NAGAP Perspectives Fall 2019

VOLUME 31 NUMBER 3 FA L L 2 0 1 9

PERSPECTIVES A Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals

IN THIS ISSUE  2 From the President  4 Reflections on the 2019 Summer Professional Development Institute  6 Commonalities Build Special Interest: The Origins of JGAP and BioGAP  9 Is the Grad Fair Dead? An Op-Ed 12 NAGAP Diversity & Inclusion Statement and Core Values 14 Student Perspectives: Paradigm Shift 16 Two Professionals—One Year—New Roles 19 2020 Graduate Enrollment Management Summit Updates 20 Working with a Partner: Recruiting with Gradschoolmatch 22 A Candid Conversation on Increasing Enrollment of Underrepresented Students in Graduate School

www.NAGAP.org

FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Colleagues, Welcome to the Fall 2019 edition of Perspectives.

I’m sitting here in my office on a beautiful day in northwest Ohio. As is usually the case this time of year, campus is bustling with energy as students returned from summer break this week. It’s always interesting to watch students over the first few days as they’re learning to navigate new schedules and, in many cases, unfamiliar surroundings. Within a couple weeks they will be walking around with confidence and clear direction.

PERSPECTIVES A Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals

Editor, Raymond A. Lutzky, Ph.D.

Before I update you on all things NAGAP, I want to start by sharing an extraordinary experience I had a week ago. Richard (Dick) Eastop was the Dean of Admissions at the University of Toledo where I worked for two years as a graduate assistant. I credit him with teaching me everything I know—at least the important stuff. He started working on that campus in the 1960s and stayed there his entire career. Last week a reception was held in his honor, and nearly 100 former staff and friends returned to campus to recognize him for his leadership and the difference he had made in our lives and on that campus.

While each one of us credit Dick for helping us to become better professionals, the stories that were told painted a picture of someone who did much more than that.

He taught us to value hard work and to show appreciation for those who did it. He demonstrated that the personal touch will always be more effective than a letter, an email, or a text, with your prospective students as well as the members of your own team. He reminded us that while our jobs are important, there will always be times when family needs to come first. He also taught one young and impressionable GA that it’s okay to sing karaoke in front of a room full of strangers as long as your new boss is willing to join you on stage for a rendition of On the Road Again.

Thank you, Dick.

I share this story because as GEM professionals we have chosen to work in an industry that is full of challenges. Many of us are struggling to achieve our professional goals, and we often work in environments where compliments are few and the pressure is great. My challenge to all of you is to find a way to make a difference on your campus – give credit where credit is due; mentor a new employee; take a colleague to lunch; recognize someone in your office for a job well done.

Be a light!

We have many exciting initiatives we’re working on that will directly benefit NAGAP members, including a couple that launched over the summer. We recently announced the new 2019 version of the GEMCAT salary tool available in the “members only” area of the website. We also launched our new GEM-focused Leadership Academy, made possible with the generous support of Liaison. Finally, by the time you read this we will have launched The Exchange, NAGAP’s new on-line networking platform—a great place to share ideas and learn best practices.

I also want to plug this year’s Winter Professional Development Institute taking place January 23–24, 2020. We’re heading back to the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa in Palm Springs, California. Sessions will include topics such as communication across cultures, data and trends in graduate education, marketing

Senior Director of Enrollment and Admissions Cornell Tech 2 West Loop Road New York, N.Y. 10044

Assistant Editor, Caela Provost

North American Officer/U.S. Representative University College Cork 75 Arlington Street, Suite 500 Boston, Mass. 02116 NAGAPpublications@gmail.com NAGAP Perspectives is published three times per year (fall, spring, summer).

Articles of particular interest for publication are graduate enrollment management research/study results, how-to articles, success stories, reports of workshops/ seminars, book reviews, etc.

Submissions should be sent to the editor via email. Articles should be provided in Microsoft Word format, 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 © 2019 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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strategies, and legal and ethical issues. I also want to encourage you to mark your calendars now for Graduate Enrollment Management Summit 2020, our newly branded annual conference, taking place April 22–25 at the Loews Royal Pacific at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. In closing, I want to highlight just a couple of the articles you will find in this issue. I hope you enjoy the reflections shared by our Summer PDI fellows. You will also find interesting pieces on graduate fairs, racial diversity, and professional development.

Perspectives is always a great resource with rich content, and I encourage you to take a few minutes to read these pages with the intent of finding just a single nugget or idea you can implement on your campus today.

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 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 2019 SUMMER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

By Sarah Cole, The Ohio State University and Kim McCabe, Stanford University The following two pieces are reflections by this year's NAGAP Summer PDI Fellows, Kim McCabe and Sarah Cole. Per tradition, the PDI event was held in Las Vegas, Nevada this past July, over the course of two days. Each year, the Summer PDI welcomes individuals new to the GEM field to participate in discussions, attend sessions, and network with attendees in order to gain a better understanding of the profession at large.

Sarah Cole, The Ohio State University

The next session I chose to attend was Before You Recruit: Using Data to Design a Strategy. This presentation was incredibly practical, as it provided several resources for looking up data to drive decision making in the marketing process. I am excited to start picking apart this information to better understand what students are most likely to matriculate, as well as who could benefit most from our graduate programs. While the ultimate goal at the end of the day is revenue, I want to be drawing that from students who are going to be positively affected by our programs and who share a passion for our content areas.

This session helped me think through how our overall recruitment strategy may need to shift over time based on education trends.

Receiving a Fellowship for the NAGAP Summer Professional Development Institute was a welcomed opportunity to spend time investing in my own growth while allowing me to discern whether NAGAP opportunities would be worth further investments in the future.

Throughout the entire PDI experience, I felt the sessions were intentional, practical, and valuable. Having attended some conferences where the content is interesting but not always inspiring, I was hoping to walk away with some tangible ideas for how to better myself as a professional and improve the services that my department offers students during their graduate education journey.

I was very impressed by the presenter who led the session entitled Strategic Communication: Utilizing Digital Marketing to Enhance Brand Awareness and Conversion. Throughout her presentation, she talked about how to use various platforms for specific goals of your marketing campaign.

During the day-to-day operations of my department, we tend to think of all marketing activities as having the same goal outcome: student enrollment. This session really stretched me to think about different levels of marketing results, from brand awareness to building brand personality and encouraging decision-making on the part of prospective students. Since returning to my department, I have been spending more time with my co-worker talking about the specific goals for each marketing activity and whether we are choosing the most appropriate forms of marketing.

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The most interesting part of the PDI experience was the juxtaposition of the session focusing on recruitment and retention efforts for underrepresented students and the session about legal issues in graduate education. The viewpoints of the presenters were entirely different, with one adopting a “try it until you’re told to stop” mentality and the other taking a more measured and structured approach. I loved learning about the makeup of the Supreme Court and the cases it will likely see in the coming years. I do not know any people who are well informed about these legal issues and so the opportunity to learn from a lawyer about these was extremely valuable. When considering my department’s current practices during the presentation, I was reassured that our existing structures would protect our department from potential legal issues and encouraged to think

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further about how we might make our department a more welcoming place for underrepresented students to pursue graduate study.

Though all the sessions were incredibly valuable, I think the most important part of this experience was the ability to network with professionals from across the country who do similar work to me.

Being in a small academic department, I can interact with people across my institution who do some of the same roles; however, my department’s set up is not typical at my institution. At the NAGAP Summer PDI, I was able to compare experiences, strategies, and thoughts with folks who both understand and relate to all of the intricacies of my job. It was through some of the discussions during the PDI sessions that I have walked away with some very concrete ways in which I would like to work to attract, matriculate, and retain new students to our programs. The isolation of being one of a small number of people working in graduate programs in my college can be mitigated by these valuable connections that I made in Summer PDI…connections that I intend to nurture for the future.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to attend the Summer PDI. It was such a valuable and enjoyable experience, and I hope to be able to attend the Summit in the spring!

Kim McCabe, Stanford University My name is Kim McCabe, and I work at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. I had the privilege to attend continued on the next page

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REFLECTIONS

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the NAGAP Summer PDI as a NAGAP Fellow. As I reflect on my experience at the PDI, I’m delighted by the fact that what happened in Vegas is not staying in Vegas since I get to share it with you!

When I first started working in higher education administration a few years ago, I never thought very deeply about the impact of my work or even what I hoped to accomplish. What I knew was scanning and uploading transcripts was simply my job, and a way for me to make a living. It was not until I had been working for a few months that I realized I had a front-row seat to the inner workings and functions of a university. I started to think not just of my daily operational work, but also of the policies in place that framed and guided my work, the university governance that put those policies in place, and my role right in the middle of it all.

Even though I have now been working for several years, I have never once thought that I should or could put a stop

to my learning and growth. When my manager encouraged me to attend the NAGAP Summer PDI, my ears perked up, and I grew excited by the thought that I could come together with people like me, in roles like mine, and learn from experts in our field. I could get a new view of the scene that is Graduate Enrollment Management, and receive guidance and best practices from my colleagues from across the nation in various sessions.

As a Navajo woman from a low-income background, I struggled to reconcile my identity with my presence at Stanford University, my alma mater. Everything at Stanford was vastly different from what I knew and experienced growing up, which led to what I now understand as culture shock. I channel this tension when I speak to prospective students who may be feeling similarly to how I felt in college. I’ve since seen this tension develop into my personal mission and obligation to help give these students the encouragement I wish someone had given me, and to impart on them strength, energy, and hope as they embark on the critical and powerful journey of attending graduate school.

The most impactful presentation for me was by Dr. Stephanie Preston on Developing Effective Recruitment and Retention Strategies for Underrepresented Minority Students. Not only has Dr. Preston become my new role model, I gained incredibly valuable knowledge on how best to welcome students from underrepresented backgrounds into our programs while attending her session. This is a deeply important subject for me as I come from a similar background as the students we hope to include in our graduate schools.

My main takeaway from the Summer PDI, however, is the renewed excitement I have for my work and my field.

In fact, I am currently working on a large recruitment data analysis project and have in mind not only our session on using data to design a recruitment strategy, but also Dr. Preston’s presentation as I swim through numbers and values that will inform our recruitment practices. I am energized by the fact that what I am doing does indeed have an impact not only on the students I aim to serve, but also on my own life as I seek out a path of purpose and meaning. I cannot thank NAGAP enough for selecting me as a NAGAP Fellow for this summer and granting me the opportunity to grow both professionally and personally. n

From left to right: Professional Development Committee Member Kathryn Kendall, 2019 Summer PDI Fellows Sarah Cole and Kim McCabe, and Professional Development Committee Chair Amanda Ostreko

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COMMONALITIES BUILD SPECIAL INTEREST: THE ORIGINS OF JGAP AND BIOGAP

By Marianne Gumpper, Fairfield University (retired) and Kate McConnell, Penn State Great Valley

“Groups such as JGAP and

One critical focus of NAGAP has been to support the organization’s growth and success while also supporting members without compromising the mission and focus of the organization.

More than 12 years ago, this importance took on a new life—to develop and build membership through broader yet specific audiences. NAGAP Past President James Crane (then Vice President) was charged with the task of growing NAGAP chapters and developing an untapped area of membership—special interest groups—who were unique, yet, had commonalities specific to certain areas of GEM or were bound by a shared mission as defined by their institution.

BioGAP began with members who saw a need, defined it, and went about building an inclusive body of colleagues outside of their own school, with whom they can engage, learn from, and form, not only a bond, but also in many ways, a lasting friendship.”

Around the same time, Matt Cipriano, associate director of enrollment at Weill Cornell Medicine, at the urging of his then Dean at NYU, was on a mission.

He had been tasked to find a group of like-minded graduate admission professionals from the bio-medical sciences interested in organizing a group of professionals with a similar academic focus, working together to share data, industry trends, and gain a better understanding of their shared disciplines. In consultation with other NAGAP bio-science members, and with support from NAGAP leadership, a special interest group—BioGAP— was formed—a network of colleagues who would meet and share data and information on their programs. “Though some of the schools compete for the same students, this group freely shares data. We all understand the more information we share with each other the more we benefit…and we never lose our school’s completive edge in the process.

Being part of a special interest network of professionals often builds credibility within your institution—you can become a respected resource of information and insight,” according to Cipriano.

In 2004, in conjunction with NAGAP’s annual conference in Boston, NAGAP members from several Jesuit colleges and universities met to discuss the formation of a group for the purpose of exchanging ideas and the desire for more intentional information sharing at the graduate level amongst Jesuit colleagues from across the country.

After numerous informal discussions a core team began to work on the development of the Jesuit Graduate Admissions Professionals—JGAP. Janet Shandley, director of graduate admission at Seattle University and JGAP’s first president recalls, “As the graduate enrollment arena expanded professionally, NAGAP grew and evolved into its current GEM model.

We wanted the same for JGAP, a more inclusive body where anyone engaged in graduate enrollment at a Jesuit university would be welcome regardless of role. We wanted a stronger connection with our sister schools and develop a perspective on our local work in a national context, an opportunity afforded by JGAP membership around the country.”

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Like regional chapters, these special interest groups are valued by NAGAP

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and seen as a vital part of current and future membership. “JGAP and BioGAP don’t fit the regional chapter model but fulfill a need by some members for an affiliation with a special group more specific to the work they do. It is our responsibility to do everything we can to make sure all GEM professionals know NAGAP is here to serve them and broaden the reach of the organization with their professional development in mind,” says James Crane.

Groups such as JGAP and BioGAP began with members who saw a need, defined it, and went about building an inclusive body of colleagues outside of their own school, with whom they can engage, learn from, and form, not only a bond, but also in many ways, a lasting friendship.

Janet Shandley sums it up well. “JGAP has fostered valued friendships and colleagues, who, over the years, have supported me both professionally and personally. It afforded me leadership roles and the opportunity to help shape the foundation for our current organization. JGAP has served as an incubator of new ideas, support in challenging times, and encouragement to follow where others lead. While this can certainly happen in the larger NAGAP organization, an affiliate group offers professional development on a different scale with more occasion for dialogue in the context of whatever ties bind us together.”

NAGAP members are encouraged to participate in their special interest groups and regional chapters, and in a true entrepreneurial spirit, work with other like-minded members and NAGAP leadership to develop new communities.

These groups add value to membership and provide enhanced professional development with a unique focus. n

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What have we learned about the professional development habits of NAGAP members?

Below is a summary of results from two separate Flash Feedback surveys on topics surrounding professional development.

57% have a budget allocated to professional development.

Another 32% are given a budget when they ask.

If you aren't certain if money is available for professional development, don't be afraid to ask! At least 89% of members do have funds available, making professional development the expected norm, and not the exception.

95%

67% participate in professional development activities frequently but not every month, or a few times per year. 19% take part in activities every month.

There may be more opportunities for professional development than you think. 86% of members find ways to develop themselves on a regular basis.

Summer Institute

81%

62%

32%

49%

NAGAP members participate in a variety of professional activities. 95% have traveled to a conference, seminar or workshop, while 81% use webinars as a source of development.

62% attend on campus training. 49% read independently.

32% attend professional networking events.

32% present at a conference. 32% listen to podcasts.

24% mentor others and 22% are mentees. 19% study online.

11% attend classes for university credit.

33% have attended the Summer Professional Development Institute.

21% have sent someone from their office.

NAGAP's Summer Institute is held yearly in July. It focuses on the needs of individuals working in the their current position for up to three years, but would also be useful for more seasoned professionals as a refresher in best practices.

Winter

Institute 20% have attended the Winter Professional Development Institute.

68% would like to attend.

NAGAP's Winter Institute is held yearly in January.

It is an intensive and interactive two-day experience focused on networking and discussing the opportunities and challenges faced by senior-level administrators with five+ years of experience.

Most-preferred destinations for development: Denver, Colorado Scottsdale, Arizona Nashville, Tennessee At least one-third also indicated interest in traveling to: Chicago, Illinois Palm Springs, California Orlando, Florida San Juan, Puerto Rico

Win complimentary registration to a Summer or Winter Professional Development Institute! Enter your name each time you complete a Flash Feedback Survey before the April 2020 drawing!

Look for Flash Feedback Surveys in NAGAP News!

Go to: https://nagap.org/flashfeedback to take the current survey or view past results.

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IS THE GRAD FAIR DEAD? AN OP-ED

By Ariana Balayan, Ed.D. and Emily Kormann, Suffolk University It’s that time again! Let’s pack brochures into a heavy roller bag, heave it into a rented Hyundai, and drive many hours from home base to a gym on a generic college campus. Let’s eat boxed lunches, buoyed by chocolate chip cookies, drink unsweetened iced tea, admire swag from our fellow college representatives, and look forward to room service later that evening.

For our purposes, a grad fair, shortened from “graduate fair” or “graduate school fair” is an event on a college campus at which graduate schools advertise their program offerings.

It is often organized by a university career center, and traditionally set up with white linen clothed tables, and a neat row of recruiters ready to meet prospective students.

And for what? A few students to approach the table? A hopeful collection of inquiry cards? The experience seems to have soured over multiple years of repeating the above, especially when fairs themselves have been less and less fruitful.

The Current State

Yet, while the traditional experience may be waning, or diminished altogether, the opportunities to make connections and network beyond the fair table can make the trip worthwhile. Reframing the grad fair into the full experience of the visit is the key to justifying continued participation. The grad fair is not dead.

“Yet, while the traditional experience may be waning, or diminished altogether, the opportunities to make

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worthwhile. Reframing the grad fair into the full experience of the visit is the key to justifying continued participation.”

The Grad Fair Defined

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Feeder schools: One reason why the grad fair still holds value is in the feeder school potential. A feeder school is another college, often local, that consistently draws a significant amount of enrolled students to one’s campus. Physical presence at a fair increases brand awareness, supports recruitment efforts from that school, and demonstrates the commitment to that particular institution. Since the feeder school is often within driving distance, this may reduce the time out of the office and monetary resources required.

To that end, Paul Cincotta Jr., Director of Graduate Admission at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Mass., shares “each year resources seem to become more and more finite…because of this, relying on human capital [to] boost the ground recruiting becomes even more important.” This corroborates the need for strategically deploying staff to attend grad fairs, and make the most of the visit.

Taking a step back, it is necessary to define grad fair in this context, before sharing why it is no longer what it may have been, and the potential for adding value.

the fair table can make the trip

The following considerations illustrate how to move beyond thinking of the grad fair as a stand-alone entity, and instead, look at the reasons why it is imperative to attend specific fairs.

Without reflecting on these elements, a grad fair is just a table in a gym.

Marcus Hanscom, Director of Graduate Admission at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island, posits “pairing [grad fairs] with highly target[ed] information sessions or student groups on host campuses has made them a valuable secondary tool.” Primary tools may include presenting to student groups or speaking to advisors, as discussed below.

When we gather as colleagues at NAGAP events, a consistent through line is how limited resources require flexibility in a time of change. The theme of doing more with less is prevalent, with tightened budgets and small teams contributing to the necessity of grad fairs being successful to justify the registration fee and time out of the office.

Is it also worth noting that strategy related to grad fair participation may vary by graduate enrollment management (GEM) model. A decentralized office, for example, may not have as robust a staff as a centralized one. Office structures may influence the strategy, and help in creating value of the grad fair. There is also no universal metric for evaluating the success of grad fairs. Until that exists, offices are operating with what they consider to be an effective fair.

This is often how many inquiry cards are received, but it’s the conversion to application and the progression through the funnel which may be the ultimate measure of success.

connections and network beyond

The Considerations

Geographic proximity, and at a distance: When a fair is being held within a few hours’ drive of campus, it is recommended to attend unless a conflict prevents it. Even if only a few inquiry cards are obtained, maintaining awareness of the university in the region is reason enough to attend. Similar to the feeder school consideration, and others below, resources can be best used by traveling locally, and provide an attainable opportunity to increase the value of the fair.

On the other end of the geographic spectrum, attending fairs outside the continued on the next page

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IS THE GRAD FAIR DEAD? local market gives a unique opportunity to expand geographic markets. While it does require more time, money, and human capital, it allows for larger exposure and may contribute to more diverse enrollees. This may be of particular importance for competitive programs, where a regional or national presence may bolster interest.

departments, which could develop into a good pipeline. Research is required before registering for fairs, as this consideration is dependent on which programs are offered at the host school.

GEM networking: Time spent on the road is valuable, not only for recruiting new students, but also for building and maintaining a professional network.

Besides conferences, the most consistent opportunity for networking with other GEM professionals is at a fair, perhaps over bags of chips and cans of soda.

These connections foster a regular exchange of ideas and best practices.

Plus, they can be a valuable support to the lonely road warrior.

The loop: A strong incentive for attending a grad fair, even if it has not produced many inquiries or conversations in the past, is whether the fair is part of a geographic loop.

Longer trips may be tied together as loops with fairs or other ways to engage with nearby campuses in order to use time and resources more efficiently. In addition, if attending other events in the area, it is a better use of time to attend and garner even a few inquiries than to answer emails in a hotel room or crowded coffee shop.

Building relationships: A graduate fair can offer the opportunity to build and strengthen relationships for any number of constituents—the alumni office and career center are just two examples. If graduate admission attends a fair across the country, it could be a possibility to hold an alumni reception for those who do not have the opportunity to return to campus, which could serve a dual purpose of recruiting alumni to attend graduate events in the area and further incentivizing them to donate to the university.

Presence of competitors: In order to contend with competitor institutions, particularly local competitors, it is essential to attend fairs to maintain an active presence is the field. If a prospective student attends a fair for business schools in Boston, for example, and they notice the absence of an institution they are considering, the prospective student may conclude that it may not be a viable choice for any number of reasons. They may conclude that the university does not prioritize certain disciplines or it does not care to make itself accessible. Other institutions in attendance have the opportunity to connect with the prospective student, possibly jeopardizing the chance the student will look at other universities.

Enhance visit: Linking other opportunities to the fair can also enhance the visit. Connecting with student groups on campus or speaking with advisors or faculty in that program can create additional contacts. As discussed above, particular attention should be paid to whether the host school has a grad program that aligns with the interest of the student organization or undergraduate major.

If information sessions to specific clubs are provided, for example, a personal connection can be made. When other value propositions are added to a visit, the combined value can not only justify attendance, but also provide incentive to maintain the visit each year.

Program offerings: When evaluating which fairs to attend, particular attention can be paid to the programs offered at that college. If they have relevant majors without graduate programs, it’s possible to offer the solution to that gap. This may foster connections with both students and

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Conclusion As implicated above, gone are the days of expecting a grad fair to bring a flood of students, a list of qualified leads, and inevitable conversion to application. Instead, creativity and attention to the considerations above is necessary for the grad fair to continue to be of value.

It is recommended to review travel opportunities with all of the above in mind, and put thought into how expanding the basic fair model will benefit recruitment. If a new model of return on investment is built to include additional elements such as participating in personalized information sessions, the experience is buoyed beyond the chocolate chip cookies.

“As implicated above, gone are the days of expecting a grad fair to bring a flood of students, a list of qualified leads, and inevitable conversion to application. Instead, creativity and attention to the considerations above is necessary for the grad fair to continue to be of value.”

Additionally, it may be useful to think of specialized events to attend, in addition to the traditional grad fair. Participating in events such as the California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education provide further opportunity to market programs to a specific audience. This will allow for connections with target markets, providing further value to the travel.

In sum, the grad fair is not dead if used as a springboard to make further connections while on campus, and to continue to build a professional network.

Pack your bags! n

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FOR A CONSTANTLY CHANGING WORLD

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NAGAP DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT AND CORE VALUES The Governing Board of NAGAP is pleased to announce that during its July meeting the leadership approved a revised Diversity & Inclusion Statement that more clearly states NAGAP’s commitment to embracing the differences of its members, valuing organizational diversity, and championing an open exchange of ideas. In tandem with the Mission Statement and Core Values (presented at the 2019 Annual Conference in Toronto), these statements reflect NAGAP’s core beliefs and top priorities as an organization and will help guide us now and into the future.

2018–20 NAGAP GOVERNING BOARD Officers President Keith Ramsdell Assistant Dean and Director of Graduate Enrollment

Bowling Green State University

Thank you to the members of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Governing Board, as well as our members at large, who contributed to this important work.

All three statements are below and are available on the NAGAP website.

Vice President Jeremiah Nelson Wake Forest University School of Business

Mission Statement

Treasurer Andrew Kim Memorial University of Newfoundland (Canada)

inclusion of differences. We believe that a culture of respect among a diverse and engaged membership strengthens NAGAP and is foundational to our contributions to the profession.

The Mission of NAGAP is to engage and advance Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals by promoting excellence and collaboration through education, research, and professional development.

Collaboration. We value partnerships and teamwork. We believe in the power of networks, and that collaboration among our members, with other professional associations, and with industry partners builds synergy and enhances our individual strengths.

NAGAP Core Values Advancement and Dissemination of Knowledge. We value innovation and inquiry as central to the development of knowledge. We believe education and research are vital to effective practice in the field of graduate enrollment management.

Professional Development and Personal Growth. We value continuous personal and professional development. We believe that the expertise and judgment of graduate enrollment management professionals are critical contributions to the field of graduate education.

Diversity and Inclusion. We value equity, inclusion, and mutual respect.

We recognize that our differences make us stronger, and we seek out

Secretary Teisha Johnson

Illinois College of Optometry Immediate Past President Julia B. Deland Harvard Graduate School of Education Executive Director Katherine Hughey NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management

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The Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management

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NAGAP DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Directors Paula Baker

University of Minnesota Katherine Beczak

Rochester Institute of Technology Colleen L. Gabauer

Purdue University Marcus Hanscom

Roger Williams University Jennifer Kulbeck

Saint Mary's College of California Raymond Lutzky

Cornell Tech Amanda Ostreko

University of Kansas

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NAGAP Diversity & Inclusion Statement

types including geographic area, size, and affiliation.

NAGAP is committed to diversity and inclusion in its membership as well as in its actions and activities. This commitment embraces the differences of its members including, but not limited to, ability, status, age, culture, education, ethnicity, gender expression, gender identity, immigration status, life experience, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. In valuing organizational diversity, NAGAP strives to engage members from various institutional

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 its constituents, in the U.S. and internationally. n

Sara Pettingill

Bellarmine University Naronda Wright

Georgia Southern University

Publications Committee

Check out the NAGAP ONLINE RESOURCE CENTER

Denise Bridwell

University of Kansas Dave Fletcher

Barry University

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

Kate McConnell Pennsylvania State University Great Valley

nagap.org/online-education-resource-center

Kittie Pain

McDaniel College Caela Provost

University College Cork (Ireland) Troy Sterk

Seattle University

UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES 2020 Winter Professional Development Institute January 23–24, 2020 Rancho Mirage, California Register at http://nagap.org/winter-pdi

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STUDENT PERSPECTIVES: PARADIGM SHIFT Photo Credit: Jefferson Beck / NASA

As an undergraduate student trying to expand my outlook, I always loved hearing first-person stories. They offered great insights into career paths and potential struggles. Narratives from my professors, alumni, and family friends motivated me to choose a job in industry because tales on the research side sounded boring and challenging. However, a dramatic turn in my career led me to become a Master’s student conducting research for the first time, facing a few unexpected challenges.

My first-person story led me to the United States for graduate study. The educational system in my undergraduate college in India was a little different, and adapting to a new system was not too easy. Many factors, like a shift in culture, nostalgia, language, daily routines, and social awareness, significantly affected my coursework and early stages as a Graduate Research Assistant.

Hara Talasila, Ph.D. Student For over a year, I struggled to be productive and understand my thesis project. While it is cool to talk about being a researcher, activities behind the research are slow and hard.

Exciting moments and breakthroughs are infrequent because worthwhile outcomes take months, and sometimes years, to achieve.

Furthermore, it did not take much time to realize that I joined the club of students who work late nights with coffee in their arteries.

I felt like research was my life, and I needed to commit all of my time and attention to it. I forgot about fitness and was less social.

Even though life outside the lab was amazing, my mind consistently wanted to focus on making progress and finishing the task list.

I failed to provide a good balance between work and life.

I tell myself not to regret those days because I feel that it was necessary to frame who and what I am today. While I graduated with a Master’s degree in 2017, I was not confident at the personal level to label myself as a researcher because there was still so much that I didn’t know or understand about the research and the process.

While the journey has been rough, here are a few things that I have learned along the way…

• Choosing the right advisor is of utmost importance.

• Clear expectations between a student and an advisor are a necessity.

• It is important to have a defined set of goals and project schedules early in the process.

• Good communication will improve efficiency.

• Be patient.

• While change is inevitable, it is important to stay motivated.

• If you enjoy it as you live, it definitely feels great, and the lab feels like home.

• The worth of this experience genuinely means a lot more than a few lines on the resume.

• Overcoming these struggles will prepare me to deal with much bigger problems later in life.

After completing my Master’s, I took a break from studies to work for a while, and now I am back with the same team for my Ph.D. I hope to gain more wisdom and knowledge in the coming years. One semester through and I feel like I am making progress. The difference I feel when I compare myself to a year ago is motivation in addition to the boost from well-wishers. Two widely heard words, patience and tolerance, help to sustain me.

Hara Talasila, Ph.D. Student

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Professional response by Denise Bridwell, University of Kansas Hara’s story is one that I feel is consistent with many students entering graduate school. They have often just completed a rigorous undergraduate degree; were diligent in their studies, were probably very involved with research or extra-curricular activities to fill up a resume, have been admitted to a top-notch graduate program and are ready to take life by the horns. Teeming with confidence, they have no idea that they are about to be slapped in the face with the reality that they have no idea

where culture may have taught them to never challenge someone in authority.

It is up to us to create an atmosphere where students feel safe and can be open about their problems. Sometimes, all they need is to know that someone cares and will encourage them along the way. Be that someone for your students today. n

what they’re doing…and that’s okay!

As the Chinese Proverb states, “You are like this cup; you are full of ideas. You come and ask for teaching, but your cup is full; I can't put anything in. Before I can teach you, you'll have to empty your cup.”1 It is important that we make ourselves available to these students with the support and guidance they need to keep pushing forward. Recognize that students are apprehensive about sharing their struggles for fear of retribution or shame…especially international students

Reference https://www.learnreligions.com/emptyyour-cup-3976934

Partnering in Potential.

A holistic process can uncover great potential.

Find out how using GRE® scores in a holistic process can help you reduce barriers to diversity and enroll applicants with great potential for success.

Visit HolisticAdmissions.org/4facts

ETS — Measuring the Power of Learning.® Copyright © 2019 by Educational Testing Service. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo, MEASURING THE POWER OF LEARNING and GRE are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). SIAS18162

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TWO PROFESSIONALS—ONE YEAR—NEW ROLES

By Kittie Pain, Director of Graduate Enrollment Management, McDaniel College Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM) professionals evolve into their roles over time. Some have always worked in the industry but take on more responsibilities, while others are career changers. This piece focuses on two GEM professionals who are new to their roles. One has been in GEM for nearly two decades, while the other is new to graduate. Throughout their first year, they answered a series of questions as they immersed themselves in their new roles.

Sueann Robbins serves as the director of graduate and transfer admission at York College of Pennsylvania (YCP), a small, private college in south central Pennsylvania.

She oversees eight master’s programs in the fields of business, education, and nursing and two additional doctoral programs in nursing. There are 12 administrators—program directors, deans, and 25 faculty. York College has approximately 275 graduate students.

Director of Graduate Admission, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)

AD: I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect in my first 90 days. Being new to the graduate side of admissions, I was eager to get started and to learn all I could. I spent time meeting with faculty and tried to partner on some projects to effectively impact recruitment. I also tried to shape what my overall role would look like for graduate recruitment; with guidance and support from my supervisor, I developed a clear vision and strong foundation.

professionals who are new to their roles. One has been in GEM for nearly two decades, while the other is new to graduate. Throughout their

Have you faced any challenges within the first few months?

first year, they answered a series of questions as they immersed

SR: It has been a challenge to balance both graduate and transfer.

themselves in their new roles.”

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Director of Graduate and Transfer Admission, York College of Pennsylvania (YCP)

SR: Since this was a new position at YCP, my 90-day goals centered around learning all I could about the programs, meeting with and gaining the trust of the faculty and my colleagues in Enrollment Management. It was also important for me to meet the many departments on campus with which I would interact in my role. YCP uses Slate as their SRM; since I was new to Slate, I had to learn the system, set up the prospect/ inquiry portal, and develop the online application. This endeavor required focus, tremendous effort, and a lot of time on my part.

“This piece focuses on two GEM

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Describe your vision for your first 90 days.

Amber Dworek serves as the director of graduate admission at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), a large, public university in western Pennsylvania.

She oversees 60 graduate master’s and certificate programs in the fields of business, education, health and human services, fine arts, natural sciences and math, and humanities. She works with well over 50 program coordinators.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania has approximately 2,100 graduate students.

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Thankfully, I have an Assistant Director for Transfer and she is great! But I’ve had to learn the transfer process while learning the new SRM, and that has been difficult as I don’t want to lose the graduate momentum.

AD: Change is always difficult, and the creation of my new position triggered a few ripples that have taken some time to iron out. Our faculty take their roles very seriously, and I learned we needed to form a partnership to accomplish our goals. Since this position didn’t exist prior to my hire, there was some uncertainty of what it entails and how it blends with their efforts.

Outside of your organization, what resources had you utilized to acclimate yourself to your new role?

SR: I have a strong network of colleagues that I’ve reached out to along the way. They include many members within PAGAP! AD: Current and previous participation in organizations like PACAC, NJACAC, MARCA, PACCAO, NACAC, NAGAP, and PAGAP have provided me with an army of colleagues who can help brainstorm new ideas and discuss best practices. I also remain close with my continued on the next page

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TWO PROFESSIONALS previous supervisors who have been mentors to me over the years. In doing this, I can advocate for myself and our graduate admissions office.

“I’ve found that most faculty were tired of handling the inquiries and applications themselves, and they have been grateful to have me bring it all together under one roof. Though, one program director was wary of ‘giving everything over to strangers,’ I sat with that person on several occasions to quell any fears.

Eventually I won them over.”

Within the first 180 days, describe what warmed your heart about being in GEM at your college/university.

SR: I’ve found that most faculty were tired of handling the inquiries and applications themselves, and they have been grateful to have me bring it all together under one roof. Though, one program director was wary of “giving everything over to strangers,” I sat with that person on several occasions to quell any fears. Eventually I won them over.

AD: I’m thrilled to continue to build on the foundation of IUP’s undergraduateto-graduate campaign: More IUP, More You. Through this, we’re working to make our own community more aware of graduate school opportunities and expanding the ways in which students can engage with graduate courses (through 4+1 programs and early admissions). This year, we hosted the first-ever Graduate Open House for our own undergraduate students. Though there is always room for growth, we were pleased with both program coordinator and student attendance.

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Ultimately, on what will you be measured?

SR: I did not experience a magical day! For some of the faculty, trust was established organically from the beginning and thankfully has continued.

I also found it interesting, and helpful, to learn that the Administrative Assistants run the show for many of the programs.

They are all-knowing, organized, and efficient. I can usually get a task completed faster with their assistance.

SR: It is my understanding that I will be measured on enrollment numbers. The program directors are working with the Provost on setting tuition revenue goals.

AD: Our office will be measured mostly on enrollment numbers; however, retention is a major focus of our university as well. Because of this, our office will be exploring our role in helping with this initiative. Everything will be tied to tuition revenue.

AD: I wish I could say there was a day when everything fell into place. I’ve encountered faculty who have been great, others who at times have not been so nice, and others who just don’t want to engage or partner on projects.

I say this only as an awareness factor to let others starting out in a similar role know to not take it personally. Faculty wear many hats, and I am sensitive to that; however, they need to be sensitive to the work of my staff and me. I’ve started to create boundaries and outline how our office will partner with others on recruitment initiatives. Overall, I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished over the past year and how we work together to serve the students.

Were you provided the tools needed to succeed? (e.g., marketing budget, materials, staff, attractive programs, application system, etc.)

SR: No. I currently do not have the tools that I need to succeed. Again, since YCP is so new to the Graduate Enrollment process I believe I was hired to create some of those tools. For me, the struggle has been the communication with the faculty and having them understand fully how important it is for us to keep moving forward. They’re supportive, but just don’t move at the same pace that I am used to. I know what tools I need, and the YCP Enrollment Team is helping me to create those; in the end, I will have to adjust my goals and objectives.

Describe your experience with your CRM/SRM use.

SR: When I came into this position the college was transitioning to a new CRM and hadn’t moved graduate to it yet. It was a system I was unfamiliar with and would have benefitted from a solid week of immersion and then a clear plan to review or study more in-depth aspects of the system. An online training guide would also have been helpful.

AD: We are fortunate enough to say that we have all the building blocks needed. It’s now just putting everything together to be as efficient as possible in providing quality service to our prospective and current students. Things have taken a little more time to get together than I would have liked, but it will be worth the time spent now to ensure a smooth path later. This is all part of the learning process.

AD: I was fortunate that I had used the same CRM at my previous institution, and upon arriving at IUP, I was able to apply some of that knowledge to their system.

Our program coordinators (faculty) use our system frequently to make decisions and haven’t had refresher training nor knew of new tools available to them. Now we are setting aside time to work with them and show them some new features.

In establishing a relationship with faculty to earn their trust, was there suddenly a day when everything just became magical and you thought, “If only I tried this two months ago?”

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CONTINUED colleagues (in your department as well as others) operate on a daily basis.

This knowledge will serve you when planning and implementing everything from hosting major events to planning a simple meeting. Finally, when things are stressful, take a moment to reflect on why you love higher ed!

After spending a year in your institution, and a year working on this project, what would you like to share with others about your experience?

SR: Be patient. Coming into a new position, most people are motivated, enthusiastic, and excited to showcase their knowledge—whether that is new or from years of experience. My VP of Enrollment told me over and over to slow down, it will all get done, and to enjoy the slower pace while I could. He was correct. Now I feel as though there are not enough hours in the day! I would also suggest finetuning your intuitive senses. Take a breath and really listen in meetings while taking note of the behavior of others. It is important to learn how your

AD: Document the work you are doing. You can refer to it for your yearly review, to give yourself the grace of knowing you did enough that day, to see how far you’ve come, and to advocate for more help if needed. I would also encourage anyone new to their role to continue to foster relationships across campus in order to help with your recruitment initiatives.

Partnering with program coordinators, faculty, administrative offices,

“I would also encourage anyone new to their role to continue to foster relationships across campus in order to help with your recruitment initiatives. Partnering with program coordinators, faculty, administrative offices, marketing, etc. will help in meeting goals.”

marketing, etc. will help in meeting goals. Because of these partnerships, we have collaborated to revamp marketing materials, provide a toolbox of resources, host workshops for coordinators, and streamline processing, along with other projects. n

The NAGAP Experts Bureau The NAGAP Experts Bureau provides members, as well as outside media, with valuable and reliable resources in the matters of GEM. NAGAP members benefit from having well-respected colleagues within their organization who can confidently and respectfully respond to their best-practice questions or concerns.

Areas of expertise include but are not limited to: • Recruitment and Marketing • Graduate & Adult Student Services • Ethical Issues in GEM • International Recruitment & Retention • Staff Professional Development

• Admissions Policies & Procedures and Operations & Technologies • Diversity and Inclusion in GEM • Academic Program Development • STEM, Biomedical, Medical School Recruitment and Retention

Questions, concerns, or feedback for the Experts Bureau may be directed to nagapmedia@gmail.com.

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2020 GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT SUMMIT UPDATES

By Joshua Walehwa, Washington University in Saint Louis, 2020 Graduate Enrollment Management Summit Marketing Chair We are excited to be heading to Orlando, Florida for the 2020 Graduate Enrollment Management Summit from April 22–25 titled GEM Reimagined.

This year’s Planning Committee has been working behind the scenes to make sure that all the details are set for your arrival.

Our continued goal is to put together the most comprehensive, informative, and fun conference for you to take benefit from. Every year, many of us from around the world take advantage of this opportunity to enhance best practices, learn about trends in Graduate Enrollment Management, and expand our networks in the areas of admissions, marketing, financial aid, student

advising, alumni support and more.

Graduate Enrollment Management Summit registration opens in December, so make sure to look out for that information in the coming months.

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Orlando attractions. Within a short walk or ferry ride to countless restaurants, cultural experiences, and amusement parks, there is no shortage of things to discover outside of the annual summit.

With this beautiful location as the backdrop, we encourage you to plan ahead to make sure you capitalize on the experience. If you plan on arriving early or staying after the conclusion of the summit, make sure to make your hotel reservations once registration opens. Look out for more information in NAGAP News, in Perspectives, and on social media in the coming months, and we look forward to seeing you in Orlando! n

This event promises to be one of the most comprehensive professional development and networking opportunities in 2020, and we hope that you will attend! The 2020 Graduate Enrollment Management Summit will take place at the Loews Royal Pacific at Universal Orlando. Our host location is filled with many dining and swimming options, a first-class gym, and easy access to all of the best

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WORKING WITH A PARTNER: RECRUITING WITH GRADSCHOOLMATCH

By T.J. Murphy, Ph.D., Gradschoolmatch, LLC and Lita Malveaux, Georgia State University If you haven’t heard of Gradschoolmatch.com then let’s just say it works like a dating website, where prospective students and graduate program representatives privately express interest in each other.

Importantly, Gradschoolmatch helps find students who would probably never find your program otherwise, and enables you to communicate with them directly.

Georgia State University is in the heart of downtown Atlanta, at the center of one of the largest higher education hubs in the U.S. Georgia State has earned a reputation as one of the most innovative schools in the country; a large university classified “Research 1” in the Carnegie Classification with more than 250 graduate majors, minors, and pathways.

Trying new things to do the right thing infuses the Georgia State culture. The relationship between Georgia State and Gradschoolmatch goes back to when the company was new—more of an idea than a working product. The Gradschoolmatch team’s world headquarters is just down the street from the campus. Early in the company’s development the Gradschoolmatch team met with faculty and staff at Georgia State, formally and informally, to gain insights into what a future customer might need.

At its core, Gradschoolmatch is a communication web application. That communication begins with a simple “bookmark,” which can be initiated by either the prospect or the program. A “match” is made when they bookmark each other, and you can send and exchange messages with people you find.

Institutions and their graduate programs use Gradschoolmatch to inexpensively source leads they might not otherwise attract. For example, they can import their matches into a customer relationship management (CRM) tool for tracking and email marketing.

Feedback from Georgia State, as well as that from all customers, has played an important role in shaping how the Gradschoolmatch platform works.

The experience with Gradschoolmatch at Georgia State University illustrates how an app designed for lead generation has evolved into one that is more central in the overall communication workflow between graduate programs and, not only their prospects, but also their applicants.

One area is in cost. Pricing models are a difficult problem for startup companies to solve. Gradschoolmatch was founded on the simple premise that individual graduate programs need an affordable way to recruit on their own.

When Gradschoolmatch upgraded from its beta stage it also included a new pricing model. This went from a per program charge to a per account charge. The new strategy continued to set a cost low enough for individual programs to afford, while not being too costly for accounts that could bring in many programs simultaneously.

“At its core, Gradschoolmatch is a communication web application.

That communication begins with a simple ‘bookmark,’ which can be initiated by either the prospect or

In fact, Georgia State was Gradschoolmatch’s first test of the institution-wide new Basic/Limited/ Unlimited/Concierge Plan model. This model incentivizes creating one account to cover many programs. For example,

the program. A ‘match’ is made when they bookmark each other, and you can send and exchange messages with people you find.”

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Gradschoolmatch hosts 118 graduate program profiles from Georgia State on a single Unlimited Plan account.

That allows for an unlimited number of programs, unlimited users, unlimited bookmarks and unlimited messages with prospects. The cost to Georgia State comes in remarkably low per program, per month, and the university’s decision to adopt the platform helped validate the new pricing model, which has subsequently been adopted by many other institutions So how has it all gone? Let’s start by reviewing their roll out and adoption.

Importantly, the Georgia State account was initiated by the Office of the Associate Provost for Graduate Programs, demonstrating the support of the institution. This facilitated a collective and smooth adoption of the platform further supported by the Gradschoolmatch team, who were able to provide in-service onboarding workshops on campus. From the start about half of the programs began using Gradschoolmatch reasonably well. By the end of the first year, about twothirds of the programs had used the site to generate leads. The programs that used the site the most generated the most leads.

Let’s continue with rankings.

Gradschoolmatch university rankings are very simple. When a student is interested in a program listed on the site, they bookmark that program.

To rank schools on Gradschoolmatch we simply count the number of bookmarks each program receives and sum them up per school. Nothing else matters. Because we also list over 40,000 graduate programs at so many universities worldwide, tracking this bookmark activity gives us a pretty continued on the next page

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WORKING WITH A PARTNER good picture of where people are looking as they think about applying to graduate school.

On Gradschoolmatch, more people have bookmarked programs at Georgia State University than anywhere else.

Collectively, Georgia State graduate programs have received thousands of bookmarks from prospects on the site.

Their presence alone generates interest while the collective activity on the site of their many programs generates even more interest.

“We think a big part of this success and wide adoption comes from the fact that Georgia State uses our inquiry page feature. This is the tool alluded to above, that Georgia State points their prospects and applicants to when they want them to communicate with programs.

In fact, the development of the inquiry page was a collaboration.”

Let’s continue with communication.

We both believe that communication with prospects is the key to successful recruitment. Georgia State has exchanged more messages with prospects than almost all of the other schools combined that use Gradschoolmatch to recruit.

The faculty and staff in programs do a great job of reaching out and responding to prospects.

Then something interesting happened.

Gradschoolmatch was designed as a top of the funnel tool. But it became evident at Georgia State that the platform was just as useful throughout the funnel.

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Gradschoolmatch platform. This served two purposes; first, we know that just because someone creates an application does not mean they will submit it.

Therefore, providing an opportunity for prospective students to ask questions of faculty during the application process is just as important as it is leading up to the process. Second, the program directors can move messaging out of traditional email and more easily keep track of conversations with prospective students in the platform.

available. Over time, they sign in to use Gradschoolmatch more frequently. For example, while signed in to deal with that new inquiry, they wander over to their recommendations list to bookmark some new prospects who came to Gradschoolmatch via some other route.

We think a big part of this success and wide adoption comes from the fact that Georgia State uses our inquiry page feature. This is the tool alluded to above, that Georgia State points their prospects and applicants to when they want them to communicate with programs. In fact, the development of the inquiry page was a collaboration.

Since Georgia State implemented the inquiry page feature, usage penetration by program faculty and staff has improved. Now over 80% of the graduate programs have used Gradschoolmatch to communicate with prospects.

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“In short, Gradschoolmatch has

This process facilitates engagement between your faculty, prospects, and applicants in several ways. The Gradschoolmatch profile provides more information about a prospect than a typical contact form, making the advising job for the faculty much easier. As a result, they are more likely to respond to inquiries with direct help. The communication happens on Gradschoolmatch, which makes it easy to exchange messages and track conversations. These private message threads don’t get lost.

Also, programs get pinged by new prospects on a reasonably regular basis, serving as an organic reminder the Gradschoolmatch service is

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Recruitment and enrollment managers often struggle to get their graduate programs involved in their work.

The inquiry page feature appears to have organically drawn Georgia State program faculty and staff into the workflow necessary to recruit prospects successfully. Through their simple mentoring of students on Gradschoolmatch they contribute to fulfilling the marketing objectives of recruitment and enrollment managers.

Think of the inquiry page as a ‘Contact Us’ page on your main grad school and program webpages. Instead of filling out a minimum form, your prospects fill out a Gradschoolmatch profile. After someone who lands on a Georgia State webpage goes through this gateway, people in that program are directly “pinged” on Gradschoolmatch. Sometimes, communication between a program and the prospect happens instantly.

Subsequently, Georgia State started encouraging current applicants to interact with program faculty through the

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In short, Gradschoolmatch has become a one-stop, enterprise-wide app to handle much of the inquiry and application process communication that happens between prospects and programs.

become a one-stop, enterprisewide app to handle much of the inquiry and application process communication that happens between prospects and programs.”

In summary, at Georgia State University, Gradschoolmatch has become a more central component of their wider graduate recruitment workflow than either of us initially envisaged.

Throughout our relationship, both the company and Georgia State have learned from each other and benefited from our close relationship. n

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A CANDID CONVERSATION ON INCREASING ENROLLMENT OF UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENTS IN GRADUATE SCHOOL

By Moises Orozco Villicaña, Ph.D., University of Illinois and Bryan Southworth, University of Connecticut of color at the University of California, Santa Barbara, I received support and validation from faculty, staff, and graduate students. My parents never pursued a formal education beyond elementary school, so I always assumed that obtaining a bachelor’s degree would be the pinnacle of my postsecondary education. However, my cultural navigators (Strayhorn, 2015), which refers to institutional members that help inform students of the rituals, customs, and rules of higher education, motivated me to see beyond what I originally had imagined was obtainable.

These cultural navigators became my recruiters to graduate school. They guided me through the application process and offered me resources on how to strengthen my application as well as seek out funding opportunities.

Their commitment and investment in me was incredibly inspiring and left an unforgettable impression that has carried over to my current role as the Director of Enrollment Management at the School of Information Sciences.

Many of my cultural navigators were Latina/o background, which only strengthened my resolve to excel in graduate school because they too were successfully pursuing an advanced degree. My personal journey in the graduate school experience has fueled my life-long commitment to ensure that students of color receive the validation and support vital to obtain an advanced degree.

Introduction At the 2019 NAGAP Annual Conference Dr. Moises Orozco Villicaña delivered a presentation entitled, “Racial Diversity in Graduate Education Matters: Increasing Enrollment of African American and Latina/o Students.” This presentation was extremely well received by conference attendees, including Bryan Southworth.

As a result, Bryan interviewed Dr. Orozco Villicaña for this special feature in Perspectives, to expand on his motivations around the topic of diversity in graduate education.

“At the 2019 NAGAP Annual Conference Dr. Moises Orozco Villicaña delivered a presentation entitled, ‘Racial Diversity in Graduate Education Matters: Increasing Enrollment of African American and Latina/o Students.’

This presentation was extremely well received by conference attendees, including Bryan Southworth.”

Bryan Southworth: In your presentation, you mentioned that your work around diversity is deeply personal.

I would like to expand on this a bit further and would like to hear your thoughts on pragmatic strategies that other graduate enrollment professionals can employ to increase diversity at their institutions. What initially got you interested in wanting to work specifically with students who are underrepresented in post-secondary education?

Bryan Southworth: What has been your favorite moment or most memorable success story working with underrepresented students?

Dr. Orzoco Villicaña: In my current role I spend a considerable amount of time and resources at the onset of the graduate student’s life-cycle. I interact with prospective students of color, launch recruitment events, review

Dr. Orozco Villicaña: Yes, my commitment on issues of equity and access among underrepresented students in higher education is deeply personal. As a first-generation student

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applications, award scholarships, and develop yield campaigns. I do all this in an effort to increase enrollment of underrepresented students. There is an incredible amount of satisfaction in seeing a student of color enrolled at the iSchool, but this satisfaction is surpassed when I finally get to see the outcome of their enrollment, which is degree completion. In the spring of 2019, I congratulated, hugged, and rejoiced with the first cohort that I recruited to the iSchool. The feeling was indescribable, and the joy was boundless, especially as I was introduced to graduates' parents, siblings, extended family members, and partners. Many thanked me for recruiting them to the iSchool, but I redirected their praise and thanked their parents and loved ones for being a source of inspiration to them. In this type of work, it is easy to get caught up in enrollment targets and a perpetual state of planning for the next recruitment cycle, but attending a commencement ceremony reveals the true purpose of our work—to ensure that the students we recruit fulfill their educational aspirations. The most rewarding part of my work is to see students of color thrive in graduate school and walk across the stage to receive their advanced degree.

Bryan Southworth: How do you think institutions of higher education can better direct the resources they already have to more effectively benefit underrepresented students?

Dr. Orozco Villicaña: One of the biggest hurdles in pursuing an advanced degree is cost. If funding is a challenge, institutions and departments must make it as easy as possible for prospective students to understand the true cost of the degree. The number one question that we get when interacting with prospective students is the cost of the degree, and a close second continued on the next page

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A CANDID CONVERSATION is information on available funding opportunities. The average debt for obtaining a graduate degree is $57,600, with one out of four borrowers owing more than $100,000 (Meyer, 2018).

To help offset the stifling debt that students of color might accrue while in a graduate degree program, institutions must develop and offer robust financial aid packages. At the iSchool at Illinois, we offer a recruitment scholarship of $10,000, which is split evenly during an admitted student’s initial term of entry and subsequent term. We also partner with the graduate college to award fellowships for top underrepresented students. Another financial incentive that the iSchool gives to underrepresented students is a tuition waiver for applicants that have been selected for the American Library Association Spectrum Scholarship program, which offers mentorship to aspiring librarians of color. The iSchool at Illinois welcomes the second largest number of ALA Spectrum Scholars in the country.

Bryan Southworth: What are some challenges associated with recruitment and retention of students of color in graduation education?

Dr. Orozco Villicaña: There are a few questions we can ask about our approach: What incentives do we provide? Do our marketing materials feature the students we are looking to attract and do they represent those who do enroll? Have we reviewed best practices to diversify our applicant pool? How do we identify collaborative efforts across campus?

Nevertheless, with respect to recruitment, one of the biggest hurdles will always be funding opportunities.

Between 2000 and 2016, Hispanic undergraduate enrollment more than doubled—yet applications to graduate school decreased 1.8% between 2016 & 2017. Turning around this statistic is vital to developing a 21st century workforce and strengthening North America’s

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CONTINUED underrepresented students is deeply personal and guides his interaction with prospective students. His own experience of being a recipient of invaluable support among Latina/o faculty and graduate students has led him to offer the same mentorship and support to students of color aspiring to obtain an advanced degree. For Dr. Orozco Villicaña, seeing his students walk across the commencement stage is all he needs to know that what he is doing not only matters but is working. However, he also fully realizes that more work needs to be done to lower costs, offer scholarships, and increase funding for graduate students of color. Too often the fear of looming debt can cloud a student’s perception regarding the benefits of obtaining an advanced degree.

position in the global community. As graduate enrollment management professionals, we have to develop creative ways to help offset the cost of advanced degrees through fellowships, scholarships, or paraprofessional employment opportunities in the form of graduate assistantships, teaching assistantships, or research assistantships.

We also have to generate data-points on how these funding opportunities lead to outcomes. For example, we have offered tuition waivers to 45 ALA Spectrum Scholars in the past eight years. All 45 of these scholarship recipients have either earned a degree (32) or currently maintain good standing as they work towards degree completion (13). On the retention side, one of the biggest challenges is creating a welcoming and supportive environment for students of color. Research has shown that students of color in graduate programs report encountering racial microaggressions, especially in teaching assistantship roles (Gomez, Khurshid, Freitag, & Lachuk, 2011), which can be detrimental to degree completion. As academic units, we have to consider ways to foster a welcoming space for students of color that empowers them to thrive in the program. At the iSchool, we have a student group called Students of Color, which is led by students and advised by an enrollment management staff member. This group meets frequently and creates a space for students to share their experiences and discuss ways to be involved at the college level. Faculty also play a significant role in fostering a welcoming environment and mentoring students of color. By sharing with your faculty the incoming class of students and its makeup, you are equipping faculty with the information they need to better serve graduate students.

As demographics continue to shift, graduate programs can continue to adjust policies and practices to foster equitable results for students of color.

Above all else, Dr. Orozco Villicaña seeks to develop innovative ways to capture new funding sources as well as challenge traditional frameworks regarding what can and cannot be accomplished through sheer grit and improved practices. n

References Gomez, M. L., Khurshid, A., Freitag, M. B., & Lachuk, A. J. (2011). Microaggressions in graduate students’ lives: How they are encountered and their consequences.

Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(8), 1189–1199.

Meyer, C. (2018). Is taking student loans for graduate school worth it?

Retrieved from https://www.forbes. com/sites/financialfinesse/2018/07/01/ is-taking-student-loans-for-graduateschool-worth-it/#4be7918d22bd Strayhorn, T. L. (2015). Reframing academic advising for student success: From advisor to cultural navigator. NACADA Journal, 35(1), 56–63.

Conclusion Dr. Orozco Villicaña’s commitment to equity and access among

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CALL FOR GRADUATE EDUCATION RESEARCH GRANT APPLICATIONS

Submission Deadline: November 12, 2019 Expanded Eligibility for 2020!

NAGAP’s Graduate Education Research Grant is now open to Graduate or Professional Students (any degree level), and to Professionals with Doctoral Degrees currently working in a position related to the advancement, teaching, or management of graduate education.

This grant is designed to encourage emerging knowledge and understanding of the complexities of Graduate Enrollment Management.

Two Awards and two honorable mentions will be selected for the 2020–21 award year.

Application instructions and a link to the online application are available on NAGAP’s website, https://nagap.org/research-grantinstructions.

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

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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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.

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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