NAGAP Perspectives Fall 2018

VOLUME 30 NUMBER 3 FA L L 2 0 1 8

PERSPECTIVES A Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals

IN THIS ISSUE  2 From the President  4 Reflections on the 2018 Summer Institute, Las Vegas  5 Social Media and E-Marketing Practices in Graduate Student Recruitment: A Research Proposal 13 Member Spotlight: Guillermo Gonzalez 14 Strategic Considerations for Graduate Student Scholarship Awards 16 Student Perspectives: Hopelessness Unhinged 18 The Yays and Nays of Passport Prep 20 Intercultural Socialization: Intercultural Practices to Support International Graduate Students 26 Partnerships and Programming to Increase Diversity in Graduate Education in Public Policy and International Affairs 30 How Graduate Studies at Western University Created and Implemented an Application System 32 Implementing a Centralized Application Service 34 Reflections on the 2017–2018 NAGAP Mentor Program 35 Annual Conference Update 36 Using Digital Marketing to Establish New Postgraduate Law Program: A Case Study 38 Working with a Partner to Achieve Your Goal: Implementing GradCAS™ 40 Applicants Say the Darnedest Things!

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FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Colleagues, Welcome to the fall 2018 edition of Perspectives.

I love this season of the year as our students return to campus with a renewed energy and sense of purpose. Their excitement always reminds me of why I chose to work in higher education over 25 years ago. As we start a new academic year in GEM, whether your focus is recruitment, admissions, advising, professional development, career services, alumni, or all of the above, I encourage you to spend some time reflecting on your purpose in the profession. I also want you to think about the difference you make in the lives of students every day…even those you never meet.

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

As your president I have a similar passion for NAGAP and the opportunity I have to serve the GEM community. We have many exciting initiatives we’re working on that will directly benefit our members, including a couple that launched over the summer.

Our new educational webinars started with a series on digital marketing presented in collaboration with Carnegie Dartlet, and our new Flash Feedback 60-second surveys started in August. You can learn more about these efforts through your weekly NAGAP News and the website.

Behind the scenes we have been finalizing plans to launch a new GEM-focused Leadership Academy in the fall of 2019 hosted by Teachers College, Columbia University. NAGAP’s Treasurer and Chair of International Initiatives, Andrew Kim represented us at the EAIE conference in Geneva, Switzerland as part of a reciprocal agreement with our sister organization. Finally, we finished the budget year with a $15k operating surplus, which will be used to support short-term strategic initiatives to benefit our members.

If you have 5 or more years of experience in the GEM profession you won’t want to miss this year’s Winter Professional Development Institute taking place January 17–18, 2019. We’re heading back to Puerto Rico and for the first time the InterContinental San Juan will be hosting the event. Sessions will include topics such as communication across cultures, data and trends in graduate education, marketing strategies, legal and ethical issues, and applications of the GEM model. This event is always an excellent opportunity to learn about trending topics in our profession, while networking with other leaders in the GEM community.

I want to encourage you to be thinking about Annual Conference, our first in Canada. Mark your calendar now for April 10–13, 2019, when we will be heading to the Sheraton Centre Toronto in the heart of the city. Be sure your passport is ready to go—I renewed mine last week—and be thinking about how you can get involved while you’re there. In addition to educational sessions, there will be opportunities to attend chapter meetings, network with colleagues, volunteer as a moderator or recorder, and much more. continued on the next page

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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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Finally, I want to highlight just a couple of the articles you will find in this issue.

I hope you enjoy the reflections shared by a Summer PDI fellow, as well as the articles submitted by our 2017 and 2018 research grant recipients. You will also find interesting pieces on implementing application systems, student mental health and digital marketing.

Thanks again 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 the association, please contact me or another member of the Governing Board. Have a great fall! n Keith Ramsdell NAGAP President

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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REFLECTIONS ON THE 2018 SUMMER INSTITUTE, LAS VEGAS

By Ellen Lambert Hermansen, University of Washington, Tacoma After moving into the world of Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM) last fall, I was relieved when a fellow graduate advisor at my institution introduced me to NAGAP and urged me to become a member. Knowing that a professional network can serve as a vital resource for new employees in higher education, I began making plans to attend the NAGAP Summer Institute in Las Vegas.

dive into designing targeted recruitment strategies, exploring legal issues in GEM, and focusing on retention in underrepresented student populations. 48 hours and 13 pages of notes later, I felt equipped with a deeper understanding of what GEM is and had made connections with a cohort of colleagues doing similar work all around the United States.

In reflecting upon this rich experience, I find myself categorizing the information into three primary takeaways. First and foremost, Graduate Enrollment Management is a constantly changing landscape, and GEM professionals must be adaptable and creative in their daily roles. Not only are GEM offices facing increased competition and functioning on waning resources, the expectations and goals of prospective students are also shifting in response to changing social and environmental factors. Secondly, there is so much rich data available, and it must be leveraged. Particularly in the area of recruitment, annual reports

On Day 1 of the Institute, I found myself surrounded by 100+ GEM colleagues from around the country. After a quick audience poll in the first session, I learned that the majority of attendees had been in their current GEM role for less than one year. This realization was comforting knowing that my lack of expertise was likely shared by those around me. In anticipation of this trend, the program had been structured to first provide a broad overview of GEM and the factors that influence students to pursue a graduate education. This introduction was followed by a deeper

through organizations such as IPEDS and IIE should be analyzed to uncover national and international trends that could impact departmental marketing strategies. Similarly, digital marketing platforms produce massive insights through data collection that can inform marketing efforts. The third takeaway is that both cross-campus and industry-wide connections are critical to success. While GEM models may vary from campus to campus, effective communication across departments at all institutions will help to integrate silos and keep offices in sync with the student lifecycle. Moreover, connecting with colleagues at other institutions may provide fresh insight into best practices that had not previously been considered.

In summary, the NAGAP Summer Institute is a must-do for every new professional in the GEM field. Not only did the Institute contextualize some of the issues I have been observing in my day-to-day work as a Graduate Advisor and Recruiter, but it also highlighted how these trends are widespread throughout the country and indicative of broader social and generational changes. Moreover, this opportunity with NAGAP is a fantastic way to meet other individuals who can become a part of your greater professional network. n

From left to right: Professional Development Committee Chair Amanda Ostreko, Summer PDI Fellows Candace Diaz and Ellen Lambert Hermansen, and Professional Development Committee Member Kathryn Kendall

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND E-MARKETING PRACTICES IN GRADUATE STUDENT RECRUITMENT: A RESEARCH PROPOSAL

By Stanley J. Kania III, MBA, ABD, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, NAGAP Research Grant Recipient

Introduction Social media is a constant, perhaps even a mainstay, in the everyday lives of many individuals across the world. On a daily basis, millions of people Tweet out their day, hashtag (#) their photos and posts on Facebook, and Instagram what culinary masterpiece they crafted for last night’s dinner. Social media allows us to reach the world at the press of a button held in the palm of our hand.

“This research aims to study the use of social media and e-marketing practices on recruiting graduate students.”

Higher education enrollment has been on the rise since 2001. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that undergraduate enrollment has increased 24% between 2001–2015 and is projected to continue so by 14% until 2026 (Hussar and Bailey, 2018).

Additionally, the number of conferred graduate degrees, both master’s and doctoral degrees, have increased 56% and 49% respectively between 2001 and 2015 (Hussar and Bailey, 2018).

Master’s degree enrollment is expected to increase 22% and doctoral degrees are expected to increase 13% until 2026 (Hussar & Bailey, 2018). With only a 14% expected growth in undergraduate enrollment, colleges and universities in the United States need to shift their focus to recruiting graduate students to create and sustain a thriving student population.

A majority of the existing literature surrounding enrollment management is centered on undergraduate students as they constitute the largest population source for college enrollment (Reuben, 2008; Stegmier, 2015; Greenwood, 2012). Hussar and Bailey (2016) noted earlier that the exponential growth in graduate and professional students until 2025 lends a unique opportunity for colleges and universities to target a large population in need of graduate education. Colleges and universities are always looking for new, creative ways to recruit graduate students.

With the plethora of higher education institutions within the United States that offer graduate and professional degree programs, these colleges and universities must stand out from the crowd by utilizing unique marketing practices in order to target and recruit a fruitful graduate student population.

student recruitment. It will help colleges and universities identify their strengths and weaknesses in graduate student marketing and aid in establishing industry best practices as they relate to marketing initiatives for graduate and professional students. The results of this study will show colleges and universities what practices and resources are being used for graduate student marketing, identify new modes of marketing to this specific population, and demonstrate the overall importance of social media and e-marketing practices in a strategic graduate enrollment management plan.

This research aims to study the use of social media and e-marketing practices on recruiting graduate students.

Theoretical Framework The theoretical framework used for this study is the Integrated Interdependence Model of Graduate Enrollment Management (Connor, LaFave, and Balayan, 2017) (see Figure 1).

This research study lends itself to fill a major gap in the existing higher education literature, specifically graduate

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Figure 1 Integrated Interdependence Model of Graduate Enrollment Management, Connor, LaFave, & Balayan (2017)

Graduate enrollment often takes a back seat to undergraduate enrollment. Since undergraduate enrollment represents a majority of enrolled students at colleges and universities in the United States, a greater emphasis, usually complemented with greater resources, is placed on recruiting this population.

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND E-MARKETING PRACTICES This model highlights the integration of various offices on campus into enrollment planning. Each office listed in the Integrated Interdependence Model is affected in some way by student enrollment. Based on the number of students enrolled in a recruiting cycle, these offices may need to adjust operations in order to meet student needs, such as changes in budget allocations and increases in staff members within their division. For example, if the Graduate Admissions Office recruits an additional 20% of students from the previous year, the Retention and Advising Office needs to assess the number of advisees each professional staff member will be responsible for. This would then, in turn, result in Student Support & Services offices increasing the availability of support resources for students, such as tutoring services and career services.

speaking to prospective students, thus arming them with the content knowledge to address many common questions that prospective graduate students have. Compared to the saying “it takes a village to raise a child,” it certainly takes a campus to recruit graduate students as enrollment is a campus-wide initiative.

Purpose of the Study The purpose of the quantitative study is to examine the use of social media and e-marketing practices in the graduate enrollment process at four-year public and private nonprofit colleges and universities in the United States. A survey will be sent to graduate enrollment management administrators to identify the social media and e-marketing practices used at their respective institutions. The researcher will then compare the use of social media and e-marketing practices between public and private non-profit colleges and universities in the United States to determine if differences exist.

The dependent variables for this study are social media and e-marketing practices. Social media is defined as a digital form of communication networks available to individuals worldwide.

E-marketing practices can be defined as digital communications created and disseminated to a specific target audience with the intent on delivering specific information to further engage their interests. The independent variables are public and private non-profit colleges and universities in the United States, which are defined as post-secondary institutions that offer graduate and professional programs to graduate students.

“Compared to the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ it certainly takes a campus to recruit graduate students as enrollment is a campus-wide initiative.”

Within this model, employees from different departments are crosstrained among one another so they are best equipped to address student issues in order to guide them to the proper department or person needed.

One main reason for cross-training professional staff is to provide the best student experience possible.

Greater availability and accessibility of professional staff members dedicated towards student support will result in higher student retention and satisfaction rates (Tinto, 2006). Additionally, crosstrained professional staff, faculty, and administration can also highlight the different aspects of the university when

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Literature Review What is Enrollment Management?

Enrollment management (EM) is a division within the college or university that is central to its success. According to Hossler (1984), enrollment management can be defined as “an organizational concept and systematic

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set of activities designed to enable educational institutions to exert more influence over student enrollments.

Organized by strategic planning and supported by institutional research, enrollment management activities concern student college choice, transition to college, student attrition and retention, and student outcomes.”

Albeit admissions operations are central to the success of enrollment management, the focus of EM goes beyond the college admission process (Coomes, 2000). The true focus and scope of enrollment management covers the entire life of the student from point of admission to graduation.

Enrollment management divisions should conduct constant research to identify the target student market for sources of enrollment and should allocate the appropriate resources to accomplish those goals.

According to Dixon (1995), there are four main goals of enrollment management: define the institution’s mission and goals, market these goals and mission to all parties, make tactical decisions regarding financial aid and scholarships to attract students, and appropriate adequate resources to achieve the overall goals of the organization. Bontrager (2004) identified strategic enrollment management (SEM) goals as goals that promote academic success through improving student access to education, create better financial planning and forecasting, allow for external and internal data to drive decisions and evaluate university progress. These goals help the institution strategically place itself within the higher education market to gain distinct competitive advantages over competing colleges and universities. Some goals may be to recruit more in-state students, widen recruitment territories to attract a larger student target market, or offer competitive financial aid and continued on the next page

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND E-MARKETING PRACTICES scholarship opportunities for students to price themselves better within their market. Based on the mission and vision of the institution in the eyes of senior leadership, these strategic goals can change with shifts in the market.

Strategic enrollment management plans can change year from year and are designed to attract a highly qualified diverse student body, which can include underrepresented minority students, students interested in specific majors, and international students (Dixon, 1995).

What is Graduate Enrollment Management?

Graduate enrollment management (GEM) is a subset of EM that focus on the population of graduate and professional students. According to NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, GEM is defined as “a systematic approach to managing the graduate student lifecycle from initial awareness to alumna/alumnus by integrating the core functions associated with the enrollment and support of a graduate student (NAGAP, 2017).” GEM focuses not only on admissions operations, but what is needed throughout the student lifecycle in order to ensure the student is meeting their academic and professional goals, thus GEM relies on constant input and collaboration from various stakeholders and departments on campus. The following picture (see Figure 2) from NAGAP (2017) depicts GEM operations:

The GEM Operations graphic from NAGAP (2017) shows how each segment of graduate enrollment funnels into the next area of operations. First, an institution must develop an integrated strategic enrollment management plan that outlines enrollment goals and marketing tactics to attract students.

This plan is then used in admissions operations, which focus directly on the active recruitment of students, processing applications, and enrolling graduate students. Enrolled graduate students then work with the Financial Aid division to secure any loans and scholarship funding to supplement the cost of attending graduate school.

Additionally, other GEM departments work in unison to ensure graduate students have access to the various campus resources needed to succeed academically, including student support services and graduate student advising and retention. As graduate students matriculate towards graduation, Alumni Relations departments assist with the

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transition from student to alumnus/a.

Several articles point out that alumni departments help students gain access to a wide variety of professional networks that can assist with securing internships and job placements after completing their graduate degree (Jackson and Amparo, 2014; McAlexander and Koenig, 2001; Singer and Hughey, 2002). The GEM model as outlined by NAGAP (2017) emphasizes the importance of strategic planning and collaboration among various departments within GEM to strengthen enrollment efforts and enhance the overall student experience during their graduate studies.

the overall student experience

Williams (2008) points out there are distinct differences between undergraduate and graduate enrollment management. First, GEM typically has fewer resources compared to undergraduate enrollment management.

Since undergraduate students comprise much of the student body at colleges and universities, institutions allocate more resources (i.e. staff, budget money, marketing, etc.) towards the recruitment of this population. The cost of attending a college or university is usually greater for undergraduate students compared to graduate students, thus undergraduate students generate more revenue for institutions. Second, the interaction between the admissions staff and prospective students varies greatly from undergraduate to graduate

during their graduate studies.”

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“The GEM model… emphasizes the importance of strategic planning and collaboration among various departments within GEM to strengthen enrollment efforts and enhance

Figure 2 GEM Operations, Adapted from NAGAP (2017)

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND E-MARKETING PRACTICES student populations. Undergraduate students are searching for an institution to be their home for the next four years.

They are not only looking for a college or university that offers their program, but they are searching for an institution where they will be able to socialize and make friends, as well as engage in extra-curricular activities like athletics and student clubs/organizations.

Therefore, undergraduate admissions counselors and staff are focused on showing how their institution is the perfect fit to meet all the student’s needs and desires. In contrast, when graduate students are searching for a college or university, their focus is whether or not the institution offers their program. Graduate admissions staff interactions with prospective graduate students is mainly program specific and student-centered (Williams, 2008).

The differences in recruiting these populations result in drastic differences within strategic enrollment management plans for undergraduate and graduate students.

blogs as authentic when providing personal information regarding their lived college experiences (Sandlin and Peña, 2014). College students sharing their experiences makes them a knowledgeable and trustworthy resource for prospective college students. Advice from college students on specific topics, such as transitioning into the rigor of a college education and tips for living on campus, can help college-bound students plan ahead to help make the transition into higher education easier on them and their family. Constantinides and Zinck Stango (2011) looked at the use of social media as a recruiting tool for college-bound students in the Netherlands. They found that social media was used as a secondary mode of communication with prospective students. Prospective college students in the Netherlands are more receptive to traditional recruiting tools, such as campus visits, university brochures, and the college website (Constantinides and Zinck Stango, 2011).

Social Media in Higher Education Recruitment

“With the growing use of social

Social media is a product widely used by millions of people worldwide on a daily basis. More recently, social media is being used by businesses and organizations alike to effectively market their products and services to the global consumer market. With the growing use of social media as a marketing tool coupled with increasing consumer traffic to social media sites, colleges and universities can use social media to market their product (i.e. higher education) worldwide. Sandlin and Peña (2014) conducted a qualitative study examining building authenticity in social media posts as a means for student recruitment. This study included a combination of interviews, journal entries, and focus groups that looked at college-bound student perceptions towards college student blogs on social media. The research found that collegebound student viewed college student

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media as a marketing tool coupled with increasing consumer traffic to social media sites, colleges and universities can use social media to market their product (i.e. higher education) worldwide.”

Colleges and universities use social media as an easier way to connect with prospective students from all over the world. Not only is it important for the content posted on social media to be informative and relevant to the consumers, but it is also important for these institutions to actively engage in dialogue with prospective students on social media (Stegmeir, 2015; Reuben, 2008). Stegmeir (2015) states that interactions on social media between

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the institution and prospective students are an important factor in building rapport and positive relationships with prospective students. In order to further illustrate this point, she gives the example of Manchester University in Indiana. The university developed an integrated social media strategy in 2012 where they actively engaged with prospective students via their social media pages. Since the inception of the new strategy, the university has seen its applicant yield rate increase from 16.1% to 24.3%, which is above the national trend (Stegmeir, 2015).

Reuben (2008) conducted a survey of 148 colleges and universities from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The results showed that over half of the respondents use Facebook and YouTube in their social media strategy. Interestingly, almost half of the institutions reported their social media pages are maintained by their Marketing/Communications Department (48.11%) over the Admissions Office (13.21%) (Reuben, 2008). Additionally, it was reported that the institutions that use social media, on average, make social media posts and updates 1–4 times per week (Reuben, 2008). Social media is an excellent way for Admissions staff and counselors to communicate with students regarding Admissions events and other important notices, such as financial aid, scholarship, and application deadlines.

Greenwood (2012) conducted a study of the top 100 colleges and universities in the United States identified and ranked by US News, 2010–2011 Best Colleges: National Ranking. The purpose of this study was to identify the types of social networking sites used by these institutions, which was accomplished by the researcher visiting each school’s website over a five-day period. The findings showed that 92% of the colleges and universities in this study were using social networking, with 60.9% of them continued on the next page

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND E-MARKETING PRACTICES using 3–4 different social networking sites (Greenwood, 2012). The three most used sites identified from this study were Facebook (98.9%), Twitter (95.7%), and YouTube (85.9%) (Greenwood, 2012).

Interestingly, Greenwood (2012) noted that 51.1% of colleges and universities were also using iTunes as a social networking site to reach students, which is a site that has not appeared in other research on this topic.

E-Marketing in Higher Education Recruitment Marketing is an essential component of any strategic enrollment management plan. As technology has advanced throughout the 21st century, an increasing number of colleges and universities have integrated e-marketing practices into their strategic enrollment management plan. Up until the dawn of the technology age in the early 21st century, Litten (1980) pointed out that a majority of higher education institutions relied mainly on a traditional marketing mix, which may have included television/ radio ads and mailed advertisements, in order to effectively market their academic programs to prospective students. Albeit e-marketing is a newer approach with growing popularity in higher education, a small body of literature exists around this topic (Hemsley-Brown and Oplatka, 2006; Durkin, McKenna, & Cummins, 2011; Kranzow and Hyland, 2011; Canterbury, 2000; Brookes, 2003; Ivy, 2008; Helgesen, 2008; Nicolescu, 2009).

Hemsley-Brown and Oplatka (2006) conducted an empirical study examining some of the literature surrounding higher education marketing. The researchers then conducted a thematic evaluation of the literature to find common themes and important topics common throughout the literature. The researchers found that most prospective students are concerned with the “product” (i.e. academic programs, school’s reputation) and “price” (i.e. cost of

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attendance, scholarships, etc.) when searching for a college or university (Hemsley-Brown and Oplatka, 2006).

Marketing materials that focus on these two topics are of great interest to prospective students, particularly international students. Similarly, Ivy (2008) highlighted the importance of a well-developed marketing mix in higher education marketing. He conducted a study examining the marketing mix of Master of Business Administration programs in South Africa. The results of this study identified the three most common topics in marketing mixes included academic program information (mean 3.7/4.0), prestige of faculty, staff, and students (3.61/4.0), and overall program cost (3.53/4.0) (Ivy, 2008). Canterbury (2000) noted that the primary audience in higher education marketing is prospective undergraduate students. He suggests that higher education marketers focus on information pertaining to academics, student life, and peer socialization as key marketing points that are attractive to prospective undergraduate students. Based on the results of a survey conducted in 2013, Rogers (2014) found that nearly 33% of prospective college students indicated social media had a strong influence on them during their college search process. Social media is an excellent resource for prospective students to learn about campus life and student experiences, which help students determine if a particular school is a good fit for their personal and educational needs.

Similarly, Brookes (2003) indicated that higher education markets should have a solid understanding of consumer psychology and how consumer beliefs and values impact their views on a product or service. The author also pointed out that higher education is essentially a business (i.e. offers a product/service to the consumer at a price), therefore the marketing and operational approaches to a college/ university should be similar to that of any business. Durkin, McKenna, & Cummins (2011) state that the college/ university must highlight and emphasize its brand within their marketing tactics.

A college/university’s brand should create an emotional connection with prospective students that highlight the value proposition and benefits of attending the school (Durkin, McKenna, & Cummins, 2011; Kraznow and Hyland, 2011). Nicolescu (2009) states that while branding should highlight the school’s uniqueness, many schools use similar language in brand identification. The brand of colleges and universities should emphasize the institution’s reputation and image. As such, many schools use words like “excellence,” “quality,” and “achievement” in their branding and marketing materials. Nicolescu (2009) says institutions need to use branding as ways to distinguish and differentiate themselves from competitors within the market. Kraznow and Hyland (2011) suggest the climate of the institution should be present in marketing materials, especially those materials targeting graduate students. By adding the climate into the marketing plan, it “encompasses an environment where the student can participate in higher education in a way that honors their life choices and existing commitments (Kraznow and Hyland, 2011).”

“As technology has advanced throughout the 21st century, an increasing number of

Research Methodology

colleges and universities have

Research Design

integrated e-marketing practices

As suggested by Creswell (2014), this quantitative study will use a survey to

into their strategic enrollment management plan.”

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND E-MARKETING PRACTICES responses needed for this survey are 148 public and 152 private nonprofit colleges and universities. The researcher is targeting only directors and senior level administrators at these colleges and universities to obtain the most accurate information from key decision makers at each respective institution and to prevent any duplicate responses from various professionals at the same institution. The researcher will use the NAGAP membership list to identify GEM professionals who are administrators within their department.

If the participant is not an administrator at their institution, they will be directed to forward the survey to the appropriate person for completion. This will ensure the survey will be completed by the appropriate individual. The participant consent indicates there is no harm to the individuals other than any stress associated with taking an online survey.

investigate measurable differences in the use of social media and e-marketing practices in graduate student recruitment at four-year public and private nonprofit colleges and universities in the United States. The dependent variables are social media and e-marketing practices. Social media is defined as a digital form of communications to individuals globally. E-marketing is defined as digital communications created and distributed to a specific population in order to deliver content regarding a specific product or service.

The independent variables are four-year public and private non-profit colleges and universities in the United States, which are defined as post-secondary institutions that offer graduate and professional degree programs to graduate students.

Sample The participants for this research will consist of members of NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, a professional organization dedicated to the advancement of the GEM industry.

NAGAP offers membership to GEM professionals throughout the United States, Canada, and international countries. There are 649 colleges and universities in the United States that have at least one NAGAP member (NAGAP, 2017). This was calculated by examining the NAGAP membership directory and removing duplicate institutions represented in the membership list.

The researcher will obtain a stratified sample of public and private nonprofit colleges and universities in the United States for this study. After examining the NAGAP membership directory, there are 241 public and 253 private non-profit colleges and universities represented (NAGAP, 2017).

Institutions not included in this study are colleges and universities that are for-profit and two-year institutions in the United States. According to the sample size table adapted from Krejcie and Morgan (1970), the amount of

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Instruments The instruments to be used in this study are the Ruffalo Noel-Levitz 2016 E-Marketing Recruiting Practices Report and a demographic questionnaire.

Ruffalo Noel-Levitz (RNL), first founded in 1984 as Noel-Levitz, is a private company that delivers higher education research, services, and consulting to approximately 3,000 colleges and universities. In 2014, Noel-Levitz merged with RuffaloCODY, a leading higher education consulting firm, to expand their services and form what is now called Ruffalo Noel-Levitz. RNL focuses their services and expertise in the areas of enrollment management, student success, and fundraising management. This survey instrument has been used since 2014 by Ruffalo Noel-Levitz to collect information on undergraduate admissions e-marketing practices of colleges and universities in the United States. The questions asked in this survey instrument are broad enough where they do not specifically mention “undergraduate admissions,� thus the scope of these questions can be applied to investigate social

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media and e-marketing practices in graduate enrollment management.

A demographic questionnaire will be used to collect information on the background of the colleges or university and the questionnaire respondent.

Informed consent will be obtained via an IRB-approved form prior to any data collection. The RNL survey instrument will be verified for validity and reliability by a panel of industry experts for its use in this study. These experts will be graduate GEM professionals with administrative positions at their respective institutions. This research presents a less than minimal risk to participants other than the activities of their normal lives.

Data Analysis All data collected will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi square analysis (Patton, 2014). The researcher will use a chi square analysis in identifying correlations between the independent and dependent variables. The researcher will use a 95% confidence interval with a p<.05. The following are the sub-problems of the study identified by the researcher: 1. What social media practices are being used to recruit graduate students at four-year public nonprofit colleges and universities in the United States?

2. What social media practices are being used to recruit graduate students at four-year private nonprofit colleges and universities in the United States?

3. What are the differences between social media practices of public versus private four-year non-profit colleges and universities in the United States?

4. What e-marketing practices are being used to recruit graduate students at four-year public nonprofit colleges and universities in the United States? continued on the next page

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND E-MARKETING PRACTICES 5. What e-marketing practices are being used to recruit graduate students at four-year private nonprofit colleges and universities in the United States?

6. What are the differences between e-marketing practices of public versus private four-year non-profit colleges and universities in the United States?

Sub-problems 1, 2, 4, and 5 will be analyzed using frequency distribution and other descriptive statistics to capture social media and e-marketing practices at these institutions. Sub-problems 3 and 6 will be analyzed using a chi square analysis to determine any significant relationship between the two variables.

Other analysis can be completed looking at social media and e-marketing use by institutional demographics (institution size, geographic location, graduate enrollment marketing budget).

2000(89), 5-18.

Creswell, J. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA. Dixon, R. (1995). What is enrollment management? New Directions for Student Services, 1995(71), 5-10.

Durkin, M., McKenna, S., & Cummins, D. (2012). Emotional connections in higher education marketing. International Journal of Educational Management, 26(2), 153-161.

Greenwood, G. (2012). Examining the presence of social media on university web sites. Journal of College Admission, 216, 24-28.

Hemsley-Brown, J., & Oplatka, I. (2006).

Universities in a competitive global marketplace: A systematic review of the literature on higher education marketing. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 19(4), 316‑338.

Hossler, D. (1984). Enrollment management: An integrated approach. College Board Publications, New York, NY. Hussar, W.J., and Bailey, T.M. (2018).

Projections of Education Statistics to 2026 (NCES 2018-19). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.

Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Jackson, B. and Amparo, J. (2014). HBCU young alumni: paying it forward.

In Opportunities and Challenges at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (pp. 89-103). Palgrove Macmillan US. Kranzow, J., & Hyland, N. (2011).

Marketing Climate: New Considerations for Target Marketing in Graduate Student Enrollment Management.

Journal of College Admission, 211, 22-25.

Krejcie, R.V., and Morgan, D. W. (1970).

Determining sample size from for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607‑610.

Ivy, J. (2008). A new higher education marketing mix: the 7Ps for MBA marketing. International Journal of Educational Management, 22(4), 288‑299.

University in Scranton, PA. As per the researcher’s timeline, this study will be completed in the Fall 2018 and results from this study will be published thereafter. Results will be shared with NAGAP for dissemination to its membership. The results from this study will signify the importance of recruiting graduate students using social media and e-marketing techniques in hopes of GEM professionals integrating such practices into their strategic enrollment management plan to generate and maintain a healthy graduate student population at their respective institutions.

The researcher hopes this research will lay the foundation for further scholarly investigation into the field of gradate enrollment management as the graduate student population deserves the same dedicated resources and attention that undergraduate students receive. n

References

The researcher is completing this study in fulfillment of his doctoral dissertation.

The brief literature review presented in this paper is not the exhaustive doctoral literature review in its entirety. The study presented has been approved by the Exempt Review Committee at Marywood

Bontrager, B. (2004). Strategic enrollment management: Core strategies and best practices. College and University, 79(4), 9.

Brookes, M. (2003). Higher education: marketing in a quasi-commercial service industry. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 8(2), 134-142.

Canterbury, R. M. (2000). Higher education marketing: A challenge.

Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 9(3), 15-24.

Connor, C., LaFave, J., & Balayan, A. (2017). Integrated Interdependence: The Emergence of Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM). The National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals. Retrieved from https:// nagap.org/gem-resources/. Accessed October 11, 2017.

Constantinides, E., & Zinck Stagno, M. C. (2011). Potential of the social media as instruments of higher education marketing: A segmentation study.

Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 21(1), 7-24.

Coomes, M. D. (2000). The historical roots of enrollment management.

New Directions for Student Services,

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“The results from this study will signify the importance of recruiting graduate students using social media and e-marketing techniques in hopes of GEM professionals integrating such practices into their strategic enrollment management plan to generate and maintain a healthy graduate student population at their respective institutions.”

Discussion

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SOCIAL MEDIA AND E-MARKETING PRACTICES marketing-communication/ on February 18, 2018.

Rogers, G. (2014). How students (really) decide. Journal of College Admission, 223, 49-50.

Ruffalo Noel Levitz (2016). 2016 e-recruiting practices report for four-year and twoyear institutions. Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Ruffalo Noel Levitz. Retrieved from www.

RuffaloNL.com/BenchmarkReports on October 10, 2017.

Sandlin, J. K., & Peña, E. V. (2014). Building authenticity in social media tools to recruit postsecondary students. Innovative Higher Education, 39(4), 333-346.

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.

Stegmeir, M. (2015). Social strategy. Journal of College Admission, 229, pp 44-45.

Tinto, V. (2006). Research and practice of student retention: What next? Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 8(1), 1-19.

Williams, K. S. (2008). Graduate Enrollment Management: Leading

Litten, L. H. (1980). Marketing higher education: Benefits and risks for the American academic system. The Journal of Higher Education, 51(1), 40-59.

McAlexander, J.H., and Koenig, H.E. (2001). University experiences, the student-college relationship, and alumni support. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 10(3), 21-43.

National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (2017). GEM Resources. Retrieved from https:// nagap.org/gem-resources. Accessed October 11, 2017.

Nicolescu, L. (2009). Applying marketing to higher education: Scope and limits.

Management & Marketing, 4(2), pp.

35-44.

Patton, M. (2014). Understanding Research Methods: An Overview of the Essentials, 9th Edition. Pyrvzak Publishing, Glendale, GA. Reuben, R. (2008) The use of social media in higher education for marketing and communications: A guide for professionals in higher education. pp. 1-13. Accessed from http://www. rachelreuben.com/2008-08-19social-media-uses-higher-education-

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the Way to EM's Future. College and University, 83(4), 55.

About the Author Stanley J. Kania III, ABD, M.B.A., is a doctoral candidate in the Ph.D. Administration & Leadership Program at Marywood University in Scranton, PA. Mr. Kania has seven years of graduate enrollment management (GEM) experience and currently works at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine as the Enrollment Management Recruiter in Scranton, PA. He is a published researcher in the field of GEM and has presented his research in graduate enrollment management at various national and statewide conferences. Mr. Kania is also a recipient of the 2018 NAGAP Graduate Student Research Award and served as PAGAP Chapter President from 2016–2018. His research interests include social media and e-marketing practices in GEM, higher education leadership, and models of student retention in GEM.

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

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.

Check out the Volunteer Opportunities Page to learn more about the committees, organizational activities, and other projects for which you may volunteer your time.

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The Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management

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.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: GUILLERMO GONZALEZ

By Kittie Pain, McDaniel College For Guillermo, there is no other career besides higher education. It was a profession he stumbled into as a freshman at Texas A&M International University and he never looked back.

He has experienced all aspects of the industry from being a work-study student, to a graduate student employee, working in financial aid, and serving in undergraduate admissions. Though the majority of his time was in undergraduate admissions, he has recently embarked on a new adventure taking on the position of Director of Graduate Admissions and Recruitment nearly two years ago.

“When I found out that our Graduate School would go through restructuring, including a new dean, I was ready for a new challenge,” said Guillermo.

Among other challenges, Guillermo and his new dean have been working diligently to revamp policies, services, communications, partnerships, and financial aid. Guillermo didn’t know who to turn to or connect with for resources within Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM before a few colleagues recommended NAGAP. He has utilized NAGAP resources that NAGAP through the membership portal, relied on his TXGAP colleagues, and attended the Summer Institute in 2017, which, he says,

share with our program directors. Now, we can make more informed decisions backed by data.” Though the concept might seem simplistic, many on the undergraduate side rely on outside firms to give them the guidance or have more data readily available as the entire campus is combing through it, while the GEM side of institutions may have to dig and decipher data on their own.

Understanding data and applying it when needed is what helps inform where to spend marketing dollars in an effort to increase enrollment.

Guillermo Gonzalez “have all guided me in my new role. It is not unusual for me to refer to all these resources for guidance on a weekly basis when challenges arise.”

As Guillermo navigates GEM with the assistance of his NAGAP colleagues and the support of his dean, he continues try and improve his leadership skills by reading “Winning” by Jack Welch, former CEO and Chairman of General Electric.

He mentioned that he has found Welch’s practices interesting and very applicable to GEM as Guillermo strives to stay ahead of the next generation of students by adapting new technologies and practices in order to maintain recruitment and enrollment numbers. His active staff of five has seen results from their collective hard work and reorganization of processes and he reports that he’s seen an increase in graduate enrollment and efficiencies in other areas. n

While at the Summer Institute luncheon, Guillermo found himself next to the Keynote speaker, Dr. Hironao Okahana, Associate Vice President for Research and Policy Analysis at the Council of Graduate Schools. Dr. Okahana gave the table a preview of the data that he was going to present which set off bells and whistles to Guillermo. “I quickly learned the importance of utilizing data and using those analyses to make decisions. Thanks to this experience, I have been able to analyze graduate application data at our institution and

Join our growing community on NAGAP social media! Find us on Facebook, Twitter and on our new Instagram page (@nagaporg). We’ll be sharing membership photos, upcoming NAGAP events and organizational updates, and GEM-related news.

#TravelNAGAP Where in the world is NAGAP? It’s travel season again and we’re hosting our annual #TravelNAGAP contest! Share a picture of your recruitment travels on Instagram, Twitter or on Facebook using the hashtag #TravelNAGAP. Pictures will be added to a Facebook album and an Amazon gift card will be awarded to a randomly selected participant in November.

Bon Voyage!

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STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS FOR GRADUATE STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS

By Jennifer Kulbeck, Saint Mary’s College of California Funding opportunities for graduate students vary widely across disciplines and institutions, and come in many shapes and sizes—fellowships, grants, internships, scholarships, student loans, tuition remission, federal work study, and others. Some programs offer full tuition remission and research or teaching fellowship packages, while others give small institutional grants or scholarships and otherwise anticipate that their students will cover their tuition and living expenses out of pocket or with a financial aid package comprised largely of student loans and federal work study. Among the many programs with limited funding opportunities, some offer incoming student scholarships that support specific goals around academic and inclusive excellence, and have more limited scholarship awards for students after the first year. Others do not have any funding options for incoming students but offer scholarships, internships, or teaching fellowships for which students may apply after they have matriculated into the program.

overall value of the awards, not just the dollar value, and ensure each funding opportunity is positioned to be of greatest benefit to the student.

Do your scholarships support your recruitment goals?

If you see gaps in alignment between your funding awards and your recruitment priorities, how can you begin to shift them to be more closely linked?

If you do not award funding along with your admissions offers, identify the operational barriers and work toward a coordinated process and timeline. Students need to understand their financial commitments when they are deciding whether or not to accept your offer of admission. Aligning these pieces can result in a stronger yield of matriculants from your admitted applicant pool.

If your goals include recruiting an academically stronger cohort, but your incoming student grants are not based on any of your markers of academic strength (writing skills, GPA, test scores, etc.), consider adjusting the criteria for award decisions to include essay prompts or GPA and test score ranges.

“As you assess your current structure, consider the overall value

If you struggle in specific aspects of recruiting a diverse student body, consider earmarking a portion of your funding pool to a scholarship award in this area. For example, a scholarship that will support students engaged in research or fieldwork with local Hmong communities; or a paid internship involving academic coaching with undocumented high school students; or a teaching fellowship with undergraduate students who are the first in their families to attend college.

of the awards, not just the dollar value, and ensure each funding opportunity is positioned to be of greatest benefit to the student.”

Programs and institutions with limited funding opportunities can employ some simple strategies to make the most of their award packages. The following questions are posed to help shape an assessment of your current scholarship programs and other awards, and inform strategies to enhance their value for your graduate students. As you assess your current structure, consider the

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If your program hopes to attract a national applicant pool, but is still drawing interest primarily from the local area, consider targeting specific

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geographic areas and shaping your scholarship criteria or internship focus on themes or experiences associated with that region. These ideas are most fruitful when they are strongly linked to an academic discipline.

Do the funding opportunities align with program goals?

How do your scholarship awards contribute to the strength of the academic program, or help advance the program’s goals?

Awards with merit-based criteria can support goals around academic excellence, attracting and retaining strong academically-performing students—but that’s only one way to align these priorities. Fellowships and internships can support community engagement goals. For example, if an MFA program in printmaking is striving to increase community engagement, an internship at a non-profit organization or a social justice research fellowship could be positioned to consider printmaking as an act of protest—linking the creative and craft pieces with an assessment of effective social interventions.

Awards that require full-time enrollment can support goals around improving time-to-completion and graduation rates.

Scholarships that are linked to a specific theme or topic can contribute to a program’s goals around specific aspects of diversity and inclusion, special interest areas, research or service focus areas, or hallmarks of the program or the school.

An Innovation Award for Qualitative Research in Intercultural Communication, for example, can support a program’s goal to expand its student research projects beyond a traditional quantitative research focus in the discipline.

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STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS offer opportunities to integrate network-building, mentoring, and professional connections leading to career opportunities for your students.

As is true for most donor-funded awards, thank you letters from the student recipients enhance donor satisfaction and encourage future giving. Connecting donors (alumni, organizations, etc.) with the students who benefit from their scholarships can integrate fundraising goals with career development goals, which all serve to strengthen the program.

Do your awards support student success?

Consider whether or not the names of your awards offer meaningful and appropriate recognition for the student.

Would your students include your scholarship awards on their resumes?

Maybe they wouldn’t list “tuition remission” but they would proudly include “President’s Award for Service” because the name itself says something about the student’s unique contributions. If you have influence over the naming process for your awards, consider value-added names such as

CONTINUED renew each term or each year based on qualifying GPAs can incentivize academic performance, while awards that require faculty nomination or recommendation can incentivize students to engage with the faculty and become active members of their academic communities. Awards that extend beyond a student’s first year support healthy retention rates, time to completion, and student satisfaction—all of which contribute to new student recruitment and a program’s overall reputation.

“Dean’s Award of Excellence” rather than “merit award” or “Martin & Mary Scholarship for Distinguished Service and Professional Contributions to the Latinx Community” rather than “Martin & Mary Memorial Scholarship”.

Yes, financial awards for incoming students make significant contributions to recruitment goals, but too much emphasis on funding a student’s first year in the program can leave limited funding opportunities for students during the following years as they continue in the program. Consider retention and recruitment as equal priorities when shaping your funding packages. If you have strategically earmarked more than half of your funding pool to incoming student awards for the first year, think strategically about how to add as much value as possible to the more limited continuing student awards. Awards that

These are just a few ideas to consider aligning your funding opportunities with your goals to maximize the overall value for students. What other ideas do you have? Which colleagues can you engage in brainstorming, critical thinking, or strategic planning to better align your scholarship awards with outcomes that are most meaningful to your programs and students? How can you partner with other units on campus for the greatest possible support for your students? Sometimes a new lens and a few small modifications can extend the value proposition and stretch your funding opportunities beyond simply their dollar values. n

“These are just a few ideas to consider aligning your funding opportunities with your goals to maximize the overall value for students.”

Flash Feedback Flash Feedback is a new monthly survey driven by NAGAP member input to answer the questions you care about the most! Share your perspective on a variety of GEM topics and instantly see what your peers are saying, with current results displayed on screen after survey completion. Final results will be summarized and distributed monthly via email in NAGAP News with the release of each new poll.

To review prior Flash Feedback topics and results, please visit http://www.multibriefs.com/briefs/nagap/.

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STUDENT PERSPECTIVES: HOPELESSNESS UNHINGED Robbie’s story I first recognized I had a mental health problem after completing a mental health survey provided by our university Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). The survey identified that I could be suffering from moderate to severe depression. Its justification for this conclusion was a result of my positive responses to irregular eating and sleeping habits and a sense of hopelessness. The first two characteristics I chalked up to just being a graduate student, which I have since learned are dangerous to ignore as they are often the first symptoms of becoming depressed. The final one perplexed me.

My experiments were going well and I was collecting a reasonable amount of conclusive data. Upon further insight, with the assistance of a personal counselor seen weekly at CAPS, I realized my sense of hopelessness came from a lack of control and insufficient communication regarding the collaboration between my research advisor and myself. Furthermore, despite the ample amount of data collected, I was not being recognized for my work due to lack of publications or other tangible markers for successful research.

Robbie Hable

My mental health problems peaked after Thanksgiving break of my 5th year when I checked myself in to the local ER for depression and suicidal thoughts. The previous July I had successfully passed my comprehensive exam with honors, leaving only completion of my dissertation for me to graduate. That fall, however, I was still taking a rigorous course that required a significant time investment rather than writing my dissertation. It was frustrating and I couldn’t see an end in sight. Finally, the following spring, my research advisor admitted to prioritizing my time towards continuing data collection necessary for their grant instead of allowing me to work on my dissertation. This confirmed my suspicions but I didn’t understand why. I felt like I was being held hostage to generate data to further their career, not mine.

Despite the cynicism and negativity which I experienced, I have found a silver-lining to my mental health struggles. The most valuable thing I learned from my five-day stay at one of the best behavioral hospitals in the area is the importance of a recovery team. Wanting to overcome this without the use of anti-depressant medication, I quickly and easily identified close friends, family, and colleagues who would help and support me. To symbolize this self-identified community, I created and distributed wristbands. Besides other graduate students, department, school, and university staff members were some of the first people I gifted with a wristband. I wear my wristband 24/7 to continually remind myself of the strong support network cheering me on. Throughout my graduate student experience, staff have been the most attentive, supportive, and reliable colleagues I have had the pleasure of working with in every aspect of the student life-cycle.

Robbie Hable, PhD Candidate Chemical Engineering, University of Kansas

Response by Denise Bridwell, University of Kansas One would have to be living under a rock to be unaware of the fact that there is a mental health crisis in our country today. Graduate students, like Robbie, are not immune to that trend; data from an article in Inside Higher Ed, from March 2018, stated that graduate students are more than six times as likely to suffer from depression as the general population.1

crisis? It doesn’t really matter. Either way, we need to take action.

Contributing factors to a student’s feeling of hopelessness are: • Inferiority within power dynamics • Loss of control over their own degree • Fallible metrics of productivity or success • Undefined goals for the degree & their career • Lack of communication • Poor eating and sleeping habits • Inadequate work-life balance • Absence of a support system

Our universities should be taking note.

Are we doing something wrong or are we simply turning a blind eye to this

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It is easy for faculty, staff, and administrators to overlook what is right in front of us. It might be easy to chalk this up to normal graduate student life. The fact that we survived it and lived to tell the tale is not a valid reason to dismiss what these students are experiencing.

We can’t afford to think that it’s not our problem or that we can’t possibly make an impact on a problem of such epic proportion. I challenge you to be the change. One single person’s actions continued on the next page

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STUDENT PERSPECTIVES could be the difference between life and death, happiness and depression, healthy and stricken. The following paragraphs provide some ideas that each of us can employ to start changing the norm of graduate student realities.

Create a Supportive Environment Have an open door policy. Students need to know that there is a safe space that they can turn to when they are experiencing trials throughout their degree. You certainly do not need a psychology degree to simply listen and show empathy. Most often they just need guidance on how to solve a problem, whom to turn to if not you, or how to hold a difficult conversation. They often have such a narrow perspective that simply telling them how other students have managed similar situations or offering background information to the situation is generally all that is needed to ease their anxiety. It is also helpful to find ways to offer constructive criticism when needed, like the “compliment sandwich.”

Compliments are few and far between, especially from faculty to students, so be sure to tell them what they are doing right. Build their confidence and be open to receiving their criticism of you too.

Fear of Retaliation is Real Whether the concern is big or little, students are afraid that if they speak up there will be some sort of retaliation, especially if it involves faculty. They are convinced that all faculty talk to one another and they have no advocates for themselves. Ensure that they know whom they can talk to in situations like this. Try to find a staff person within each unit who could be a designated advocate as a part of their graduate support position, either in title or in function.

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voices heard and contribute to the direction of their degrees.

They will likely surprise you and the student may quite possibly become the teacher.”

that they are. It’s okay to have differing opinions or priorities but be vocal about what you are doing and why.

Don’t think of it as seeking the student’s approval; think of it as creating buy-in.

If they understand why you have asked them to spend time on something that seems to them to be irrelevant to their degree progress, they are more likely to remain optimistic, ask questions, and produce higher quality work.

Perhaps reform of the faculty promotion and tenure process could alleviate some of these factors. After all, the pressure to produce rolls downhill and it takes a lot of time and effort to train new students. But that’s another story.

Remember, graduate school should not be a dictatorship. Be the change.

Give students an opportunity to have their voices heard and contribute to the direction of their degrees. They will likely surprise you and the student may quite possibly become the teacher. n

Providing perspective to these situations is key. Many students get into the rhythm of academia and lose sight of why they are actually here. Even if they have established career goals, offering opportunities for professional development is a great way to keep them engaged and looking forward.

Having goals and a clear path towards achieving them can compensate for a multitude of woes. Professional development also produces better quality graduates. It’s a win-win.

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Be the change. Give students

Once the expectations are set, expect them to be followed. Have clear consequences if faculty or students violate these expectations. For instance, if faculty become repeat offenders, quit sending students to that lab or course and provide a mentor to help the offender develop new habits. Don’t put the onus on the student to hold faculty accountable.

This begins at orientation and should not stop until students are in cap and

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Educate Your People and Hold Them Accountable

While this seems rudimentary, it is a lost art. So many situations can be avoided by simply putting yourself in the student’s shoes and understanding why they are feeling or reacting the way

Establish Clear Expectations

“Remember, graduate school

gown. Expectation-setting should be more than just handing out a student handbook and wishing them good luck.

Most of these students are scared to death when they enter these doors; they often don’t know what they are doing.

Develop a short document outlining common expectations that can be distributed to both faculty and students as a baseline for conversation or offer workshops covering this material.

Include a list of questions for which students should be seeking answers within their first semester.

Endnote 1 (2018, March 6). Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/ news/2018/03/06/new-study-saysgraduate-students-mental-health-crisis

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THE YAYS AND NAYS OF PASSPORT PREP

By Caela Provost, University College Cork enrollment management adventures in Toronto…at least on the passport front.

Greetings fellow GEM professionals!

While I know we still have a few months until our annual conference in Toronto, I’m guessing that I’m not the only one anxiously counting the days until we convene as a group in Canada for our first conference outside of the U.S. As someone who travels almost 24/7 for work, I’m certainly no stranger to planning voyages both domestically and abroad. While I have undoubtedly made my fair share of travel planning faux pas over the years as an international educator and GEM professional, that doesn’t mean that you have to as well. In fact, I am going to make it my personal goal to ensure you are prepared for our

First and foremost, I would encourage all of you to do some individual research on both USPS.com at https://www.usps. com/international/passports.htm and on the U.S. Department of State site at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/ passports.html. Both sites have step by step information on obtaining passports for the first time or renewing a soon-to-expire passport. Reflecting on my own missteps and experience investigating the “dos and don’ts” over the years, I’d like to share what I’ve gleaned about the choices to YAY and the choices to NAY when it comes to passports. So, without further ado…

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Do your research ahead of time Start with the links above!

Procrastinate The earlier things are completed, the less expensive everything will be. Everyone likes saving money.

Make sure your passport is valid for up to 6 months after your trip abroad For this NAGAP Conference, be sure it is valid until October of 2019.

Get uncharacteristically dressed up or made-up for your passport photo You want to look like you in your photo. If you’re stuck, think about what you would normally wear to work.

Change and update your passport information if you legally change your name That means you, newlyweds!

Forget to make copies of original documentation for the application This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s actually one of the most commonly made mistakes!

Research the list of necessary documents for citizenship evidence to ensure you have what you need https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/ passports/requirements/citizenship-evidence.html

Assume the passport will arrive overnight Even a passport application expedited at an agency will take around 8 days to arrive… and this timeline is the exception, not the rule.

Normally, passports take at least 4 weeks to arrive.

Check to see if you need to renew by mail (Form DS-82) or apply in person (Form DS-11) See if you meet the requirements for mail renewal here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/ apply-renew-passport/renew-by-mail.html

Be afraid to ask the professionals for help Just as we would all expect students to ask us for GEM related assistance, we should all be open to asking the passport pros for their assistance. You can find their contact information here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/ contact-us/passports.html

2018–20 NAGAP GOVERNING BOARD 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 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 Executive Director Dana VanMeerhaeghe NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management

The Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management

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Directors Paula Baker

University of Minnesota Katherine Beczak

Rochester Institute of Technology Colleen L. Gabauer

Purdue University

CONTINUED more resources, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at caela.provost@ucc.ie.

While I know preparing for any trip can be a daunting task, I hope these tips give all of you some peace of mind about the passport process. If you have any additional questions, or are looking for

See you all soon…pour les francophones, à bientôt! n

Marcus Hanscom

Roger Williams University Jennifer Kulbeck

Saint Mary's College of California Raymond Lutzky

Cornell Tech

Check out the

Amanda Ostreko

University of Kansas

NAGAP Online Resource Center

Sara Pettingill

Bellarmine University

Featuring a database of holistic admissions resources as well as archived book reviews, GEM articles, webinars, doctoral research, and more.

Naronda Wright

Georgia Southern University

Publications Committee

nagap.org/online-education-resource-center

Denise Bridwell

University of Kansas Dave Fletcher

Barry University Marianne Gumpper

Fairfield University

UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Kate McConnell Pennsylvania State University Great Valley

Winter Institute for Advanced Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals

Kittie Pain

McDaniel College Caela Provost

University College Cork

January 17–18, 2019 San Juan, Puerto Rico nagap.org/2019-winter-pdi

Troy Sterk

Seattle University

2019 Annual Conference April 10–13, 2019 Toronto, Canada nagap.org/32nd-annual-conference

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INTERCULTURAL SOCIALIZATION: INTERCULTURAL PRACTICES TO SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDENTS1

By Catherine M. Johnson, Montana State University, NAGAP Research Grant Recipient The framework of intercultural practices for professionals and institutions began with the initial findings from my dissertation research. In brief, my dissertation research investigates the strength of relationship among factors of socialization and the extent to which socialization influences intercultural experiences in STEM. Several factors characterize socialization: social interactions with advisor and peers, cultural congruity, identity prominence, and intercultural experiences in STEM.

International Graduate Student Support A critical issue facing the Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM) community today concerns the well-being, safety, and security of international graduate students who are currently studying in the United States. This article aims to address a multi-faceted yet straightforward question relevant to the socialization of international graduate students: What are some common strategies and practices GEM professionals, graduate school deans, and scholars promote to support international graduate students throughout the lifecycle?

The Context of the Research Inquiry Using cross-sectional survey data from a National Science Foundation program

Intercultural Experiences and Socialization

Table 1 Description of Study Variables (n=927).

Variables

Coding/Range

M

SD

Intercultural Experiences Index

13.00-40.00

28.49

4.49

Professional Identity Index

3.00-15.00

12.04

2.16

Social Identity Index

3.00-15.00

11.77

2.27

Mentor’s Cultural Support Index

5.00-25.00

19.37

3.84

Mentor Advising Index

5.00-25.00

20.87

3.86

White/Caucasian (Reference)

0 = no; 1 = yes

10%

---

Arab/Middle Eastern

0 = no; 1 = yes

6%

---

Asian/Pacific Islander

0 = no; 1 = yes

66%

---

Black/African American

0 = no; 1 = yes

4%

---

Hispanic/Latino

0 = no; 1 = yes

8%

---

Other

0 = no; 1 = yes

6%

---

Males (Reference)

0

62%

---

Females

1

38%

---

Masters (Reference)

0

28%

---

Doctorate

1

72%

---

2.56

1.50

Individual Controls

Year in School

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1= year to 6=6 or more years

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called the Social Science Research Project (SSRP) of the PNW COSMOS Alliance,2 I examined the strength of association among socialization factors. In total, 1,085 international graduate students in STEM responded to the survey, for a final sample of 927 students that had complete data on all the variables. Table 1 shows a description of the study variables for my first set of analysis related to identity prominence and intercultural experiences in STEM. Twelve institutions were surveyed. Institutions were selected based on three criteria: Each participating institution was a doctoral degree-granting, research-intensive, and had well-developed support services for culturally diverse students.

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As a starting point, given the complex nature of graduate school pathways, understanding international graduate students’ experiences can provide us with insight into the cultural and behavioral norms embedded in American graduate education. All graduate students go through varying degrees of anticipatory socialization to prepare them for their professional fields. Critics assert graduate student socialization theory is too general and places too much emphasis on assimilation to the dominant group’s knowledge, behaviors, attitudes, and values (Antony, 2002).

Figure 1 provides the context that frames the analysis. Socialization is organized around interactions and experiences of international graduate students within STEM graduate education.

These interactions and experiences include intercultural experiences, social interactions, cultural congruity, and identity prominence. They are continued on the next page

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INTERCULTURAL SOCIALIZATION derived from cultural perspectives and socialization theory (Museus & Quaye, 2009; Weidman, Twale, & Stein, 2001).

Current socialization theories may rely on and expect students to compartmentalize or even detach from their culture of origin to successfully assimilate into the new academic culture. Therefore, adoption of an intercultural perspective is assumed to be better for understanding student perceptions of their cross-cultural interaction, both social and academic.

From this understanding, we can learn more about the factors that contribute to positive intercultural experiences.

Intercultural Experiences Intercultural experiences are defined as nonlinear, dynamic, and interactive processes through which an individual makes meaning, interacts, integrates, and learns the values, skills, attitudes, norms, and knowledge to participate in graduate school effectively. Intercultural experiences in this survey encompass cultural conflict, cultural dissonance, and the connection to cultural representatives that students encounter and the influence of those interactions on their well-being and success.

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and its contribution to who they are and the role that culture plays in social interactions in a different cultural setting (Gloria & Rodriguez, 2000).

Initial Findings Two research questions guided my initial analysis on the socialization of international graduate students and the impact of identity and advisor interactions on intercultural experiences in STEM. First, to what extent does a strong social and professional identity influence more favorable intercultural socialization experiences for international graduate students in STEM degree programs?

Second, to what extent does a strong social and professional identities and having supportive mentors influence more favorable intercultural socialization experiences for international graduate students?

Identity Prominence Identity prominence is operationalized through the professional and social identities that students have indicated are important to them. Identity formation is a reflexive process in which an individual develops through the roles they assume, the meanings of those roles, and the interactions that take place as part of a member of that group. A person’s professional and social and cultural identities are integral to the socialization process. Therefore, international students’ cultural and professional identities may influence how students perceive the socialization process (Weidman, Angelo, & Bethea, 2014). International graduate students’ identities interrelate with their role as protégé and their anticipatory roles as a faculty member, STEM professional, and supervisor. These roles form expectations of how these peer and advisor relationships should look.

Identity prominence is operationalized as social and professional identity.

One of my research goals was to determine if international graduate students who have a strong professional and social identity are more favorable towards intercultural socialization experiences in STEM. Moreover, another was to see if there is any significance between international graduate students who have strong social and personal identities and have supportive mentors are more favorable towards intercultural socialization continued on the next page

Social Interactions Social interactions are another integral aspect of socialization and assumes others are involved. These others can be advisors and peers who act as socialization agents in that they model the expected behaviors, values, and attitudes of the role of the specific department and the disciplinary home.

These experiences include the everyday social interactions students have with a faculty mentor, peers, and the university.

Social interactions are operationalized as mentor’s cultural support, advising, and peer interactions.

Figure 1 Conceptual Model of Study Variables

Cultural Congruity Cultural congruity attempts to explain in what way students perceive how others accept and value their culture of origin

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• The demographic characteristics of the students have very little influence on these outcomes and fail to capture any of the relationships among the main variables.

• Institutional characteristics are much more important than individual characteristics in accounting for our

experiences in STEM. Here is a brief synopsis of my initial findings: • Students’ levels of intercultural experiences in STEM are positively associated with social identity and mentor’s cultural support but not with the other main indices—professional identity and mentor advising.

Table 2 SSRG Graduate Student Experience: Survey Scales and Items

Scales

Intercultural Experiences Scale (5 Items)

Social Interactions Mentor Interactions (10 Items) Peer Interactions (7 Items)

Cultural Congruity (9 items)

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Survey Items • My experiences in STEM are shaped by my cultural meaning systems.

• I have a strong cultural identity that guides the meanings that I attach to my interest in STEM. • It is important for me to see how my culture of origin aligns with the STEM environment.

• I experience very few cultural conflicts with my STEM education.

• Graduate students who experience cultural conflict must adjust to the dominant culture on the campus or have good connections at their university with cultural representatives to be persistent.

Mentor Interactions • Is interested in me beyond my academic role (what I can contribute academically.)

• Is tolerant about any cultural differences between us.

• Appreciates cultural diversity.

• Is friendly toward my family.

• Is regularly available for advising.

• Meets with me to discuss research.

• Is interested in my goals and projects.

• Provides constructive criticism on my project/research.

• Returns my work in a timely manner.

Peer Interactions • Since coming to this university I have developed close personal relationships with other students.

• The student friendships I have developed at this university have been personally satisfying.

• My interpersonal relationships with other students have had a positive influence on my personal growth, attitudes, and values.

• My interpersonal relationships with other students have had a positive influence on my intellectual growth and interests in ideas.

• It has been difficult for me to meet and make friends with other students.

• Students would be willing to listen to me and help if I had personal problems.

• I am more likely to attend a cultural event (for example, a concert, lecture, or art show) now than I was before coming to this university.

• I feel that I have to change myself to fit in.

• I try not to show the people around me who I really am.

• I often feel like a chameleon, having to change who I am depending on the person I am with.

• I feel that I am compatible with other students.

• I can talk to my university/college friends about my family back home.

• My personal values are in conflict with what is expected at school.

• The way I speak and/or my physical appearance make it hard for me to fit in with other students.

• I feel as if I belong on this campus.

• I can talk to my family back home about my struggles and concerns at school.

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international students’ intercultural experiences in STEM.

A Framework of Intercultural Practices These initial findings have implications for faculty, administrators, and GEM professionals who work to recruit, support, and mentor international students. These initial findings warranted further exploration into the ways institutions meet the cultural needs and validate cultural aspects throughout a student’s lifecycle. Building on this new line of research on the intercultural socialization of international graduate students, I embarked on a journey to trace the initial inceptions and intellectual developments that inform applied practice at graduate schools for international students. Common strategies and methods of GEM professionals, graduate school deans, and scholars to support international graduate students throughout the student lifecycle were identified, categorized, and synthesized for a broader audience.

Intercultural experiences, social interactions, and cultural congruity continued to function as core concepts and helped to organize the collection of intercultural practices for GEM professionals and institutions. A document analysis of Perspectives newsmagazine issues between fall 2014 and summer 2018 revealed distinct trends in the GEM field related to international graduate students. Observations and field notes from presentations and interactions with GEM professionals and graduate school deans at the 2017 Council of Graduate School’s annual meeting and NAGAP’s 2018 annual conference helped to triangulate the findings from the document analysis.

The content analysis of documents, field notes, and observations led to the emergence of some themes. I then aligned emergent themes with continued on the next page

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INTERCULTURAL SOCIALIZATION the concepts related to socialization.

The document review gave rise to a collective understanding of the issues and practices professionals and institutions were encountering. Some example activities institutions engage to meet the cultural needs of these students are cataloged as practices in the framework of intercultural practices for GEM professionals and institutions to support international graduate students.

Intercultural Socialization in Action

Given the importance of incorporating theory into practice, I join the concepts of intercultural experiences, social interactions, and cultural congruity with examples of intercultural practices in Table 3.

Implications for Policy and Practice: Importance of Cultural Connections The extent to which culture is relevant during the socialization process of international graduate students is

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imperative from multiple perspectives.

Within the STEM global context, international graduate students diversify STEM fields. Moreover, nationally, the impact of “brain drain,” loss of skilled human capital from one country for

another, on the U.S. economy is of real concern (Choudaha, 2017). A negative experience in the U.S. may make it less likely that an international student will continued on the next page

Table 3 A framework of intercultural practices for GEM professionals and institutions to support International Graduate Students FRAMEWORK OF INTERCULTURAL PRACTICES Mindset • Behaviors • Actions

In support of NAGAP’s commitment to advance the GEM model to support members from “concept into practice,” I offer a framework of intercultural practices that synthesizes members’ actions and activities of institutions who support international students throughout the student lifecycle (Kulbeck & Ramsdell, 2018). Given the political climate, multi-tiered student support is offered.

The framework presented in this article is by no means exhaustive. I shared the framework with professionals that directly support international graduate students to prompt more discussion. The framework functions as a living document to be shared, adjusted, and used by NAGAP’s international committee and the membership at large. The framework includes applied practices from graduate school programs and institutions throughout the U.S. and Canada. For example, Todoran (2018) highlights several strategies for GEM professionals and other stakeholders in graduate education. The framework includes these practices.

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Themes Related to Concepts INTERCULTURAL EXPERIENCES Know yourself, know your institution, and most importantly know your students Embrace cultural integrity and welcome multiple perspectives Different institutions have different perspectives that are informed by the socio‑political climate of the environment

SOCIAL INTERACTIONS Family support Faculty, Peer, and Alumni Networks Campus-wide support Build intellectual & cultural community

CULTURAL CONGRUITY Student support Safety and security Shifting student needs and career expectations

GEM Professional and Institutional Practices • Show interest in a student’s culture, understand existing cultural differences and respect their academic contributions.

• Learn more about languages, cultures, histories, and governments of students.

• Recognize distinct and unique cultures of students.

• Identify existing intercultural socialization opportunities for students.

• Create events that promote international student research to the local community, e.g., colloquium series.

• Connect incoming students with multiple mentors, i.e., international peer, program peer, and community member.

• Design and develop institutional strategies that address the anticipated, shifting, and current needs of international students.

• Exchange competitive mindset for a collaborative one.

• Acknowledge and involve family, e.g., develop informational materials for spouses/parents.

• Provide multiple orientations, begin early, e.g., make virtual office hours available.

• Offer intensive English program, academic writing, and statistics support early and inform students of these services often.

• Help faculty to understand current trends international students face, i.e., financial insecurity and stress, travel uncertainty, and hostile political climate.

• Connect students to academic networks that communicate expectations of the academic and social milieu.

• Collaborate across units to implement a multi-tiered system of supports that include faculty mentor, peers, program, international office, student health, and residence life.

• Foster ongoing engagement with the local community.

• Pool resources to institutionalize essential support mechanisms.

• Hire dedicated and knowledgeable personnel for legal and health policy, i.e., visa/immigration regulations support, affordable health care and insurance needs, and counseling support.

• Help students acclimate to the community with practical amenities, e.g., airport shuttle, grocery and mall shopping shuttle bus on the weekend.

• Embed intercultural competency or conflict resolution training in GRE/Faculty training on racial/national micro-aggressions.

• Include international and U.S. job market professional development workshops on the transferability of skills to careers prospects in the home and host country.

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empowered to communicate, train and perhaps implement program supports centrally but, more importantly, can help to improve systems, processes and programs as advocates for graduate students. Understanding perceptions of the socialization experiences in STEM and culture can help institutions implement healthier practices for international graduate students. n

remain in the U.S. leading to the loss of critical talent, diminishing STEM innovation.

A recent study found international graduate students have several concerns, including safety and security related to health costs, shifting visa and immigration regulations, and a lack of interactions across cultures (Todoran, 2018). An increased understanding of the cultural connections among factors of socialization in U.S. and Canadian institutions is vital to the well-being of international people to STEM. Linguistic and cultural disconnection disadvantages international graduate students. A mismatch of values and miscommunications can diminish cultural integrity and sense of belonging in graduate school.

References Antony, J. S. (2002). Reexamining doctoral student socialization and professional development: Moving beyond the congruence and assimilation orientation. In Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (pp. 349–380). Springer.

Carlone, H. B., & Johnson, A. (2007).

Understanding the science experiences of successful women of color: Science identity as an analytic lens. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(8), 1187–1218. https://doi.org/10.1002/ tea.20237 Chemers, M. M., Zurbriggen, E. L., Syed, M., Goza, B. K., & Bearman, S. (2011).

The role of efficacy and identity in science career commitment among underrepresented minority students.

Journal of Social Issues, 67(3), 469–491. https://doi.org/10.1111/ j.1540-4560.2011.01710.x Choudaha, R. (2017). Three waves of international student mobility (1999– 2020). Studies in Higher Education, 42(5), 825–832. Retrieved from http:// 10.0.4.56/03075079.2017.1293872 Gloria, A. M., & Robinson Kurpius, S. E. (1996). The validation of the cultural congruity scale and the university environment scale with Chicano/a students. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 18(4), 533–549. https://doi. org/10.1177/07399863960184007 Museus, S. D., & Quaye, S. J. (2009).

Toward an intercultural perspective of racial and ethnic minority college student persistence. The Review of Higher Education, 33(1), 67–94. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.0.0107 Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (1980).

Predicting freshman persistence

Future Actions and Directions for Research Before improvements on international graduate students’ socialization experiences in STEM can happen, a review of current attitudes and perceptions towards those interactions at more American universities is critical.

Future studies can investigate the utility of adapting and implementing the PNW COSMOS Graduate Student Experience survey instrument to better assess issues related to well-being, identity, and disciplinary culture in STEM at the graduate level in different institutional contexts. Future research may also explore the role of culture as it relates to disciplinary differences in STEM, institutional type, and country of origin. Making known the strength of the relationships between socialization and intercultural experiences for international graduate students and can provide profound insights into essential features and pivotal points of the degree process that professionals can improve.

These initial findings intend to inform multiple groups, especially GEM professionals, who are on the front lines of graduate recruitment and influential communicators of the unique needs of international graduate students. GEM professionals can be

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voluntary dropout decisions from a theoretical model. The Journal of Higher Education, 51(1), 60–75. https://doi.org/10.2307/1981125 Phinney, J. S. (1992). The multigroup ethnic identity measure: A new scale for use with diverse groups.

Journal of Adolescent Research, 7(2), 156–176. https://doi. org/10.1177/074355489272003 Stryker, S., & Serpe, R. T. (1994).

Identity salience and psychological centrality: Equivalent, overlapping, or complementary concepts? Social Psychology Quarterly, 57(1), 16–35. https://doi.org/10.2307/2786972 Todoran, C. (2018). Figured Worlds: A Comparative Analysis of International Doctoral Students’ Experiences in the US Academic Setting. North Dakota State University.

Weidman, J. C., Twale, D. J., & Stein, E. L. (2001). Socialization of graduate and professional students in higher education: A perilous passage? ASHEERIC Higher Education Report, 28(3), 120.

Framework References Acevedo, L. (2015, Summer). Cultural sensitivity in graduate programs: A new approach to student support— adapting to a global culture. NAGAP Perspectives, 27(3), p. 24.

Aulenback, G. (2015, Spring). Supporting the transition of international graduate students pre and post-arrival on campus. NAGAP Perspectives, 27(2), pp. 12-13.

Cheney, J. & Vu, B. (2016, Summer).

English isn’t the only thing holding back international student success: Why culture, social, and classroom success also matter. p. 30. NAGAP Perspectives, 28(2), p. 30.

Choudaha, R., Chatham, D., Rock, T., & Jewell Winn, J. (2016, Summer).

Metrics of international student success: From inputs to outcomes.

NAGAP Perspectives, 28(2), p. 20.

Choudaha, R. & Di Hu, D. (2017, Spring).

12 Strategies for building a capacity for international graduate student career success. NAGAP Perspectives, 29(1), pp. 5-8. continued on the next page

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INTERCULTURAL SOCIALIZATION Choudaha, R., Council, T., Harley, S. & Vakman, M. (2018, Summer).

Innovative strategies for recruiting and supporting international students: What works, what doesn’t. NAGAP Perspectives, 30(2), p. 26.

Porter, S., Flowers, G., & Weinberg, J. (2017, December). Attracting and supporting international students.

Pre-conference workshop presented at the annual meeting of the Council for Graduate Schools, Scottsdale, AZ. Lisko, M. & Lutzky, R. (2016, Spring).

Desperately seeking SEVIS: A “cheat sheet” for GEM professionals. NAGAP Perspectives, 28(1), pp. 13-14.

Miller, E., Lersch, M. & Loo, B. (2018, Summer). Creating inclusive spaces for international students to succeed in messaging and in career outcomes in the GEM life cycle. NAGAP Perspectives, 30(2), p. 65.

Pavlik, A. (Fall, 2017). Personalize recruitment efforts and resources to appeal to international students.

NAGAP Perspectives, 29(3), pp. 14-15.

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Resnick, D.A., Thompson, M.A., & Williams, K.S. (2016, Fall). The ethics corner Gem as an institutional conscience: A transparent glass box.

NAGAP Perspectives, 28(3), pp. 7-8.

Schulmann. P. (2018, Spring).

International graduate students’ experiences with agents: What institutions need to know. NAGAP Perspectives, 30(1), pp.20-23.

Todoran, C. (2018, Spring). Meeting the needs of international doctoral students across disciplines. NAGAP Perspectives, 30(1), pp. 34-37.

Tse, E. & Green, K. (2015, Fall).

Uncovering fraud: The review process for International transcripts and diplomas.

NAGAP Perspectives, 27(4), pp. 22-25.

supported by Collaborative Research: The Pacific Northwest Alliance to develop, implement and study a STEM Graduate Education Model for American Indians and Native Alaskans. This is an AGEP-T: Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate—Transformation under HRD grants #1432932 (Washington State University), #1432910 (University of Idaho), #1432694 (University of Montana), and #1431773 (Montana State University). 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.

2 Pacific Northwest Circle of Success: Mentoring Opportunities in STEM (PNW-COSMOS) is an Alliance funded in 2014 by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate—Transformation (AGEP-T) program.

Endnotes 1 The primary sponsor for PNWCOSMOS is the National Science Foundation (NSF), Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), Division of Human Resource Development (HRD). This project is

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PARTNERSHIPS AND PROGRAMMING TO INCREASE DIVERSITY IN GRADUATE EDUCATION IN PUBLIC POLICY AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

By Simone Gbolo, University of Minnesota, NAGAP Research Grant Recipient current literature finds programming that addresses what resources are needed to support underrepresented students successfully is vital to the execution and success of diversity pathways (AllenRamdial & Campbell, 2014; Camacho, Zangaro, & White, 2017; Formicola, Bailit, D'Abreu, Stavisky, Bau, Zamora, & Treadwell, 2009; Pender et al., 2010).

These programs exist in the form of early intervention initiatives such as academic preparation, admissions coaching, standardized test preparation, summer bridge programs, professional training, and research programs (Nsiah-Kumi & Pamies, 2009; Strayhorn, 2011).

However, while current higher education literature notes the importance of student diversity in college and university settings, it lacks narratives surrounding the effects of diversity pathways initiatives for diverse students pursuing advanced degrees. Moreover, how these diversity pipelines have fostered and influenced student aspirations towards pursuing higher education and how their physical representation on campuses affect campus environments needs to be examined (Anderson, 2008; Farmbry, 2007; Siegel, 2006).

Introduction As society advances, the concern with racial equity, social progress, and educational opportunities for those from historically underrepresented minority groups persists. One key issue yet to be discussed in depth is the continued lack of representation for historically underrepresented students in graduate education. To remediate this, institutions have developed programmatic initiatives, such as diversity pathway initiatives, that provide support, access, and resources to groups who have historically lacked access to graduate level education (Allen-Ramdial & Campbell, 2014; Pender, Marcotte, Domingo, & Maton, 2010; Rothstein, 2011; Strayhorn, 2011).

“The inclusion of those considered underrepresented is a responsibility of the institution, to eliminate the social stratification of groups that have not been included, and requires a deeper level of commitment.”

Diversity pathway initiatives that specifically focus cultivation toward an area of graduate study have been established in higher education to address racial inequities in areas of study and in career sectors that have historically lacked representation.

Although they are complex concepts, diversity, inclusion, and equity are central to institutions of higher education and such institutions have demonstrated commitment through statements integrated into the mission and goals of the institution. The inclusion of those considered underrepresented is a responsibility of the institution, to eliminate the social stratification of groups that have not been included, and

Diversity pathway initiatives in higher education currently exist in a variety of forms and span across all disciplines.

Many of these programs focus on access at the post-secondary level and the transition to a variety of advanced professional education fields such as medical, legal, science, and engineering.

Current literature in the areas of student recruitment, community outreach, college partnerships, coaching, mentoring, and staff/faculty support analyze best practices for increasing the enrollment of diverse graduate students and maintaining retention. In addition,

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requires a deeper level of commitment (Anderson, 2008).

Need for Understanding Diversity Pathways Drawing from this need for further research on diversity pipelines in graduate education, the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) program cultivates public service leaders from diverse backgrounds to go into leadership roles thus shaping public policy and international affairs. As a non-profit, the PPIA program has three pillars: the Junior Summer Insititute (JSI), the graduate school consortium, and an alumni network offering support. The Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship program has been in place for close to 40 years as a nonprofit whose mission is focused on increasing diversity in public service.

The PPIA fellowship program has utilized as its main program the Junior Summer Institute (JSI) fellowship for undergraduate students: a partnership between schools of public policy and international relations to host a sevenweek rigorous preparation for a graduate school program. The five JSI programs provide rigorous training and financial support for graduate school. During the seven-week program, participants are engaged in faculty-led graduate-level coursework in statistics, quantitative, qualitative, and policy analysis. Also, participants take part in site visits to local, state, and federal organizations including non-profits. Panel presentations in addition to guest lectures from notable public servants and PPIA alumni are incorporated in the program. Lastly, the JSI is meant to provide participants a sneak preview into what they would experience in a public affairs and international relations graduate program. continued on the next page

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PARTNERSHIPS AND PROGRAMMING Participants also take part in a Graduate Record Examination (GRE) preparatory course. When the seven weeks close, participants deliver their capstone presentation based on their summer research. Final coursework transcripts and assessments of performance regarding their readiness for graduate school are issued to participants.

Undergraduates apply to the program in the fall of their junior year. The application process is rigorous, and applicants submit multiple statements responding to questions about their commitment to public service and interest in the program. Applicants also submit a resume, a list of service activities, and financial documents from their parents or school. Additionally, they are required to submit the names of two individuals who can speak to their service, academics, and can provide a letter of recommendation.

Once an application is submitted, it goes through a review by the admissions committee.

The PPIA graduate school consortium is made up of over 50 public policy and international affairs programs across the country. These institutions through membership are dedicated to the mission of PPIA and committed to increasing diversity and inclusion in public service.

Through their relationship with PPIA, these policy schools are required to offer applicants an apllication fee waiver and a one-time scholarship award of $5,000.

Most schools have the resources to provide well above the $5,000 minimum and additional support—from application through matriculation.

Lastly, the PPIA alumni network provides of over 4,000 former fellows to engage with through events, social media, internships or job announcements, and other opportunities. Activities of the alumni include but are not limited to; regional chapters, mixers and receptions, JSI outreach in their communities, and opportunities for personal and professional development.

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The Public Policy and International Affairs program has demonstrated its impact over the years. A study conducted by the organization found 92% of past participants felt the financial resources provided to them offered the support they needed to enroll into public policy and international affairs graduate programs.

Of the alumni surveyed, 80% pursued a degree in public policy or international affairs and 83% credited the program as influential to their educational achievement (PPIA, 2017).

Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Fellowship program’s seven-week program for graduate school were interviewed. The interviews conducted were between 30–45 minutes and scheduled over the phone with each participant. All interviews, with participant permission, were recorded.

Participants were identified through a pre-screening survey administered to the alumni base of the program by way of social media, an alumni listserve, and alumni referrals. The 25 selected participants were currently enrolled in graduate school or had graduated from graduate school within the last year.

The study aimed to capture participants’ experiences and reflections during a time in which they would still be able to identify how the program shaped their graduate school experience.

This study was designed to understand the student’s perspective after participation in a seven-week rigorous preparation program that resulted in successful matriculation to graduate school. Exploration of how a program such as PPIA provides pathways for students is important in order to understand the impact of developing diversity pathways and examine how students experience success and are positioned for additional advancement opportunities.

The questions were designed to examine broad areas of the program including motivations towards graduate school, the influence the rigorous program had on their pathway to graduate school, and key aspects of the program that affected their graduate school trajectory:

Research Questions Drawing from the necessity for a further examination of diversity initiatives that support graduate and professional degrees for historically underrepresented minority students, the research focused on several key questions.

1. How has the seven-week rigorous preparation for graduate school pipeline program (JSI) prepared participants for graduate study in public policy or international affairs?

2. What key components have influenced participants’ motivations towards pursuing public policy or international affairs graduate program?

• Why is there a need for diversity pipeline initiatives supporting underrepresented minority students’ aspirations towards graduate education?

• How have diversity pipelines influenced a student’s trajectory toward fields that lack representation of historically underrepresented groups?

• What are historically underrepresented students’ motivations to attend graduate school?

3. What are/were their motivations to pursue graduate school?

Interviews were transcribed, and the data was coded into topic areas including motivation, navigation, community of support, and competitiveness. Core areas were crossed examined from the data and six consistent core themes emerged.

Methods To begin answering these questions, a qualitative study was developed and participants who completed the Public

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direction, support, and career exposure to those who may not have access to navigating graduate education. These tools for navigation are vital for the success of those from underrepresented or marginalized populations. Another participant noted,

Findings Although there were many key themes that developed from the interviews, participants noted the following: 1. The program affirmed that graduate education was a viable option for participants.

“Being a first-gen student, the first to go to college, I did not know that grad school existed until I went to college. So when I heard about grad school, I was like what do you mean I have to go to more school? But once I found that out I was confused as to how to get to grad school, what it was, and would I be qualified to go? I knew that I was very curious and wanted to learn more…I learned that in graduate school I would have the time and space to explore my questions in more depth.”

2. The program provided a valuable, established, and supportive network that participants could connect to and rely on.

3. The program positioned participants competitively for other opportunities.

4. The program provided training of viable skills that were applicable and could be utilized right away.

5. The program helped to solidify career aspirations.

6. The participants found the program to be life-changing as the information and resources required in the program positioned them to make informed decisions about both academic and professional aspirations.

The value of participants seeing themselves as competitive applicants and future graduate students capable of doing graduate level work that was applicable right away as a result of the program was important to the journey of pursuing graduate school. Another participant noted,

Overall the PPIA program proved to be valuable at a high-level influencing participant’s academic and professional trajectories. The program did not only prepare participants for graduate school, but it helped participants to see graduate school as an option worth pursuing and that they are competitive for admission. As one participant noted,

“It gave me exposure to the causes and concepts so that it would not seem foreign when I decided to attend graduate school. I came in knowing how to write a policy memo.”

“The program was great and a lot of work, but when I got there it showed me that I could be in a graduate school environment and it demystified what graduate school was particularly as a first-generation student, and as I engaged in the coursework, that I could do graduate-level work. This affirmed my sense of belonging in graduate programs as a first generation student of color.”

Lastly, the community that was established and fostered during the program created a community that lasted beyond the experience that later served as a supportive social network.

Another participant noted, “The students came from very diverse backgrounds, and one of the best experiences was the collegiality we had among ourselves, we build a strong family that I am still in touch

These findings support the development of pathway programs that provide

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with. I reach out to them all the time and when I am thinking of making next big steps, we stay connected to each other no matter what part of the world we live.”

The networks participants established lasted beyond the experience of the program and provided another resource to support participants in navigating spaces they would encounter after the program. From the themes that emerged, participants also noted lacking representation, feeling like an imposter, and developing a sense of belonging as key components of their graduate experience.

“Opportunities presented as a result of this study suggest the development of asset-based frameworks and language that motivate and allow those who are underrepresented to feel less marginalized.”

Discussion The participants of this program demonstrated they were competitive and could handle the rigor of graduate school through the application process.

This implies these participants may have been successful in what they pursued as undergraduates and successful in careers post-undergraduate graduation.

Further implications would consider examining what other programs participants were engaged in before and after the program that may have had an impact on their motivations toward graduate school.

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PARTNERSHIPS AND PROGRAMMING of influence that other programs may have had on the participants.

This makes it a challenge to attribute one initiative to the outcomes of the participants. Also, this study does not examine participants prior, postacademic, or professional behavior that may have influenced their interest in advanced education.

Opportunities presented as a result of this study suggest the development of asset-based frameworks and language that motivate and allow those who are underrepresented to feel less marginalized. New frameworks may present the opportunity to create access instead of barriers that prohibit individuals from seeking out advanced education opportunities.

Lastly, diversity pathways and the narrative around the pretentiousness of advanced education should be further examined. n

CONTINUED The Why, What, and How of Pipeline Programs to Increase Diversity in Legal Education and the Legal Profession. JL & Educ., 40, 551.

Siegel, D. J. (2006). Organizational response to the demand and expectation for diversity. Higher education, 52(3), 465-486.

Strayhorn, T. L. (2011). Bridging the pipeline: Increasing underrepresented students’ preparation for college through a summer bridge program. American Behavioral Scientist, 55(2), 142-159.

Nsiah-Kumi, P. A., & Pamies, R. J. (2009).

Pipeline programs in the health professions, part 1: preserving diversity and reducing health disparities. Journal of the National Medical Association, 101(9), 836.

Pender, M., Marcotte, D. E., Domingo, M. R. S., & Maton, K. I. (2010). The STEM pipeline: The role of summer research experience in minority students’ Ph.D. aspirations. education policy analysis archives, 18(30), 1.

Rothstein, L. (2011). Shaping the Tributary:

References Allen-Ramdial, S. A. A., & Campbell, A. G. (2014). Reimagining the pipeline: Advancing STEM diversity, persistence, and success. BioScience, 64(7), 612618.

Anderson, J. A. (2008). Driving change through diversity and globalization: Transformative leadership in the academy. Stylus Publishing, LLC. Camacho, A., Zangaro, G., & White, K. M. (2017). Diversifying the healthcare workforce begins at the pipeline: a 5-year synthesis of processes and outputs of the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program.

Evaluation & the health professions, 40(2), 127-150.

Farmbry, K. (2007). Expanding the pipeline: Explorations on diversifying the professoriate. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 115-132.

Formicola, A., Bailit, H., D’Abreu, K., Stavisky, J., Bau, I., Zamora, G., & Treadwell, H. (2009). The dental pipeline program's impact on access disparities and student diversity.

The Journal of the American Dental Association, 140(3), 346-353.

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Stop Recruiting, Start Engaging CBE, MARKETING AUTOMATION BUILT SPECIFICALLY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION Graduate and Professional Studies prospective students already have their masters in navigating your website.

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HOW GRADUATE STUDIES AT WESTERN UNIVERSITY CREATED AND IMPLEMENTED AN APPLICATION SYSTEM

By Teri Hern, University of Western Ontario In 2003, the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) at the University of Western Ontario released our own application system through PeopleSoft. This article is a brief outline of the process we took and some of our successes and challenges.

and require documents that were not required by other program. We were directing applicants to program pages where they could find a list of required documents for their graduate application.

SGPS and graduate programs were becoming increasingly frustrated with the limitations of our third party application service. It was decided that SGPS would create an application using the tools available in PeopleSoft.

Background Since 2002 SGPS has relied on a third party application service. This service “pushed” submitted applications into our student information system (PeopleSoft) and our document management system.

We also had a home grown reference system that would email referees and allow them to submit an electronic reference. Other paper documents such as transcripts, resumes, writing samples, etc. were sent directly to the program.

Once the program made a decision the application was forwarded to SGPS for processing.

Beginning the process We knew it was important for all stakeholders to feel involved in the project. We began by holding town hall meetings, and meeting with departments, to find out what they would want in an application. We wanted to assure stakeholders that we would continue to involve them throughout the design and implementation of the application.

Although we were able to make the system work it was far from ideal. Some of the significant challenges we faced were:

We also saw this as an opportunity.

Not just to build a new application, but also to look at our admissions process entirely. We wanted to map out the ideal admissions process and build the technology to support it, rather than building a process to fit with technology.

While looking at our procedures we realized some were outdated and others were getting in the way of progress.

For example, our office required that applicants provide an official hard copy transcript before we would review their application. We knew if we wanted to have system where the applicant could complete their entire application online we would have to update this policy. We decided to allow applicants to upload a scanned copy of their transcript or academic record and we will assess their application. Candidates who are offered admission then have a condition on their offer stating they must provide an official transcript before they can register.

• Building services to accommodate the third party application. This included a reference system and a web portal for programs to communicate to SGPS admission decisions.

• No complete application file existed in one place. References could be found in the reference system, some paper documents were scanned into their electronic file, and some were left in the paper file in the Graduate program office.

• Limited access to data. Because application documents were sent directly to each program we never had a clear picture of how many completed applications we received. We also had no access to in-progress applications as the third party provider sent us only completed and paid for applications.

• No ability to customize. Graduate programs needed a way to provide specific information to their applicants

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We also decided to change the flow of applications. As mentioned, SGPS used to process applications only once the program indicated they wished to offer a student admission. This meant during busy times there was often a long queue of applications waiting to be processed

by SGPS, which left applicants waiting for an official offer. It turned out that this model of processing applications was in place because there was a time that SGPS reviewed applications for final approval before a student could be admitted. Since that had been changed, and programs now had the final decision regarding admission decisions, we opted for a new application workflow. One was created allowing SGPS to assess all incoming applications (assigning an average, basics of admission, admission conditions, etc.) so that once a program made an admission decision the applicant would be notified immediately.

Design Once we had mapped out the process, we turned our attention to the application itself. Using input from programs, we started to design the application with design goals: • Create the simplest path to submission.

• Push all necessary information to the applicant within the application.

• Build a customizable user interface based on program needs.

• Ensure a submitted application is a complete application.

Development/Testing The development team consisted of three, full-time functional staff and two full-time developers.

Managing Resources • Work was divided into 6 development packages, which allowed projects to maximize resource time. One package continued on the next page

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HOW GRADUATE STUDIES AT WESTERN UNIVERSITY was being developed while another was being tested.

• Functional and technical resources consistently engaged with development and unit testing.

Unit Testing • Each work package had a dedicated schedule for unit testing.

• Testing occurred to determine if the package does what it is supposed to do.

• Each unit testing phase lasted 1 to 3 weeks depending on the complexity of the package.

Integrated Testing Two months were allocated to integrated testing. This meant testing the completed application system using different scenarios to ensure all the pieces worked together and worked with other areas of the student system.

Integrated testing can often involve other areas on campus, in our case the Registrar’s Office, Undergraduate Admissions, and the security team were involved. It is therefore important to schedule time with the various units ahead of time to ensure testing isn’t held up.

Results

Lessons Learned

We launched our application in October 2013. SGPS now supports a full-time admissions team with seasonal coverage during the peak season (December– March). We also created a helpline and email for applicant inquires. All application fees are now collected directly and SGPS keeps a portion and distributes a portion to the individual graduate programs. The fee SGPS retains goes into managing the cost of having an admissions team.

• Don’t rush changes into the project— initially, we were so eager to please the graduate community that we pushed changes into the application quickly. This often created unintended consequences, either from not thinking it through or not testing enough.

• Don’t underestimate the support needed for an application which is open 24/7—we have to coordinate carefully with the Registrar’s Office if the student system needs to go down for updates as we have people applying world-wide and at all times of the day. We also have to have a plan to support applicants during the winter holidays.

• Offer as much training as possible through as many avenues as possible (in person, printed materials, webinars, etc.).

• Plan for a regular schedule of updates to your service.

We wanted to look at ways we could evaluate our success. One of the first things we noticed was that applications were being completed earlier than in the past.

It was determined this change pertained to not waiting on hard copy transcripts or other documents to complete an applicant file. The new process also means we are processing applications faster.

• 34 distinct user scenarios were created • 113 unique errors/bugs were logged

We also collected all the emails and logged phone calls to the helpline over a one-year period. We could then categorize all of emails and try to make improvements. For example, we found that almost 30 % of emails were regarding references. Therefore, we improved the instructions in that section of the application right away and looked at ways to improve that functionality in the future.

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Overall we are proud of the successes we have achieved with our application system. We continue to make enhancements and changes annually.

I welcome anyone with questions or feedback to please email me at thern2@uwo.ca. n

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IMPLEMENTING A CENTRALIZED APPLICATION SERVICE

By Daniel S. Michalski, Ph.D., American Psychological Association and Pam Gustafson, LIU Post applicants are able to view program offerings in a centralized application platform, exposure to previously unknown options and the potential to better identify education and training fit, drives applications to smaller and regional institutions. For instance, the University of La Verne nearly doubled the number of its out of state applications to its doctoral psychology program in one year.

With the proliferation of centralized application technology across multiple graduate-level professional and disciplinary fields, admissions professionals may recognize the need to adopt these solutions on their campuses. Unlike “closed” institutional systems that enable prospective students to apply and manage applications within a single school, professional and disciplinary centralized application services enable applicants to apply across institutions within a particular field. With this approach, applicants benefit from the potential of a single portal in which to apply, depending on institutional participation, and also experience less burden in the process of ordering and tracking multiple transcripts and recommendation letters. However, beyond the benefits to applicants, admissions professionals face considerations related to need, practicality, and resources to successfully implement a centralized application solution. PSYCAS, the centralized application service for graduate psychology since 2016, offers an illustration of these issues related to implementation.

Yet, driving application numbers may not be the immediate need for schools hoping to improve the review process and assembling the best cohorts of students. Centralized applications offer a solution to meet these needs as well: Just as applicants benefit from an appealing and savvy online user experience and process, admissions teams receive access to powerful analytic and communication tools. The ability to manage applicant communications, assign review teams, create evaluation rubrics, assemble comparative reports by cycle, and run queries on custom data parameters are capabilities typically not found with existing application platforms, but come standard for participants in centralized services.

Additionally, some programs have a need for a better, more streamlined workflow. A centralized application system allows programs to easily manage the flow of an application through the review process. The Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University had major issues with workflow due to an institutional system that could only be accessed from the physical campus.

Logistically, this caused major issues with workflow since most faculty were not on-campus during the December through January time periods when applications to the programs were due and reviewed. Additionally, the internal system was clunky and non-intuitive, requiring multiple logins for different parts of the system. PSYCAS solved both

“Just as applicants benefit from an appealing and savvy online user experience and process, admissions teams receive access to powerful analytic and communication tools.”

Needs Assessment Consideration of a centralized application service requires an assessment of need. Professional programs at smaller institutions attempting to raise their profile and increase application numbers may benefit from participation. Because

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of these programs since it is accessible online and is user-friendly.

Data Integration The need for a centralized application may be apparent, but application data must be able to be moved to other campus systems (e.g., Registrar). Also standard with adoption of a centralized application are access to resources to assist with data transfer and integration; including documentation to establish Application Programming Interfaces (API) that will automate export functions. The benefit of these resources is that they are accessible to institutions of all sizes and of varying levels of IT resources. In most cases, initial configurations can be set up and adapted to minor adjustments between application cycles without the need for continuous and costly investments in information technology infrastructure and staffing.

One reason some programs have hesitated to enter into using a CAS system is that their school still “wants the data.” A CAS system allows simple integration pulls the data from the CAS into the school’s system. This presents schools with full access to all of the application components, including test scores. A school only has to set up the process once and then the system automatically retrieves the data on a daily basis.

Resources As with any system change, there is a learning curve. However, one advantage of adopting a centralized application solution is the capability to overlay and map a current workflow or process and adjust over time as needs dictate. For example, in year one of using PSYCAS, the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at LIU Post did not use any of the additional features that the system offered; instead, they switched to PSYCAS and reviewed applications there. Faculty continued on the next page

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IMPLEMENTING A CENTRALIZED APPLICATION SERVICE reviewers still completed hardcopy scoring of files, but read the files online in one place within PSYCAS. In year two, reviewers moved to using the online rubrics for file review. This scaffolding approach made implementation feasible for the program. Additionally, the ability to have multiple views (admin, reviewer, etc.) enabled the administrator to limit what some reviewers saw when they logged into the system. Thus, the reviewer only saw the applications they were to review and were not overwhelmed by any other functions.

Adoption and change can occur over an application cycle without expending multiple hours of time to training and configuration just prior to application reviews. Admissions professionals and faculty reviewers can learn system

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Centralized application platforms are in use at more than 5,000 institutions in the United States, offering applicants to graduate programs a streamlined process. Institutions benefit as well from increased visibility and identification by prospective students.

As shown with PSYCAS, implementing a centralized application service affords benefits directly to programs and institutions but also offers access to critical data to a professional field; data that in turn can be utilized by admissions professionals to inform enrollment goals. Also, the technology minimizes potential adoption hurdles related to technology and resources by offering scalable solutions that can be modified to fit institutions of all sizes and missions. n

functions as needed and centralized services offer multiple platforms in which to train and meet immediate needs of users through e-learning modules, webinars, and in-person trainings. Also, participation in many of the professional and disciplinary centralized applications offer access to a community of users in which to share good practices and collaborate on shared solutions to improve application processes and outcomes.

“One advantage of adopting a centralized application solution is the capability to overlay and map a current workflow or process and adjust over time as needs dictate.”

7-day turnarounds help you fill in the blanks faster.

On a student’s journey to your institution, we know every moment counts. That’s why we’ve streamlined our process to deliver high-quality reports in just seven business days with the same level of customer care you’ve come to expect. To learn how we can help you, contact Jack Nelson at jnelson@ece.org or 414.604.5327 for more information.

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REFLECTIONS ON THE 2017–2018 NAGAP MENTOR PROGRAM

By Troy Sterk, Seattle University

Tiffany Watson, Associate Director of Enrollment Management Diversity Recruitment Initiatives Lead at Wake Forest University School of Business, responded to questions regarding her experience with the rebooted mentorship program last year. Tiffany was mentored

by Dannette Gomez Beane, Director of Recruitment and Operations at Virginia Polytechnic and State University.

1. Why did you choose to participate in the NAGAP Mentor Program?

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Tiffany Watson 2. What were some of the issues you discussed with your partner?

This was my first year working in higher education. In addition to being new to the work, my role was recently created so I knew that I wanted to connect with other people that had more experience doing similar work. Having a mentor has always been important for me in my professional career to help me navigate spaces and have someone to connect with and I didn’t want this experience to be any different.

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Everything! My mentor was so great. We talked about so many things—from navigating the dayto-day aspects of my work, thinking through processes, connecting me with other people, and my longterm goals and aspirations.

3. What did you gain personally and/or professionally from this experience?

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First, it was nice to have someone that could relate to my experiences.

As a woman of color in a new space and new university, having someone with a shared background allowed me to be vulnerable and share my thoughts and frustrations. She also helped me to celebrate my wins and push my thinking in a lot of ways.

4. What was your favorite moment/conversation that you’d be willing to share?

Getting to meet in person was by far my favorite moment! We both attended the Faculty Women of Color in the Academy Conference at Virginia Tech and were able to spend time together in person. The phone calls and Skype meetings were nice, but it was nothing like getting to be together in the same space.

If you are interested in learning more about the NAGAP Mentor Program or want to sign-up to be a mentor or a mentee, please visit http://www.nagap. org/mentor-program. n

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ANNUAL CONFERENCE UPDATE

By Joshua Walehwa, Washington University in Saint Louis, 2019 Annual Conference Marketing Chair On behalf of the 2018 Conference Committee, we want to thank all of the attendees who helped make the 31st Annual Conference in New Orleans a huge success! With over 900 returning and first-time attendees, we believe this was one of the most rewarding and impactful professional annual conferences to date. We also would like to express our deepest gratitude to our core group of volunteers who had a direct impact on 2018’s incredible experience. As you consider how you or your institution can stay involved, please make sure to look out for more information at the state, regional, and national level for ways to engage with NAGAP and our broader profession. We would also like to acknowledge the generosity of our

association; with the collective efforts of our membership, we were able to raise $825 for the Tipitina’s Foundation.

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make sure to look out for more information.

2. TRAVEL PLANNING EARLY NOTIFICATION: To avoid any unforeseen travel planning issues, we strongly encourage you to make sure to attend to all plans well ahead of the April travel season. April is a peak travel time to Toronto, and any delays may affect your arrangements, so please plan your travel well in advance of the annual conference (e.g. passports, travel visas etc.).

We are extremely excited for you to join us at the 2019 Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario—Canada! The largest city in Canada, Toronto boasts a diversity of people, cityscape, and outdoor features, which makes it a top hosting destination. As you review your planning in the coming weeks and months, please consider the following in preparation for this leading professional development opportunity.

Finally, make sure to save the date for 32nd Annual Conference: April 10–13, 2019 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto in Toronto, Ontario. We look forward to seeing you in Canada! n

1. Get Involved! A great way to maximize your conference experience is to volunteer in a multitude of capacities. Please

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USING DIGITAL MARKETING TO ESTABLISH NEW POSTGRADUATE LAW PROGRAM: A CASE STUDY

By Colin Marks and Shannon Sevier, St. Mary’s University School of Law and Mike Fogarty, MF Digital Marketing St. Mary’s University School of Law administrators knew the “build it and they will come” attitude that informed the Hollywood hit Field of Dreams wasn’t going to work for its Master of Jurisprudence (M.Jur.) online program introduced in 2017.

degree to let them enter the work force,” said Shannon Sevier, St. Mary’s Graduate Law Program Director. “They are looking for a degree that can augment their careers, allowing them to distinguish themselves from their colleagues who have, for instance, an M.B.A.”

“With a new program and a new degree, we faced a sharp awareness curve in our local and regional market,” said Colin Marks, director of the program. “We needed to create excitement, sustainable enthusiasm not just from prospects, but also from would-be employers and law school alumni.”

The St. Mary’s team knew that to meet this challenge they would need more than the traditional, static marketing campaigns of print media and billboards. “We needed to meet modern day students at their level,” said Sevier.

Networking with colleagues around the country, they learned about MF Digital Marketing of Chicago. A dean at one of the nation’s largest law schools recommended St. Mary’s Law contact MF Digital.

An M.Jur., also known as a Master of Legal Studies, M.L.S., or M.S.L. degree, is a one-year master’s program designed for professionals who want to think and write like a lawyer, but do not want to earn a J.D. and practice law.

“We reviewed several options before settling on MF Digital,” said Marks. To play it safe, however, St. Mary’s engaged the company for a trial campaign for the M.Jur. program.

The law school is a well-known and well-respected institution in San Antonio, Texas. Established in 1934, St. Mary’s School of Law is the oldest Catholic law school in the Southwest. The school’s alumni include state and federal judges and U.S. representatives and senators.

They decided to focus on the spring 2018 semester. St. Mary’s Law was so impressed with the results, officials decided to engage MF Digital for its fall 2018 Master of Jurisprudence cohort.

“There was some word-of-mouth in the San Antonio area, but we needed a way to reach a larger population, to have greater access to prospects, and a way to nurture prospects consistently and with greater frequency. In short, we needed a marketing force multiplier,” Marks said.

“Our goal for the M.Jur. program was to establish marketing dominance in the San Antonio area, own online education in the Rio Grande Valley, and expand the program nationally.”

“MF Digital guided us through every aspect of the campaign,” Marks said, “from planning, cyclic workflow, social media lead generation, prospect nurturing, and revisions to information based on market feedback.”

As of June 2018, St. Mary’s has seen: • 150% increase in currently enrolled students • 93% increase in completed applications • 20% increase in students admitted for the fall 2018 class

Targeting postgraduate prospects, Marks and his team knew that these non-traditional students were more savvy consumers of information than the typical undergraduate.

MF Digital Marketing uses a unique approach to marketing by learning about students’ career aspirations and

“These people aren’t looking for a

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highlighting a law school’s programs and courses that can help fulfill those aspirations, according to Mike Fogarty, CEO of the Chicago-based company.

“We work closely with a school’s marketing, admissions, and IT professionals to conceptualize and create a program that lets them target the kind of student who will thrive at their institution.”

Fogarty’s team got right to work, setting up a foundation for success for the rest of their efforts.

“MF Digital immediately helped us by taking a look behind the scenes of our website,” Marks said. “They made sure the pages were properly engineered and then they helped us standardize and optimize the format of the pages by introducing key content areas.”

“More students sat for the LSAT exam last cycle and are expected to drive higher enrollment in J.D. programs this fall.”

LL.M. Program St. Mary’s Law also offers an LL.M. or Master of Legal Studies degree. St. Mary’s offers three different LL.M. programs, one exclusively for foreign-trained lawyers and two designed for both foreign and domestically trained lawyers.

The LL.M. program, in fact, was humming along quite nicely. A steady supply of Saudi Arabian students funded through the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM) kept the program flush between 2010 and 2015. But in 2017, this enrollment trend declined and school continued on the next page

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administrators were left scrambling to resuscitate the LL.M.

students, who represented nearly twothirds of our enrollment,” said Sevier.

“We had not contemplated recruiting students. We needed a strategic plan to support our marketing,” said Sevier.

Using the same basic elements it established for the M.Jur. program, MF Digital helped St. Mary’s Law strengthen its pipeline of LL.M. students from Mexico and create a lead generation campaign targeting Pakistan, Nigeria, and others.

More students sat for the LSAT exam last cycle and are expected to drive higher enrollment in J.D. programs this fall. The trend of master’s degrees contributing significant revenue to law schools takes the pressure off the J.D. program, and fulfills schools’ missions to educate their communities and diversify revenue streams.

“Our current pool represents 23 different countries,” said Sevier. “Our enrollment for the fall semester includes 33 new students or an increase of 43 percent.”

“We see master’s programs, specifically online education, not as substitutes for residential instructions, but as alternative modes of instruction,” said Sevier. n

Based on the success St. Mary Law had with MF Digital and its M.Jur. program, school administrators turned to the company to target students for its 2018 fall semester.

“Our goal was to open up additional pipelines after the loss of the Saudi

The Future is Now

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WORKING WITH A PARTNER TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL: IMPLEMENTING GRADCAS™

By Laura Nicole Miller, Liaison International and Julie Masterson, Ph.D., Missouri State University primarily in what we call our walk-in students: students we recruit through generic ways—such as graduate fairs and international student events—in various countries.”

Missouri State University shares the challenges facing many schools around the country: declining international student enrollments, pressure to increase diversity on campus, and changing student expectations. Missouri State, however, has recently found itself newly empowered thanks to new admissions technology that will help the university better combat these issues.

“We were doing well with international students and then all these things started to happen with the political landscape, which has been really problematic,” Dr. Masterson explained.

In reviewing their admission process, she and her colleague Stephanie Praschan, Director of Graduate Enrollment Management, realized that there was an opportunity to allow the university to reach decisions more efficiently for the international students who were applying for graduate programs.

During a recent conversation about her decision to join Liaison’s GradCAS™, Dr. Julie Masterson, Associate Provost and Dean of Missouri State University’s Graduate College, gave a variety of reasons for needing a new graduate admissions tool. In addition to delivering a better user experience and improving access to critical data about applicants, adopting the new Centralized Application Service (CAS) (for programs not supported by an associationbased service) provided an opportunity to reexamine the effectiveness of admissions processes.

The international services office was processing every application, which was then released to the admissions office, and the department for review.

“Now that we’ve joined GradCAS™, we can change the sequence within the process. The program will make the admission recommendation first, and then international services only has to focus on visas and financial viability for qualified students. This should decrease the burden on international services, and we’re hoping it will give our international applicants a quicker response as well,” Dr. Masterson said.

“In addition to delivering a better user experience and improving access to critical data about applicants, adopting the new Centralized Application Service (CAS) provided an opportunity

Reducing decision time and providing process transparency

to reexamine the effectiveness of admissions processes.”

Quickly responding to students and communicating where they are in the application process matters—and not just for international students.

“Time to decision is a major issue— it’s the name of the game for a lot of programs,” Dr. Masterson said.

“Sometimes students will say yes to whoever says yes to them first!” The faster application processing that comes with utilizing GradCAS™ allows

Streamlining processes for international students The university uncovered several ways to streamline international student admissions. “We’ve seen a dip, about 8–9% over the last 4 years, in our international enrollment,” said Dr. Masterson. “We’ve seen the decrease

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for quicker decisions in programs with a rolling admissions model.

Dr. Masterson and Praschan also believe GradCAS™ will increase transparency for prospective graduate students. “Once materials are complete, we can set up an email to automatically go to the applicant to let them know what’s going on: that we’re excited to have received the application and that the department begins evaluating applications on a certain date. They’re not left hanging,” Dr. Masterson said.

Praschan added that the service lets students know that “they’re under consideration, they haven’t been eliminated.” She expects the ability for students to log in and see which recommendations and scores have been received to cut down on the number of calls asking for status updates. Praschan explained that giving students access to view real-time status updates will be “a huge relief for their stress and anxiety levels.”

Benchmarking against other programs and monitoring trends Dr. Masterson has extensive experience with several of Liaison’s other Centralized Application Services that are used on the Missouri State campus.

She said one of the things that makes these types of services so attractive is the ability to compare her programs to others. “I can see how my physical therapy applicants compare to the entire pool in PTCAS™ [the CAS for physical therapy programs], or I can select five, six, or seven competitor programs and see how my applicant demographics compare to those.”

“I’m very excited about the robust reporting that I will be able to do continued on the next page

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WORKING WITH A PARTNER TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL with GradCAS™ and how we will be able to closely watch applicant pool trends,” said Praschan. For example, the Missouri State graduate staff was recently asked if their student population reflected national trends toward a growing number of students over age 35. While many of the students in allied health programs come straight from undergraduate programs, the admissions staff was surprised to learn that more than 25% of students in graduate degree programs were 35 or older.

Dr. Masterson said, “It’s a great example of how thinking about things like this is important for us in terms of focusing our marketing messaging and encouraging our program directors to consider their delivery options. We offer many popular master’s degrees (MBA, Professional Studies, Cybersecurity, Criminology, Education) as well as some professional doctorates in Nursing online—if we know one of the reasons these programs are appealing is that older students

“While configuring 250 applications to represent program-specific admissions requirements, Dr. Masterson said she and Praschan had the chance to start a dialog with program directors about best practices in admissions.”

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Using Liaison’s Enrollment Marketing Platform (EMP™) will also allow Missouri State to strengthen recruiting. “We’ll be able to target students in a systematic, focused way,” said Dr. Masterson. “All of these changes to our admissions process work together: our recruiting will be better, we’ll be in new markets, and we’ll have a better application process. We hope that increases applications from underrepresented students,” she said.

are more likely to be working folks looking for part-time, flexible options, we’ll promote that even more now that we know they’re such an important component of our student body.”

Increasing diversity One of the major goals in the university’s long-term plan focuses on building diversity. While Dr. Masterson says the university has been making steady progress, location poses a challenge. “We live in an area with very limited racial and ethnic diversity—it’s challenging to recruit faculty to come and stay here, and it’s challenging to recruit students to come and stay here.

Our retention rates aren’t as high as we’d like them to be,” she explained.

Starting a larger conversation about admissions across campus While configuring 250 applications to represent program-specific admissions requirements, Dr. Masterson said she and Praschan had the chance to start a dialog with program directors about best practices in admissions. “A lot of times we’d ask them why they did things a certain way and they’d say, ‘we always have.’ Sometimes they had good reasons, but other times they didn’t,” said Dr. Masterson. “In those cases, Stephanie was able to suggest new ways of doing things and they were really open to it.”

The university’s use of various CAS™ solutions helps connect with a larger audience and reinforce messages about flexibility and affordability. Dr. Masterson said her experience with CSDCAS™, the service for communications disorders programs, helped her understand how to use the application itself to differentiate Missouri State’s programs. “We can have Missouri State’s application materials section of the application look different from what other schools’ applications look like, because even though all programs are accredited by the same body and offer similar courses, we want to be unique. This gives us a chance to highlight those differences.”

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“I feel like we’ve been able to empower our departments to try a holistic approach to admissions,” said Praschan. “We’ve had good conversations about how to streamline our processes so we can speed up applicant feedback, and that’s going to be a huge benefit for us and for future Missouri State students.” n

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APPLICANTS SAY THE DARNEDEST THINGS!

Every week, we see hundreds of emails go in and out of our inboxes, the vast majority of which don’t even get a second glance. But sometimes, there is that one email or comment that you just have to look at and smile. An essay about an applicant’s fantasies about making out with green Orion females from Star Trek? An applicant responding to a reject letter with a poem? An alum asking for an event to be moved because they aren’t available? You know those emails!

We’re collecting those comments for a new feature in Perspectives we are calling “Applicants Say the Darnedest Things!” Please send us some of your best: the ones that make you slap your forehead or put a smile on your face.

While keeping up to date with the latest enrollment news, working to make your numbers, after a long haul on the road recruiting, we could all use a smile, help NAGAP give you a little chuckle and put a smile on our overworked faces.

Submit your comments and posts today to nagappublications@gmail.com. We will review and feature your submissions (without including names) here!

To get us started, here are some examples the Publications Committee found from applicants and alumni!

“

TMI from graduate school applicants to a university admission office:

From the iPhone of a prospective graduate student when encouraged to apply by email:

“I am sorry for giving you my perceived and self-delusional information. I wonder if there is even any ray of hope left for me now!”

“Meh. I’m good”

“I have been sick from CENSORED diarrhea (sorry for the grossness) from past 15 days and recovering slowly and I started the process of application a while back though I was bed ridden.”

“I remembered why I postponed the scores being sent. It was a super pain in the ass finding your school on the list. But it’s done.”

“I sincerely apologize for the tardiness, it was unintentional. Kids during are very expensive if you get my drift.”

An alumna tweets back to McDaniel College after an invitation to Homecoming 2018:

Try calling this number provided by a prospective student on a university’s “Request for Information” form: 605-475-6968

Have you heard something you want to share?

Send it to nagappublications@gmail.com for our next issue!

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“Can @McDanielCollege chill I’m still hungover from this year’s homecoming”

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