We will make the greatest strides when our board members, committee members, chapter members, and national association members join heads and hearts and tackle it.

I will look forward to providing you with more updates about our progress in achieving our strategic planning goals in the coming months. In the meantime, there is so much good stuff in this fall issue that you don’t want to miss. Pack your copy in your bag and download the digital issue so whether you’re on the road, commuting to work, or sneaking away for a lunch break, you can take a peek. In particular, check out the Ethics Corner, an article on alumni engagement in the recruitment process, highlights from the ever-popular salary survey, an article from Research Grant recipient Curtis Byrd on Diversifying the Professoriate, and a piece on our upcoming Annual Conference – NAGAP’s 30th anniversary! – in Salt Lake City.

Be safe, wherever you are, and know you have a friend in NAGAP. Julie Deland

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MEASURING SUCCESS: EXPLORE. ELEVATE. ENGAGE. A note from the 2017 Conference Planning Committee can take back to my office and apply.”

The Conference Planning Committee is excited to be planning NAGAP’s 30th Annual Conference. This conference will be a very special event designed to kick off a year of 30th anniversary celebrations! Our 2017 Annual Conference will take place at the gorgeous Grand America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. The hotel’s opulent grounds paired with its scenic surroundings are befitting of an anniversary celebration.

“This is a great way to network with other universities and also bounce ideas off like-minded professionals. I always learn so much when attending this conference from the quality sessions and networking opportunities.”

“The NAGAP annual conference is unmatched in providing GEM professionals a space to explore the changes in the world of graduate enrollment management and to collaborate on the challenging and timely issues facing our profession.

I would highly recommend this conference to anyone who is looking to further their understanding of the GEM landscape and make connections with folks doing similar work across the country and world.”

The committee is working hard to bring the NAGAP membership a comprehensive and educational annual conference. Thank you to everyone who attended our webinar on how to create a proposal for a NAGAP conference education session and to everyone who has submitted a proposal. The Conference Planning Committee aims to make every year the best year yet and we cannot do that without the insightful session proposals submitted by our membership.

“The best time of year to catch-up and learn from fellow peers in the business.

The ONLY and BEST conference for graduate professionals - period!”

NAGAP members range from those who are new to the higher education realm to our seasoned veterans.

The members who present at our conferences, and those who attend, come from a variety of backgrounds and bring with them an impressive depth of knowledge on graduate enrollment management. Our annual conference attendees leave feeling revitalized and excited to share everything that they have learned with their respective schools. The benefits of attending the annual conference range from networking to resource building.

Below is what some of our 2016 conference attendees had to say:

Educational sessions will cover a vast array of topics all relating to the 2017 conference theme of Measuring Success: Explore. Elevate. Engage.

Topics include, but are not limited to: Recruitment and Marketing; Financing Graduate Education; Admission Operations; Student Services; Alumni Relations and Engagement; Enrollment Modeling and Strategic Planning; and Career, Staff, and Personal Development.

In additional to the educational components that the NAGAP conferences are known for, the 2017 conference offers visitors a chance to visit beautiful Salt Lake City. Set behind a backdrop of breathtaking mountains, the downtown area is easily navigable and loaded with dining, dancing, theater, music and bar options. You can spend your downtime shopping at City Creek Center, strolling through

“Best conference ever! So nice to meet others in the field who are so willing to share successes and failures, and ways to improve processes.”

“I really enjoy the conference. It is packed with practical information that I

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historic Temple Square, visiting the Family History Library to research your family genealogy, or you may want to try a local beer at one of several downtown breweries. If you want to venture outside the downtown area there are limitless options for outdoor enthusiasts, you could take a trip to Park City, or explore Utah’s Natural History Museum and take in the exceptional mountain views from their rooftop.

The Conference Planning Committee is hard at work making sure that you have a great experience at our annual conference in Salt Lake City. You can look forward to new programming, engaging guest speakers, networking opportunities and entertainment unique to Salt Lake City. We look forward to seeing you in April!

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COMING SOON! THE NAGAP NATIONAL SALARY SURVEY The NAGAP Research Committee is pleased to report that the 2015 national salary survey will be released to members soon. Stay tuned! We apologize for the delay, but we hope the new report is worth the wait. It has been entirely reformatted and some interesting new information will be available for you. Here are a few highlights from some of the more interesting findings:

1.

Overall, the results from this survey illustrated that the graduate enrollment management (GEM) environment is one that requires professionals to do more with less. Responsibilities are increasing, whilst salaries are not increasing at the same rate.

2.

There was not a significant difference between salaries offered at private institutions and those at public institutions.

3.

Institutions located in urban or suburban settings tended to offer higher salaries (the majority earning over $50,000) than their rural counterparts, where the majority earned in the $40,000-$49,000 salary range.

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4.

Generally earning advanced qualifications resulted in increased salary levels for NAGAP members.

5.

There was a significant relationship between salary range and gender, with proportionally more women in the lower salary range categories compared to men and proportionally fewer women in the higher salary range categories in comparison to men. Taken alone this could indicate salary disparity based on gender; however, coupled with the education data, one could assume that fewer females are in the higher salary ranges because there are proportionally fewer females with master’s and doctoral degrees in comparison to men.

There are some demographic factors impacting salary that cannot necessarily be altered by a GEM professional; however, we identified a handful of areas controlled by NAGAP members that may advance their careers and ultimately result in a higher salary. Please look for the salary survey in the following months.

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THE ETHICS CORNER GEM AS AN INSTITUTIONAL CONSCIENCE: A TRANSPARENT GLASS BOX At many colleges and universities, greater attention is paid to information and data that must be made public than to what should be made available to prospective students. Federal, state, and institutional policies provide reasonably clear direction for protecting data privacy, and most of us are acutely aware of the public disclosure of certain data that are required by federal, state, and accrediting bodies, such as enrollment statistics, cost of attendance figures, gainful employment program requirements, and campus crime statistics. In some cases, the specific terminology, level of detail, and distribution methods for such data are also prescribed.

However, given the life-changing and life-long consequences of admission decisions, GEM professionals have a responsibility to go beyond legal requirements, and should encourage a higher level of transparency, honesty, and accuracy to ensure that prospects, applicants, and admits have the information necessary to make informed and appropriate decisions.

As noted in NAGAP’s Best Practices, we must present our institutions “accurately and comprehensively in all areas of communications including: written materials, social media, website materials, correspondence, presentations, and discussions with candidates, the public, media, and other interested persons.“ Essentially, while protecting and respecting an individual’s rights to privacy, we must create a transparent glass box through which our institutions can be viewed. This requires that we anticipate prospective students’ questions, needs, and concerns and then clearly and accurately share a broad range of relevant information of importance to them. This can include: • Admission requirements, timing,

housing, personal expenses)

processes, and criteria, as well as proactively informing prospects and applicants promptly when admission requirements or deadlines change

• The range and nature of housing, health insurance, and support services provided by the institution for graduate/professional students, and any costs associated with these services, if not covered by required fees

• Collective data on entering student populations – while protecting individual students’ data privacy • Current, realistic pictures and descriptions of the campus, student body, and surrounding areas

• Financial support opportunities (assistantships, fellowships, tuition awards/waivers), indicating application processes, criteria and timing for decisions, typical amounts of support awarded, their duration, and the likelihood of, and conditions for, renewal

• Details about programs of study, including degree requirements, curricular flexibility and options, areas of concentration, transfer credit policies, anticipated length of the program, and opportunities for internships and other forms of experiential learning

• Opportunities for on- and offcampus employment while enrolled as a student, with any employment limitations that may result from student status (e.g., international students’ visa requirements) or the demands of the program of study

The value of transparency is crucial to both short- and long-term

• Career opportunities and job placement rates upon program completion

enrollment management success.

The information you share is the basis on which applicants determine their “fit” for the program and their expectations for graduate study, which affect academic performance, retention, persistence and graduation.

All our communications must also take into account cultural and sociodemographic differences. What may be obvious to a domestic student or someone applying directly from undergraduate study may not be clear to international applicants or midcareer professionals.

The value of transparency is crucial to both short- and long-term enrollment management success. The information you share is the basis on which applicants determine their “fit” for the program and their expectations for graduate study, which affect academic performance, retention, persistence and graduation. Not only does it take less effort and fewer resources to retain a student than to recruit a new one, but this nurtures the ongoing enrollment

• The backgrounds and qualifications of faculty, differentiating between core full-time/part-time faculty and short-term adjuncts or guest speakers • The cost of attendance, including both academic expenses (tuition, fees, books, supplies) and a realistic projection of living expenses (food,

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ETHICS CORNER CONTINUED cycle. Satisfied and successful students translate into happy and successful alumni who are more likely to not only share their time and treasure with their alma mater, but to speak well of our institutions, which, in turn, helps attract additional well-qualified applicants.

The extent to which communications are accurate and provide information critical to student satisfaction and success is directly tied to the strength of an institution’s reputation and its ability to attract students.

personal, not only profoundly affect our applicants and students, but also the reputation of our institutions, the respect of our colleagues for ourselves and our profession, and our opportunities for career advancement.

Given the public face of marketing, recruitment, and admission, it is important that GEM professionals be committed to serving as an institutional conscience and take the initiative in supporting data/ information transparency. Successfully developing and maintaining ethical policies and practices with regard to such transparency requires mutual understanding and trust among GEM personnel, faculty, and institutional officers at the highest levels. This commitment to openness and our related actions, both professional and

Myron A. Thompson Associate Provost and Executive Director of the Graduate School Emeritus University at Buffalo/The State University of New York

Columnists Donald A. Resnick Chief Enrollment and Success Officer The New School

Kristin S. Williams Associate Provost for Graduate Enrollment Management The George Washington University

2016-18 NAGAP GOVERNING BOARD Officers President Julia B. Deland

Director of Admissions

Harvard Graduate School

of Education

Cambridge, MA

(617) 495-3414 julie_deland@gse.harvard.edu Vice President Keith Ramsdell

Bowling Green State University Secretary Teisha Johnson

Illinois College of Optometry Treasurer Jeremiah Nelson

Wake Forest School of Business Immediate Past President James Crane

Brigham Young University Executive Director Monica Evans-Lombe

NAGAP, The Association for

Graduate Enrollment Management

HAVE A COMMENT OR QUESTION? FACING AN ETHICAL CHALLENGE? We invite you to submit your ideas, thoughts, and issues to NAGAP’s confidential e-mail address: intergrity@NAGAP.org

The Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management

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Cammie Baker Clancy

Empire State College

REFLECTIONS ON THE 2016 NAGAP SUMMER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE BY FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS

Katherine Beczak

Rochester Institute of Technology

By Emily Wang and Stacey Bullard

Directors

Renanda Wood Dear Georgia State University School of Social Work Dave Fletcher

Barry University Andrew Kim Memorial University of Newfoundland Jennifer Kulbeck

Saint Mary's College of California Kathryn Kendall, Emily Wang, Stacey Bullard and Katie Beczak

Raymond Lutzky

New York University

2. Representing institutions large and small, centralized and decentralized—and everything in-between—we all seemed to share the mutual understanding that the strength of our profession lies in the diversity of its members. Our ability to embrace new ideas will drive innovation at our own institutions to tackle challenges such as the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority students.

Suzanne Adair’s engaging presentation on this very topic made me realize that GEM professionals play a crucial role in initiating discussions about diversity at our own institutions so that we may one day achieve a graduate population that is representative of the society in which we live.

Emily Wang Stanford University

Jahmaine Smith

Morgan State University Dean Tsantir

University of Minnesota

Publications Committee Nicquet Blake, PhD

University of Texas Health

Science Center San Antonio Marianne Gumpper

Fairfield University Mallory Maggiacomo

Marist College Kate McConnell

Pennsylvania State Grate Valley Kittie Pain

McDaniel College

This past July marked the completion of my first year overseeing graduate admissions in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. I could not imagine a better anniversary gift than the opportunity to attend the NAGAP Summer Professional Development Institute in Las Vegas! The two-day event provided valuable educational sessions and plenty of networking opportunities that will enable me to enter the next academic year equipped with knowledge and the collective support of GEM professionals nationwide.

My experience during the Institute can be summarized in the following four takeaways:

3. The complex nature of our work demands that we exercise diligence to avoid legal pitfalls and make datainformed decisions. As ambassadors for our institutions, we have an obligation to protect and promote the quality of the programs we represent. Joan Van Tol’s session on legal issues in GEM emphasized the importance of proper documentation and exercising caution in this digital era, where our communication with external audiences is as instant as clicking the “send” button or posting

1. GEM professionals come from a variety of backgrounds and no two GEM roles are exactly alike, but we all share a core passion for serving students and believe in the power of graduate education to positively impact society. This theme was introduced during the opening session delivered by Kristin Williams, and it was apparent in all of the interactions I had with other attendees as we exchanged our stories.

Caela Provost

University College Cork Barbara Selmo

Lesley University

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REFLECTIONS ON THE 2016 NAGAP SUMMER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE BY FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENTS CONTINUED Stacey Bullard Northwest Nazarene University

on social media. A similar level of care is needed to collect and analyze highquality data that will enable us to make informed decisions, as demonstrated in the data-focused sessions delivered by Keith Ramsdell, Amanda Ostreko, and Hironao Okahana.

As a new Admissions Counselor, I am humbled that the fellowship committee chose me to receive this scholarship. As part of a campus restructuring, I was moved to the Admissions Counselor position for just weeks before the conference. When I applied for this fellowship, I was so new to the position that I had no idea what being an admissions counselor meant or entailed. I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to attend this conference through this fellowship. The conference helped me to see how I can be successful in this new position.

4. GEM encompasses the overall student experience, from initial recruitment to graduation and beyond. Our work is not over once a student has decided to enroll. By successfully recruiting a student into our program, we are charged with “delivering on the reservation”—that is, ensuring the quality of their student experience through the “four O’s” covered in Joshua LaFave’s presentation: onboarding, orientation, ongoing (during the program), and outgoing (exiting the program). Rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach, we should tailor our “four O’s” to the specific student population we are serving. This personalized experience is what keeps us engaged in our profession, for it is the interactions with individual students that ultimately stick with us rather than a particular enrollment yield we achieved.

The first session I attended was with Dr. Kristen Williams. One of Dr. Williams’s questions to the room was, “How long have you been an admissions counselor”.

I can’t tell you what a relief it was to find out the majority of the room had been in their positions for less than two years. Dr. Williams addressed things I was currently dealing with even though I had only been in my position for a month! The best advice I gleaned from this session was that as an Admissions Counselor, I am working to meet both the needs of the university and the students. Dr. Williams helped me to see how this is a delicate balance but one I must master to be successful. She was fun and engaging and got to the heart of the issues I had been experiencing.

The closing session given by Jeff Kallay on today’s “experience economy” was a fitting end to an event that brought together highly qualified professionals in the vibrant setting of Las Vegas to create the ultimate professional development experience. I am most grateful to the NAGAP PDI Committee for providing me with this one-of-a-kind opportunity!

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forward. For example, most of our students are familiar with technology and all the media available to them. Internet media has virtually replaced print media for most individuals. So the question I asked myself is, “Where should we be spending our marketing dollars; on print media, like brochures, or should we invest in a sleek website?”

When I first walked into this conference, I am sure I looked like a deer in the headlights because that is how I felt.

After all the sessions I attended, people I met, and stories I heard, I feel like I am equipped to take the next step forward. I would not have been able to attend this conference without the fellowship, and I cannot thank the committee enough for selecting me to be the recipient. It is awesome to me that an organization like NAGAP exists. I feel like I have a team of colleagues and GEM experts around the country who can help me decide what actions would be best and what to try. I am very excited to be a part of this community of people!

My favorite session was with Kathryn Kendall and Katie Beczak entitled, “An Introduction to GEM Marketing - Best Practices and Strategies”. They discussed factors I needed to address to be successful as an Admission Counselor.

They posed practical questions that I should be asking about the programs I am representing to be effective. These questions have helped me upon returning to my position at NNU, understanding the questions I need to ask going

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INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES TO DIVERSIFYING THE PROFESSORIATE: RESOURCES FOR GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS

By Curtis D. Byrd, Ed.D., NAGAP Research Grant Recipient

Abstract Institutions of higher learning are facing large numbers of ethnic minorities entering majority universities, and they will need more than diversity programming to consider the needs of these students. Considerable research finds that the holistic approach of introducing more diverse faculty into the classroom can provide an inclusive learning environment to positively affect this influx of diverse students. The primary obstacle to these corrective initiatives is the lack of diverse faculty from which to choose. The purpose of this study is to develop effective methods to assist minority doctoral students completing their degree and transitioning into faculty posts. Action research and its iterative cycles of reflection are used to support an organization (Ph.D. Scholars Program), which has a mission to provide financial support, professional development and mentorship to doctoral students of color, and to support them in successfully completing their degree. Many creative strategies have been developed to aid this successful organization by cultivating their programming, enhancing social inclusion and social capital of their students and creating new portals into the professoriate.

The implications of this research include providing doctoral students of color with resources to successfully matriculate through their program into faculty positions and assist institutions with conduits to recruit them.

Introduction As the United States population changes and diversifies, a similar environment should be reflected in the nation’s classrooms. In fact Hurtado (2001) suggested that classrooms led by diverse faculty are likely to provide more active learning pedagogies and more inclusive environments for everyone to learn. Moreover, she discussed that we must address, “…American pluralism across curriculum, the classroom and in the co-curriculum, in the intersections between campus and community.” One way to create inclusivity for an everchanging multicultural college classroom is with more diverse educational professionals (i.e. instructors, professors,

At the same time, according to the Survey of Earned Doctorates (National Science Foundation, 2012), there have only been slight increases in students of color obtaining doctoral degrees in the past 10 years, from 19.5 % (2002) to 22% (2012), who would be eligible for faculty posts (see Table 2).

deans). Also, considering future teachers, professors and instructors are trained in colleges and universities, diversification at the college level could eventually provide all citizens with an environment where they can learn and express their varied backgrounds.

While there is a projected dynamic increase in the number of minority students entering college classrooms in the next 20 years, there will not likely be sufficient minority faculty to reflect this cultural change. The U.S. Department of Education (2014) predicted that minority high school, college-bound students are projected to significantly increase, nearly equaling majority numbers by 2023 at 49% (see Table 1).

Diversification of the professoriate may create an enhanced potential for students of color to develop a stronger sense of themselves and a stronger identity as an academic (Moody, 2004). Effective mentoring and socialization programs for students of color are one approach to preparing them for the professoriate.

They will require critical thinking and analytical skills to be successful in these academic settings (Dodson, Montgomery, & Brown, 2009). Moreover, many of these students come from underprivileged and socioeconomically challenged environments that often lack strong role models (Thomas, Willis, & Davis, 2007). Because of these challenging surroundings, it is even more important that they have role models and mentors to succeed in these academic environments, particularly at majority campuses or Predominantly White Institutions (PWI). Many of these students are first generation in college, particularly graduate school; therefore, it

Table 1 Actual and Projected numbers & percentages of college bound, public high school graduates by race/ethnicity (USDE, 2014) Ethnicity

2009-10 (Actual #)

2009-10 (%)

2022-23 (# Projected)

2022-23 (% Projected)

White

1,895,225

61%

1,600,970

51%

Black

478,024

15%

410,360

13%

Hispanic

550,769

18%

902,410

29%

Asian/P. Islander

169,523

5%

208,310

6%

American Indian/ A. Native

34,481

1%

24,570

1%

Totals

3,128,022

100%

3,146,620

100%

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Table 2 Doctoral Recipients by Race & Ethnicity-All Fields (Survey of Earned Doctorates-U.S. Universities, 2012) 1992

2002

Ethnicity

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Amer. Indian

149

.5%

150

.5%

102

.3%

Asian

1755

6%

2123

8%

2980

9.1%

Black

1109

4%

1761

6%

2079

6%

Hispanic

912

3%

1372

5%

2141

6.6%

White

23,625

84.5%

21,462

77.5%

24,209

74%

More than one race

N/A

N/A

274

1%

812

2%

Other

463

2%

616

2%

604

2%

Totals

28,013

100%

27,758

100%

32,927

100%

incorporating this into the learning within the classroom can be an asset for all students (Baumgartner & JohnsonBailey, 2008). Further, diverse faculty can provide the support for a richer, dynamic conversation in the college classroom by supporting the evolving multicultural campus.

is critical to have mentors in the university setting (Seay, Lifton, Wuensch, Bradshaw, & McDowell, 2008). Although there are faculty from all backgrounds who can provide a sense of inclusion, having faculty of color and different ethnicities can bring some college students into the conversation who may not otherwise join.

These students may feel more inclined to engage in the academic dialog in the classroom (Jayakumar, Howard, Allen, & Han, 2009). Furthermore, adult students in higher education could benefit from diverse faculty. Guy (1999) stated that it is essential for adult educators to understand the evolving culturally diverse demographics in the United States. He adds that adult educators must redefine the norm by understanding a multiplicity of cultures and living within more than one.

There are a number of reasons why diverse faculty, particularly faculty of similar racial and/or ethnic backgrounds, are important for colleges and universities in the context of this study.

First, students of color often feel more valued in their research interests and their opinions in the classroom if the faculty who are teaching them are from common or similar racial or ethnic backgrounds, thus enhancing their retention (Barker, 2011). Second, faculty of color bring pedagogical techniques that enhance learning experiences to diverse students in the classroom (Jayakumar, Howard, Allen, & Han, 2009). Overall, faculty of color can bring the rich learning environments that both majority and minority students can enjoy, even if only perceived, by their presence in the classroom.

Creating inclusion in the classroom provides students with a sense of belonging, increases the learning experience, and supports retention of diverse students (Daniel, 2007).

Tinto (1993) argued that colleges and universities are responsible for creating an environment that assists underrepresented students with their integration into the academic and social life of an institution. This can be achieved by purposefully creating a multicultural classroom, which can provide a rich environment for learning with diverse perspectives and experiences. Taking advantage of the experiences and dialogue of diverse students and

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This study addressed methods to enhance the number of culturally diverse minority faculty in the college classroom by working with a doctoral fellowship program that supports these efforts. I examined their efforts to support minority doctoral students in completing their studies and entering

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the professoriate. The organization in this study understands that the demographics of enrolled minority students will substantially increase, so it considers the critical need for college campuses to reflect this change among its administrators and faculty. Finally, this research can provide valuable resources to graduate enrollment management professionals in their efforts to assist minority doctoral students who are considering roles as faculty and/or administrators at institutions of higher learning.

Research Purpose and Research Questions In this study I used the methodology of Action Research (AR) to develop strategies that address the issue of diversifying the professoriate. The purpose of this Action Research case study was to understand the role of enhanced social capital, inclusion and voice in closing the gap for minority doctoral students who are completing the dissertation and entering the professoriate.

AR was used to work with a stand-alone non-profit agency supported by sixteen state governments of the southern region of the United States. The organization is situated in a city in the southern United States. I used the pseudonym “Ph.D. Scholars Program� (PSP) for the group.

PSP provides mentorship, professional development, and funding to minority doctoral students. They also assist their students with finding careers in the

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professoriate. My role was to find ways to enhance their programming to create better pipelines to faculty positions.

Although this program has been very successful in graduating over 800 minority Ph.D.’s in the past 20 years, the organization sought ways to increase the percentage of those entering the faculty ranks.

Through Action Research and its iterative process of problem-solving, positive change and intervention (Coghlan & Brannick, 2010), I was able to provide recommendations to the Ph.D. Scholars Program. In this study, the research questions grew out of the literature and the direction the organization is seeking to move. Thus, this study examined the following questions: 1) What is learned by an action research team about implementing systemic change to diversify the professoriate?

2) In what ways can inclusion and voice be leveraged to overcome barriers to minorities entering the professoriate?

3) How do academic and professional networks enhance social capital of minority doctoral students as they search for faculty positions?

These research questions informed this study by setting the framework in which an exploration of how faculty diversity can be enhanced in order to assist an organization in their overall development.

The goal of this research will also assist practitioners in higher education with their increase in diverse students and provide another resource to students of color. The conceptual framework in Figure 1. reveals how the research questions are interwoven in the study.

Methodology

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Appreciative Inquiry. I used Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as my mode of Action Research. AI is a positive intervention technique that focuses on the strengths of an organization rather than its weaknesses. Reason and Bradbury (2008) describe AI as having its own cyclical iterative process, where it uses the phases of discovery of the best of what is, dream to imagine what could be, design what will be and destiny – to enact change, learning to become what we most hope for (see Figure 3). In this study, I used these cycles to evolve the learning among our AR team members, the organization, and to contribute to the larger field of adult education through interventions. In each of the cycles, I gathered data, reflected, and learned to inform the next cycle.

Action Research works in a collaborative format of co-inquiry between a researcher and a client. The traditional form of action research comprises a problem solving relationship between two entities involved in change management and generating new knowledge (Coghlan & Brannick, 2010). In this study, we developed an AR team, which includes various stakeholders of the organization (e.g. program directors, alumni, faculty mentor) seeking constructive change (client) and myself as the researcher.

Based on several initial hesitations from the Ph.D. Scholars Program sponsors on the use of Action Research in our study and their general uncertainties on any group gathering data on their successful program, we decided to use appreciative inquiry. Through this mode of inquiry we were able to highlight all of the positive attributes of the program and put the organization at ease on reflecting on ways to improve itself.

We were able to use AI in the following way: in Cycle 1 (Discovery), I gathered preliminary data from stakeholder meetings, focus groups, and our initial AR team meetings to better understand the nature of the concern and relevant issues. Within Cycle 1, I determined the organization’s readiness to undergo this project, and with small hesitations,

Figure 1

This study used the emergent inquiry process of Action Research to provide the foundation of change to a fundamentally successful program. Coghlan and Brannick (2010) describe AR as a scientific research approach that studies organizational change through focusing on their development in action, rather than about action. Action Research works

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in an iterative, cyclical process of change and reflection that serves as a platform for the development of practitioners and their work with organizations (Reason & Bradbury, 2008). This is often characterized by a four-step AR cycle used for an organization or community that starts with a pre-step of a theme or context, and then begins the cycle of “diagnosing” or finding the issues, “planning action” or steps to prepare for action, “taking action” or collaborative implementation of plans, and “evaluating action” or examining the results of interventions (Coghlan & Brannick, 2010).

These cycles are repetitive, collectively building on one another, where concurrent sequences of events develop to create evolutionary change (see Figure 2).

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Conceptual Framework

There are several modes of AR (e.g.

Action Inquiry, Participatory Action Research, Action Science, Appreciative Inquiry) that can be used based on the type of situation or organization (Reason & Bradbury, 2008).

Figure 2 Action Research (AR) Process (Coghlan & Brannick, 2010)

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Data Analysis & Themes

the group moved forward. In Cycle 2 (Dream), I implemented a survey that served as a needs assessment tool of what could be studied, along with various AR team meetings that utilized themes from the initial AR team meetings and survey. Cycle 3 (Design) involved an AR team meeting, where a logic model was drafted to inform ideas for website development, further focus groups on the website and video vignettes, and a Chief Diversity Officers Panel discussion.

Cycle 3 was informed by ideas that were derived from the previous cycles. Cycle 4

Miles, Huberman and Saldana (2014) see analysis of qualitative data in data condensation, data display, and drawing conclusions or verification (p. 12-13).

As I went through data analysis, I used this process to provide substance to my findings. In order to condense my information, I had to interpret the data of this study. I used descriptive coding or “topic coding.” Saldana (2009) describes descriptive coding as summarizing in short phrases or words used in qualitative

in finding faculty positions and defining other methods that would be useful in obtaining faculty positions that were analyzed and added to the qualitative data set. These data were included in the HyperResearch tool, and coded to provide a well-rounded and trustworthy triangulated data set.

The analysis and themes generated from the focus groups and survey added to the AR team’s repository of recommendations to provide to the PSP program. These innovations were cutting edge and, if used, could enhance the program’s ability to place more culturally diverse students into faculty positions. I provided critical themes of the study, examples of excerpts from the data collection, and how they informed the research questions.

Program and Intervention Development

Figure 3. Appreciative Inquiry Cycle (Cooperrider & Whitney, 2001) studies to analyze and give basic meaning to a topic (p. 70). All forms of data (i.e. interviews, focus groups, AR team meetings) were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and transcriptions were reviewed for emergent themes.

has yet to be completely performed and is the focus of this proposal. The research that I conducted from Cycles 3 and 4 informed the final interventions and recommendations to the Ph.D. Scholars Program. See Figure 2 for the AR process in Appreciate Inquiry.

An inductive approach was used with the data, where recurrent reflections and themes in the data guided the study and solidified constructs that were used in the findings (Miles, Huberman, & Saldona, 2014). Transcripts of the AR team meetings, interviews, focus groups and journals were coded using HyperResearch, an electronic qualitative research tool that serves as an aid to developing themes in data analysis (Miles, Huberman, & Saldona, 2014, p.

47). In addition to the typical qualitative research data, I used a needs assessment that generated open-ended qualitative data on ways PSP could assist scholars

Data collection. The data collected using the AR process for this study came from the following resources: documents and archival records; AR team meetings; a survey to provide information on the needs of the organization; PSP Mentoring Symposium participation, workshops with analysis and focus groups; and completion interviews. The total number of participants in our overall data collection is was approximately 250.

Table 3 provides a brief outline of the types of data, and an analysis of how it is used for this study.

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In the last year of our AR team meetings (2014-2015), we had many discussions on what is needed for the Ph.D. Scholars Program organization. The interventions that were developed by the AR Team and final recommendations to the organization were informed by our data resources in the above Table 3. Many of the interventions created from this study will be able to be used by graduate enrollment management officials, as well as organizations that support underrepresented graduate students.

The ideas for the actionable interventions that came from our data and have come to fruition were based on consensus among AR team members, and particularly the project directors (stakeholders). Using the reflexive nature of Appreciative Inquiry, we continued to revisit all of the positive attributes of the program, and the purpose of our study to ensure that we found interventions that met our goals. The AR team understood that our main goal was to find innovative strategies to increase diverse faculty in the professoriate.

The interventions based on the study’s framework and research questions as it related to the action research process and inclusion, voice, and overcoming barriers were the following:

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Table 3 Data Resources Type of Data Collection

ParticipantsStakeholders

Analysis of Data

Informing Research Questions

Preliminary Analysis

Focus Groups

PSP Alumni

Transcriptions to be reviewed using HyperResearch, qualitative assessment tool, themes drawn

1, 2, 3

Provided context of their interactions with PSP Program and Organization, discussions on improvements to the program and recommendations to proposed mentorship website

Survey

PSP Alumni & Current PSP Students

Qualtrics survey tool used, summaries provided by this tool, results taken from SPSS, themes drawn

1, 2

Provided detailed reactions to the program as an alumnus, gave information on current status and progress in faculty search; Provided reaction to participating with CDO Panel Discussion

Observations – meetings

AR Team, Program Directors & Sponsors, Chief Diversity Officers

Journal Reviewed, transcriptions to be reviewed using HyperResearch, qualitative assessment tool, themes drawn

1, 3

Provided AR cycles (Single loop learning) comprehensive collection of ideas to support the organizational change

DocumentsRecords

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Review of literature, records from organization, various agency documents

1, 2, 3

Provided foundation to support ideas on diversity in the classroom and context to the organization and their needs

Critical Incident Interviews

AR Team Members & PSP Alumni, CDOs

Transcriptions to be reviewed using HyperResearch, qualitative assessment tool, themes drawn

1, 3

Provided AR cycles (Single loop learning) comprehensive collection of ideas to support the organizational change

Researcher Notes

Primary (Lead) Researcher

Transcriptions reviewed using HyperResearch, qualitative assessment tool, coding produced, themes drawn

1, 2, 3

Validated perceptions in third person as another form of data collection (Second Loop Learning)

• Providing survey on awareness and usefulness of CDOs

addresses how the group developed our initial interventions.

• CDO panel discussion, and established relationship between CDOs and PSP

Findings and Resources

• Introduction of AR to PSP • Website on mentorship and video vignette-shorts • Connecting Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) to PSP students to allow better opportunities for faculty posts Interventions that supported the AR process and organizational change: • Introduction of AR process to PSP organization, and discovering organizational issues • Implementation of needs assessment • Awareness and working with one of the state Chief Diversity Officers groups The intervention that informed academic and professional networks, along with social capital:

In this study there are several resources that can enhance recruitment and retention efforts of minority graduate students, as well as support their career trajectory. Doctoral students do not choose the path of an academic for many reasons, but one in particular is because of what their mentors, advisors and colleagues have to endure. The resources provided by this study can show that the journey is not so daunting, and that there are programs, various support mechanisms and professional development opportunities to guide them.

Listed below are specific resources that are illustrated in this study for minority graduate students and administrators looking to diversify their doctoral students, and the specific details can be found on their websites.

It was revealed by our AR team that these interventions would meet our goal of creating programming that could be supported by the organization, while simultaneously fulfilling the purpose of the study. Just arranging to have the Ph.D. Scholars Program participate in the study, and move out of its own way to create change for the betterment of the organization was an intervention in itself. The team achieved many goals that address the problem of diversifying the professoriate through this program.

Since PSP is one of the only programs of its kind, our innovative enhancements could have a ripple effect among many minority doctoral students transitioning into faculty posts. The following section

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2016, on which this article is based). In the current climate of anti-affirmative action legislation (e.g. Fisher, Prop 209, Hopwood) it is critical for academic institutions to be equipped with the tools to create safe spaces for diverse students no matter what their background. I hope this study provides another avenue of strategies to create communities for learning for all students. Finally, it is essential for administrators to use change management techniques such as action research to create a culture of democratic learning for all segments of colleges and universities.

Graduate Enrollment Management Aids • Minority Graduate Student Resources Website (developed from study): http://diversitycomplete.com/ sreb (not complete) • Chief Diversity Officers: http://www. nadohe.org/ • Financial and Professional Development Support o Southern Regional Educational Board-Doctoral Scholars Program: http://www.sreb.org/page/1074/ doctoral_scholars.html

References Barker, Marco. (2011). Racial context, currency and connections: Black doctoral student and White advisor perspectives on crossrace advising. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 48(4), 387-400. doi: 10.1080/14703297.2011.617092

o Mellon Mays Graduate Program: http://www.ssrc.org/programs/ mellon-mays-graduate-initiativesprogram o Ford Fellowship Program: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/ PGA/FordFellowships/index.htm

Baumgartner, Lisa M., & Johnson-Bailey, Juanita. (2008). Fostering awareness of diversity and multiculturalism in adult and higher education. New Directions for Adult & Continuing Education(120), 45-53.

o National GEM Consortium: https://www.gemfellowship.org/ o California State University Doctoral Incentive Program: http://www.calstate.edu/hr/cdip/ (California Residents)

Coghlan, D., & Brannick, T. (2010). Doing action research in your own organization.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

o McKnight Doctoral Fellows Program: http://www.fefonline. org/mdf.html (Florida Residents)

Cooperrider, D.L. & Whitney, D. (2001).

A positive revolution in change: Appreciativeinquiry. Public Administration and Public Policy, 87, 611-630.

Lastly, a preliminary analysis of the study provided evidence of perceived social capital through working with Chief Diversity Officers and alumni of PSP. Further, it was demonstrated that stakeholders found that using action research was a successful means to enhance programming for the PSP organization. Also, the literature attests that inclusiveness and voice can be gained by students of color, based on more diverse faculty in the classroom.

Daniel, CarolAnn. (2007). Outsiders-Within: Critical Race Theory, Graduate Education and Barriers to Professionalization. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 34(1), 25-42.

Dodson, Jualynne E., Montgomery, Beronda L., & Brown, Lesley J. (2009). “Take the Fifth”: Mentoring Students Whose Cultural Communities Were Not Historically Structured Into U.S. Higher Education.

Innovative Higher Education, 34(3), 185199. doi: 10.1007/s10755-009-9099-y

This study allowed me to close the circle around enhancing diversity initiatives at majority institutions for students (Iowa State University master’s thesis, 1996) and expand it to include faculty (completing my dissertation in May

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Guy, Talmadge. (1999). Culture as context for adult education: The need for culturally relevant adult education. New directions for adult and continuing education, 1999(82), 5-18.

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Hurtado, Sylvia. (2001). Linking Diversity and Educational Purpose: How Diversity Affects the Classroom Environment and Student Development.

Jayakumar, Uma M. , Howard, Tyrone C. , Allen, Walter R. , & Han, June C. (2009).

Racial Privilege in the Professoriate: An Exploration of Campus Climate, Retention, and Satisfaction. Journal of Higher Education, 80(5), 538-563.

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Moody, J. (2004). Faculty diversity-problems and solutions. New York: RoutledgeFalmer.

National Science Foundation. (2012). U.S. citizen and permanent resident doctorate recipients, by race, ethnicity, and broad field of study, Survey of Earned Doctorates.

Retrieved from http://nsf.gov/statistics/ sed/2013/data/tab23.pdf Seay, Sandra E., Lifton, Donald E., Wuensch, Karl L., Bradshaw, Lynn K., & McDowelle, James O. (2008). First-Generation Graduate Students and Attrition Risks.

Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 56(3), 11-25.

Reason, P. & Bradbury, H. (2008). The handbook of action research: Participative inquiry and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Thomas, Kecia M., Willis, Leigh A., & Davis, Jimmy. (2007). Mentoring minority graduate students: issues and strategies for institutions, faculty, and students. Equal Opportunities International, 26(3), 178-192. doi: 10.1108/02610150710735471 Tinto, Vincent. (1993). Leaving college: rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition / Vincent Tinto: Chicago ; London: University of Chicago Press, 1993. 2nd ed.

United States Department of Education.

(2014). Projections of education statistics to 2022, forty-first edition, NCES. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2014051.pdf

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ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT IN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS: ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES

By Stanley J. Kania III, MBA, Marywood University A typical day in the life of an admissions and enrollment officer may go like this: come into the office with your extra large coffee, check and answer e-mail and phone messages, meet with prospective students and families, conduct a campus tour, resolve any problems or issues that arise, and then do it all over again the next day. In the midst of all this, the vast majority of us travel regionally and nationally to recruit students for various programs at our institutions. As enrollment management professionals, we all know the ins and outs of our institutions and program offerings. Although we are able to give students a wealth of information, most of them want to know what life is like after they finish their program – especially graduate students. Students want to know about job opportunities, internships, and professional networking. This is where effectively using alumni comes into play and can make significant contributions to the enrollment management office.

As the higher education market becomes more competitive, it is crucial for colleges and universities to "stand out from the crowd" and differentiate themselves from their competition. This differentiation must occur primarily within the area of the institution that has the most contact with prospective students - the Admissions Office.

An effective way to accomplish this distinction from competition is to successfully utilize alumni to aid in the recruiting process. This brief article will explain the benefits of using alumni in the recruiting process. Additionally, I will outline some best practices to efficiently and effectively engage and retain alumni in the recruiting process.

Why Engage Alumni?

When we think of a typical recruitment process, we normally think of the following: inquiries, campus visits, open

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Introducing prospective students to alumni in the recruitment process helps incoming students begin their professional networking process early on. The professional advice students receive from alumni serves as an added bonus to enhancing the student experience, which may assist in student retention (Leach, 2013). During this process and even after students are enrolled, alumni can act as mentors to students and help provide them additional academic and industry insights to be more competitive in the workforce after graduation (Sandvig, 2016; Singer and Hughey, 2002).

This can help lead to professional recommendations, competitive internships, and possible job placement opportunities (Ozturgut, 2013; Agnihotri et. al, 2014; Dolbert, 2000; Leach, 2013).

houses, recruitment fairs, presentations, and so on. All of this is usually done collaboratively between university admissions and recruitment staff and student ambassadors. Adding alumni to the recruitment team has its benefits.

Engaging alumni in the recruiting process gives prospective students the opportunity to ask questions about professional preparation, networking and career outcomes. They may ask alumni questions like, "How did attending this program help prepare you to enter the workforce after graduation?

What are some things I should focus on during the program to make myself most marketable after graduation? How can I leverage my internship options to increase range of job opportunities?"

When prospective students hear the experiences and successes of alumni, they can better determine whether your program or institution is the best fit to meet their academic and professional needs (Agnihorti, Bonney, Dixon, Erffmeyer, Pullins, Sojka, and West, 2014; Dolbert, 2000; Kuzma and Wright, 2013).

Best Practices in Alumni Recruiting: TER Approach When examining how to approach alumni recruiting, I have found that an approach I created, the TER (Target, Engage, and Retain) Approach, is most effective for engaging alumni in a recruiting program. Here are some best practices for the TER Approach.

Involving alumni helps keep them engaged with the institution. These alumni are updated throughout the year on developments in academics, facilities and student life, which helps strengthen their affinity with the institution and prepares them to be a knowledgeable spokesperson for the university (McAlexander and Koenig, 2001; Pastorella, 2003). Especially for more recent graduates, who are often not in a position to make a financial contribution to the school, alumni volunteer opportunities, such as admissions and recruitment, are a compelling way for them to stay engaged and feel as if they are helping make a difference in the life of students (Jackson and Amparo, 2014; Leach 2013, Weerts, Cabrera, and Sanford, 2010).

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Target a robust, diverse group of alumni who will contribute to the overall composition of your alumni recruiting team. Some suggested demographic markers to consider are geographic location, graduation year (target younger alumni from the past ten years), academic programs, mid-level and senior managers, and alumni board or trustee members. Be sure you always have an alumnus who would be a good match for a student, such as pairing them up based on program of study or profession of interest. This will allow for the best possible networking opportunity to occur between students and alumni.

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to you – just remember to recognize your alumni volunteers. In addition, as previously stated, having a wide array of volunteer opportunities for alumni to choose from increases engagement and participation in your alumni recruiting program.

Begin searching for alumni on social media sites, institutional alumni registries, and student records. Make sure to let them know what a unique opportunity this is, to become engaged and network with students while sharing their story and affinity with the institution (Leach, 2013; Agnihotri et. al, 2014). Work in collaboration with your institution’s alumni relations or development office to gather alumni registry names and work on developing this program.

Final Takeaways Developing an alumni recruiting program can be quite beneficial to your institution. The added perspective from alumni can resonate well with applicants and students, which can make a positive impact on their decision to enroll at your institution. Be sure to use the TER Approach to target, engage, and retain alumni volunteers.

Alumni are one of your best marketing tools, not only with prospective students but with other alumni who may be interested in participating in your program. If your department does not have an alumni engagement program, I strongly encourage you to explore developing one. Coordinate with other departments on campus and your enrollment management leaders to create an alumni recruiting strategy.

Find a few interested individuals and "test the waters" at an open house or student orientation event. Start small and expand the program from there.

See what things work well at your school and what needs some fixing. It may take some time to develop a strong and robust program, but it will be well worth the time and effort when it is successful!

Engage alumni with a wide array of options to assist with recruiting. Some common ways alumni can help with are contacting students via phone calls and e-mails. This allows alumni to add their personal touch to communication pieces and highlight their experiences.

Additionally, alumni can contribute their perspectives at open houses, recruiting fairs, and new student orientation events. Some alumni may be interested in hosting a prospective student information session at their home or workplace. This is especially beneficial if their geographic location is outside of your main recruiting territory. Be sure to provide a wide array of volunteer opportunities for your alumni and let them chose what they want to do.

Work in collaboration with other offices on campus to see if they can provide additional volunteer opportunities for your alumni. Some alumni may enjoy volunteering during undergraduate events like student move-in at the dorms or during commencement. Increasing volunteer opportunities for alumni across campus not only helps increase overall engagement, but it can also provide relief for some budget and staffing constraints.

References Agnihotri, R., Bonney, L., Dixon, A.L., Erffmeyer, R., Pullins, E.B., Sojka, J.Z., & West, V. (2014). Developing a Stakeholder Approach for Recruiting Top-Level Sales Students.

Journal of Marketing Education, 36(1), 75-86.

Retain your alumni recruitment volunteers by recognizing them. You don't have to go overboard with this.

Something as simple as listing their names on your website as alumni recruiting volunteers goes a long way.

Some schools may have a recognition event or provide them with university spirit wear or gifts. The details are up

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Dolbert, S.C. (2000) “Alumni Admissions Programs.” In J.A. Feudo (ed.) Alumni Relations: A Newcomer’s Guide to Success.

New York Council for the Advancement and Support of Education

Colleges and Universities (pp. 89-103).

Palgrave Macmillan US. Kuzma, J.M., & Wright, W. (2013). Using social networks as a catalyst for change in global higher education marketing and recruiting.

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life Long Learning, 23(1), 53-66.

Leach, L. (2013). Alumni Perspectives Survey, 2013. Survey Report. Graduate Management Admission Council.

McAlexander, J.H., & Koenig, H.E. (2001).

University experiences, the student-college relationship, and alumni support. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education. 10(3), 21-43.

Ozturgut, O. (2013). Best practices in recruiting and retaining international students in the US. Current Issues in Education, 16(2).

Pastorella, M.J. (2003). “Keeping in Touch: Alumni Development in Community Colleges.” In M.D. Milliron, G.E. de los Santos, and B. Browing (eds.)

Successful Approaches to Fundraising and Development. New Directions for Community Colleges, no. 124. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Sandvig, J. C. (2016). The role of social media in college recruiting. International Journal of Web Based Communities, 12(1), 23-34.

Singer, T.S., and Hughey, A.W. (2002). “The Role of the Alumni Association in Student Life.” In M.B. Snyder (ed.) Student Affairs and External Relations. New Directions for Student Services, no. 100. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Stewart, P. (2014). Recruiting Ramps Up. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 31(14), 20.

Weerts, D.J., Cabrera, A.F., & Sanford, T. (2010). Beyond giving: Political advocacy and volunteer behaviors of public university alumni. Research in Higher Education, 51(4), 346-365.

Jackson, B., & Amparo, J. (2014). HBCU Young Alumni: Paying It Forward. InOpportunities and Challenges at Historically Black

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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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For more information, or to talk to someone about ways to become more involved with NAGAP, you can email a member of the Leadership Cultivation & Elections Committee.

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