VOLUME 32 NUMBER 3 The Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management
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PERSPECTIVES A Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals
IN THIS ISSUE 2 From the President
3 Meet the Chapter Presidents 5 International Recruitment in a Virtual World: Advice from Three Graduate Enrollment Professionals 8
Making Equity and Inclusion a Top Priority: The Call-to-Action That Institutions Must Answer
11 New International Market Entry Strategies for Tactical Student Recruitment 17 The Unexpected Pivot 18 Supporting Graduate Students During Emergency Remote Teaching 19 Working with a Partner to Achieve Your Goal: Implementing an Inbound Enrollment Marketing Program for Student Recruitment 23 NAGAP Graduate Enrollment Management Summit
www.NAGAP.org
FROM THE PRESIDENT NAGAP Family, I hope that this message finds you happy, healthy, and thriving despite the extraordinary circumstances we are all navigating. It feels like the theme for 2020 is uncertainty and change (note the tactful way I avoided using the term dumpster fire). As an eternal optimist I have seen and experienced glimmers of hope and opportunity amidst the flames. My wish is that you find those rays of light to guide yourself out of the darkness. If you have the chance to grab someone’s hand on your way out, please take the opportunity to bring them along. We’ve never needed each other more! Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter. I’m writing this message the last week in August following the shooting of Jacob Blake. The details of this case are still evolving, but the refrain of systemic injustice and violence against people of color is playing on loop in the background of my mind. If I’m shaken, I can only imagine the physical and emotional toll this is taking on my Black and Brown colleagues and students. Each of us must take stock of the ways in which we and our institutions contribute to and benefit from systemic racism. As we collectively demand change, let’s also keep the conversation going about opportunities to improve equity and justice in graduate education. Most GEM professionals play some role in the decision-making, access, or support impacting students of color on our campuses. We all need to fully own our power and influence in this space. This week my program’s hybrid classes began, and I experienced my first day back onsite since March. After nearly six months working from home, I was delighted (and surprised!) to find that my pants still fit. All of my students arrived fully mask-compliant, and the faculty were visibly joyful to be back in front of a classroom again. In the midst of dozens of universities announcing a fully online fall semester, I am feeling hopeful that my tiny corner of graduate education can successfully pull off small scale in-person classes. Like many universities, mine prepared over the summer by offering extensive faculty training to ensure that hybrid and online learning would be at the highest level. No matter what happens, each of us (and all of our students) will have a great answer in future interviews about how well we solve problems, manage uncertainty, and navigate change. See…even in a pandemic there’s a silver lining. Stay strong. Stay safe. Stay connected. n With gratitude,
Jeremiah Nelson, NAGAP President
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PERSPECTIVES A Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals
Editor, Stanley Kania, PhD
Enrollment Management Recruiter Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Scranton, PA (570) 558-3954
Assistant Editor, Melissa Sersland
Associate Director of Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid Northwestern University Evanston, IL (847) 491-5042 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 17. Copyright © 2020 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.
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MEET THE CHAPTER PRESIDENTS Troy Sterk, Seattle University This three-part series will help our members get to know their NAGAP Chapter Presidents. In our last “Meet the Chapter Presidents” section, we introduced you to NYGAP Chapter President Stephen Ostendorff and SEAGAP Chapter President Kimberly Holley. In our second part of this series, we would like to introduce you to BAGAP Chapter President Skylar Hall. Learn about their pathway to becoming a Chapter leader, their ideas for engaging NAGAP members in their Chapter, and their overall experience within the NAGAP organization. We hope you enjoy “meeting” your NAGAP Chapter Presidents!
Skylar Hall Email Marketing Specialist, California Institute of Integral Studies President, BAGAP TS: Please tell us about your background (professional and academic). How did you begin your GEM career, and how did you progress to where you are now? SH: My GEM career began at the University of San Francisco where I received the position of Admissions
Intern, Access and Outreach. As a first-generation college student and Queer identifying individual, it was important to me to be able to give back, as the road to higher ed was so particularly rocky for me. As an Access and Outreach intern, I found my joy in being able to help other Queer, first-gen, dreamer students traverse that rocky path in the hopes of making it potentially smoother for them.
well as attending the NAGAP Annual Conference), Ellen asked if I would like to step in as co-chair. Of course, I was flattered and put my name into the running for elections. I was voted in as a co-chair two years ago this August and have been shoring up the chapter ever since. In my time as Chapter President, my board and I have updated our bylaws and membership options and digitized/centralized all our documents in one secure, online place. We have also held multiple professional development webinars during our chapter meetings for the purpose of strengthening our chapter members.
After two years, I realized that this was the type of work I wanted to continue doing for the rest of my career. Helping others get access to the tools they needed to thrive became more than just my day job, my salary —it became my way that I gave back to communities that I deeply care for.
TS: What are some of the things you are looking to accomplish as a Chapter President to further engage NAGAP members within your Chapter?
I then found a little university in the heart of San Francisco called California Institute of Integral Studies, a university which has been established in the Bay Area for over 50 years and trains the next generation of licensed psychotherapists and psychologists. I immediately resonated with CIIS’ social-justice-oriented mission. As a school that values an integral approach to healing (mind, body, spirit integration), I found I was able to continue contributing to society and higher ed by helping folks on their next step in their healing-oriented careers— helping folks become psychologists. I have worked at CIIS now for over three years as an admissions counselor, and now their email marketing specialist.
SH: After our last chapter meeting in March, the full impact of COVID -19 hit, and many members of our chapter suffered. JFKU, one of our oldest, long-standing institutional members, closed its doors. The Bay Area school landscape suffered as many of our in-person schools struggled to get their courses online and deal with the worldwide pandemic which has affected us all. This unfortunately also led to a decline in involvement with the Chapter as our meetings have historically always been held in-person (which of course was not possible in the Bay Area due to Shelter-in-Place orders). Thus, for the rest of my term as Chapter President, my goals will be to:
TS: Briefly describe your pathway to getting involved with NAGAP and then becoming a Chapter Leader.
• hold an effective election cycle and bring a full board back to our Chapter. • digitize our chapter meetings so that we can weather COVID -19 for as long as necessary.
SH: My director at CIIS, Ellen Durst, was co-chair of BAGAP prior to my onboarding at CIIS, and she started to get me involved in the Chapter. After attending some meetings and getting to know our tight-knit chapter group (as
• increase chapter member involvement by creating and overseeing committees (i.e., marketing and outreach, events, etc.). continued on the next page
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MEET THE CHAPTER PRESIDENTS • strengthen the special, tight-knit membership vibe that our Chapter was founded on. The Bay Area is a unique place for education — always has been and probably always will be. Thus the main question that I aim to solve for BAGAP in the remainder of my presidential term will be: how can we strengthen our chapter engagement while still preserving the local, tight-knit atmosphere that accompanied its inception?
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into non-profit management. What impacted me so greatly there was the NAGAP community and their wonderful sense of welcome, heart, warmth, and mentorship. To this day, that trip to Kansas remains one of my favorite professional development opportunities as it shed light on how vast the GEM field really is. Yet, with vast waters ahead of you, having mentors to help you navigate your path forward is even more important, and that is what NAGAP offers: a chance to better yourself, your institution, your team, and I would say our communities at large. My time working with BAGAP has also strengthened my professional abilities and, in turn, has allowed me to be a better NAGAP member. I’ve seen this play out in a multitude of ways, not the least of which is being able to provide
TS: How has your involvement with your Chapter enhanced your experience as a NAGAP member? SH: I remember my first Chapter President’s Meeting in Kansas two years ago — I was green behind the ears, you could say, as it was my first foray
unique experiences from my geographic location to friends and mentors that I see every year at the NAGAP GEM Summit. Learning how to lead a chapter strengthened my professional abilities in my own workplace as well which, if you think about it, is really the role of NAGAP, right? If we learn to become better GEM professionals, then we strengthen our home institutions. If our home institutions are strong and thriving, they in turn create more NAGAP members. If there are more NAGAP members who can provide rich insights from their institution, this strengthens NAGAP as a whole. I truly believe that involvement with the Chapters and NAGAP itself is a reciprocal, synergistic relationship that strengthens not only the organization, but our home institutions as well. n
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Hear Insights from GEM Professionals How are Jeremiah Nelson of Wake Forest University, Lisa Sperling of University of Georgia, and Gretchen Briscoe of University of Rochester adjusting their recruitment and admissions strategies to navigate through this pandemic? Watch the Navigating Through Change video series to find out. holisticadmissions.org/change
Copyright © 2020 by ETS. All rights reserved. ETS, the ETS logo and GRE are registered trademarks of ETS. SIAS18843
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INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT IN A VIRTUAL WORLD: ADVICE FROM THREE GRADUATE ENROLLMENT PROFESSIONALS By Amanda Miller, Brandeis University and Melissa Sersland, Northwestern University As graduate enrollment professionals engage with prospective international students this fall, they’ll contend with a continuing global pandemic, uncertainty around international student visa policies, and high numbers of admitted students deferring enrollment to at least 2021. The U.S. government’s handling of the coronavirus has impacted students’ plans, according to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS): Sixty-one percent of nearly 2,000 respondents said how different governments managed the coronavirus in their country made them reconsider where to study overseas; only 1.5 percent of respondents thought the United States handled the coronavirus outbreak the best of more than 30 possible countries (“The Impact of the Coronavirus,” 2020). Administrative policies regarding student visas also impact students’ interests to study in the U.S. A pulse survey after the Trump administration announced plans to revoke student visas for students in remote-only classes showed that 39 percent of prospective international students were less interested in studying in the United States (Bacon, 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic has had a direct impact on international students’ desire to study abroad in the United States in 2020. Data collected by QS shows that 66 percent of 8,721 respondents said the coronavirus affected their plans to study abroad, and 62 percent said they intended to defer or delay the start of their program to next year (“The Impact of the Coronavirus,” 2020). In the face of these significant challenges, and without options to meet prospective students in person, graduate enrollment professionals need to leverage virtual options to engage, recruit, and retain prospective international graduate students. Interest in virtual events for prospective international graduate
students is high, according to the QS data (“Maximizing Potential,” 2020). When asked about virtual events, 60 percent of prospective international graduate students said they would attend online or virtual events but hadn’t yet and 14 percent said they had already attended an online or virtual student event (“Maximizing Potential,” 2020). We spoke with three international graduate enrollment management professionals to hear what they have planned for the coming year— a year unlike any other in enrollment management.
To do that, they used a mix of breakout rooms and pre-recorded videos to make sure students were getting all the information they needed. The events were offered at 8 a.m. with the understanding these students were not going to be in the United States; they picked that time to accommodate students in China, (where it would be around 8 p.m.), and students in India, (where it would be close to 5 p.m.) in the hope that these students would be able to engage. The programming was done very early so students would feel accommodated.
Sarah Gallagher, associate director of academic services, student support and programming with Northeastern’s Office of Global Services, is no stranger to hosting virtual events for international students. One of her office’s international yield events, JumpStart, organized as a pre-departure orientation for students to meet and interact with faculty members, staff, and fellow incoming students always had a virtual session for students who were not able to attend. Well before the COVID-19 pandemic reached the U.S., Northeastern had been considering moving some of its international recruitment and yield events online, so when Gallagher’s team realized they would be holding all events online, they were well-prepared. Even so, there were challenges and significant time constraints: Aside from hosting virtual international recruitment and yield events, Gallagher’s team would have to hold an international student orientation for Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies graduate students, which operates on a quarter system, in early April.
Because Northeastern has offices in both Canada and the U.S., students would begin each orientation in a break-out room based on their destination campus, and then both groups would come together to receive content relevant to both campuses. The sessions themselves were run synchronously, but utilized asynchronous content from other university stakeholders to provide a dynamic feel to the sessions. “We’ll be hosting a synchronous orientation for the fall. How it will work is that I will get up and play the asynchronous orientation videos and run a Q&A while the video is playing. And again, it’s so our stakeholders don’t have to present the same information repeatedly,” shared Gallagher. Sebastian Fuentes, associate director of graduate and international recruitment at The University of Texas at Arlington, uses a similar method in his team’s virtual events. For each event, he’ll have two or three staff members available, with one person managing a voiceover PowerPoint, video, or live presentation while other staff manage the chat and handle questions. Fuentes notes having events early in the day, around 7 a.m., or in the evening, has benefited attendance from students living abroad. “When you can make it more convenient to attend something, you’re going to get better
For their incoming students, Gallagher said her team tried to make it as engaging as they could, because in most cases, students were choosing to come to these non-mandatory sessions.
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INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT IN A VIRTUAL WORLD: ADVICE FROM THREE GRADUATE ENROLLMENT PROFESSIONALS CONTINUED results,” Fuentes said. Moving away from the typical noon session has been beneficial for attendance from students in the United States and abroad. While holding lunchtime events at noon with pizza to encourage attendance worked well when students were on campus, noon sessions haven’t worked as well while students have been remote. “It’s more challenging to attend an event in the middle of the day as their schedules have changed,” Fuentes shared.
percent), and essay writing (28 percent) (“The Impact of the Coronavirus,” 2020). Da'Esha McPhaul, assistant head of admissions for the Institute for Advanced Analytics at NC State University, has found holding regular virtual information sessions to be an effective way of covering prospective international students’ admissions questions. Messaging following a new inquiry encourages prospective students to sign up for an upcoming session: “It helps to answer a lot of their questions, to drive them to a virtual information session instead of doing a one-on-one with us— because they might be asking questions that can be easily found on the website or we walk them through in the virtual session,” McPhaul said.
Though offering more events outside of the normal 8-to-5 workday has been challenging, Fuentes says shifting to all-virtual recruiting has also presented new opportunities. “Without costs for transportation, lodging, shipping, and incidentals, we’ve been able to increase engagements in countries where we have strong representation and increase our presence in countries we’ve only been able to step in once or twice. There are countries we have never stepped in that I’ve been in virtually 3-4 times this year.” Finding success in virtual international recruitment events so far, Fuentes said, “I can’t imagine us closing the door on virtual events once in-person recruiting resumes. I can’t imagine that going forward, once we have all of these things in process and create the necessary documentation for how an event is processed, I can’t imagine not having a slate of virtual events even while I’m traveling for in-person events again.”
Another benefit to these sessions is that they demonstrate to students that online or hybrid learning can still be interactive and engaging. At Northeastern, Gallagher’s team is providing multiple ways for students to stay informed. "We’re doing these synchronous events and having online learning modules. We wanted it to look like NUFlex, (Northeastern’s learning delivery system) wherein faculty will teach their courses both to students in the classroom and to students who participate remotely via Zoom or Teams in real-time, to demonstrate how flexible we are. Do you learn from hearing someone talk to you? Here’s a webinar. Do you learn from reading? Here’s an online course.”
Aside from providing more flexibility, virtual events can provide relief for anxious students hungry for more information. Topics which prospective international students want to hear about as a result of COVID-19 include more information on funding and scholarships (71.5 percent of respondents surveyed), choosing a study destination (43.9 percent), how to prepare for an admissions exam (35 percent), researching which program to study (32
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For higher education professionals engaging in online recruitment for the first time, the enrollment management specialists we spoke to have some good advice. Making sure to engage students throughout the virtual presentations is important, and technology can be a crucial feature. During her sessions, McPhaul utilizes poll features in Zoom and recommends having a second person on hand to help with monitoring
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the chat and waiting room. At the end of the session, in order to gauge interest, McPhaul asks applicants if they're ready to apply. Gallagher recalls, “we did not think about the technology as much as we should have beforehand; we thought we were going to use GotoWebinar until the day before when our marketing team told us you could not have two concurrent sessions in GotoWebinar. So, we were just floored, and had to figure out Teams Live quite quickly. So, get comfortable with the technology and try to really understand all the different ways that you can potentially lose students, because that was a real issue for us in the beginning.” For Gallagher, getting buy-in from leadership was also important to reassure students the university was aware of their needs and concerns. As more was uncovered about what impacted international students, Gallagher’s team received support from leadership. “It’s fine for me to run them by a compliance expert, but I do think it's different for me to be there asking the questions to our assistant vice president. Titles matter to students, and there’s that respect for authority,” says Gallagher. Her final piece of advice, “provide students with opportunities to engage with someone, face-to-face, even if you’re both in front of a computer screen. Students really want to hear from us; emails are fine, that’s the easiest way, and websites— but students are really comforted seeing some sort of live programming, especially if you’re talking about regulations. You shouldn’t be afraid if you’re not used to doing this; it's not that difficult to experiment with technology and just go with it, because students appreciate that high-touch. Just saying to them, ‘Hey, we know it's really confusing and frustrating but now you have a voice, a face, and a name.’ And I think it’s meant a lot to our students.” continued on the next page
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INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT IN A VIRTUAL WORLD: ADVICE FROM THREE GRADUATE ENROLLMENT PROFESSIONALS CONTINUED References
Best practices for virtual recruitment:
Bacon, A. (2020, July 21). Trump Administration Student Visa Policy Leaves Impression on Prospective International Students. QS. Retrieved from: https:// www.qs.com/trump-administration-studentvisa-policy-leaves-an-impression-onprospective-international-students/
• Before the event, give attendees a preview of the information you’ll share, such as highlighting additional representatives (such as faculty or current students) and key programs. • Include alumni or faculty to more directly communicate key details and generate interest. • Anticipate competition by researching other institutions to help
Fuentes, S. (2020, August 19). Personal interview.
you differentiate your programs.
Gallagher, S. (2020, August 11). Personal interview.
• Keep a list of digital resources handy, such as digital brochures, and program-specific websites so you can quickly share them with students.
McPhaul, D. (2020, August 18). Personal interview.
• Bring your best self - keep up your energy and enthusiasm and
Quacquarelli Symonds. (2020, May). The Impact of the Coronavirus on Prospective International Students. Retrieved from: https://info.qs.com/rs/335-VIN-535/ images/the-impact-of-the-coronavirus-onprospective-international-students.pdf Quacquarelli Symonds. (2020, August 4). Maximizing Potential at Virtual Student Recruitment Events. Retrieved from: https://info.qs.com/rs/335-VIN-535/ images/Maximizing-Potential-VirtualStudent-Recruitment-Events.pdf n
limit presentation time. • Focus on conversations over presentations. • Have two people, one to manage chat and answer questions and the other to speak with candidates. • Have a post-event plan to follow up with a strategic personalized approach. Source: Quacquarelli Symonds. (2020, August 4). Maximizing Potential at Virtual Student Recruitment Events. Retrieved from: https://info.qs.com/rs/335-VIN-535/ images/Maximizing-Potential-Virtual-Student-Recruitment-Events.pdf
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 & Marketing • Graduate & Adult Student Services • Ethical Issues in GEM • International Recruitment & Retention • Staff Professional Development
• Admissions Policies & Procedures and Operations & Technologies • Diversity & 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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MAKING EQUITY AND INCLUSION A TOP PRIORITY: THE CALL-TO-ACTION THAT INSTITUTIONS MUST ANSWER Yerodin Lucas, PhD, Marywood University As institutions of higher education across the country continue to grapple with the effects of COVID -19 on course delivery, student, faculty, and staff anxiety, and campus life in general, the nationwide call-to-action for our colleges and universities to step-up their efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion remains a huge problem. In recent months, the climate over this issue in the United States has been tenuous to say the least. Current research shows that students of color make up approximately 45 percent of all undergraduate college students in the country (American Council on Education, 2019). However, that percentage decreases dramatically when persistence and completion rates are considered. Many of these students continue to be underserved and underrepresented in many fields, most notably in STEM majors. In addition, economic circumstances such as borrowing, debt, and unemployment continue to pose major setbacks for many students of color, Black and Latinx students in particular.
students of color, but all students. Harper proclaimed that increasing faculty of color in the academy would provide mentors, role models, and a sense of connection that Black males in particular, other students of color, and junior faculty of color often lack on PWI campuses (Harper, 2013). Furthermore, many faculty members of color at PWIs often report that their scholarship is not taken as seriously as that of their White counterparts. Black faculty and staff, for instance, often endure hostile and indifferent work environments, where their scholarship is not respected and often challenged by White colleagues and students. According to many academics of color, publications in Black and Latinx featured journals are often not recognized as scholarly when compared to other journals (Harper & Palmer, 2016). The need for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) administrators on campus has never been greater. These individuals serve a vital role as conduits of information, building connections, and providing essential guidance at all levels of the institution. A 2018 Inside Higher Education article outlined the crucial responsibility that DEI administrators have on campus. As the article stated, colleges and universities are beginning to understand the full weight of their charge to provide our students of color with better support services across the board (Willis, 2018). Many PWI faculty, staff, and administrators firmly admit their shortcomings with creating and implementing meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. These challenges often include a lack of cultural awareness, understanding about diverse students, their needs, and effective ways to support them. Also, many White faculty and staff are at odds with how to deal with racial issues on campus and in the classroom setting.
Similarly, across racial groups, faculty and staff of color represent less than 10 percent of the workforce in higher education in the United States (Robertson & Chaney, 2017). While these statistics may be new to you, they should be no less alarming, considering that 85% of all students of color in our country attend predominately White institutions (PWIs) (Robertson & Chaney, 2017). A PWI is defined as an institution of higher learning where at least 50% of the student population is considered White (Harper, 2013). A recent study by prominent University of Southern California-Marshall educator, Shaun Harper, showed that the presence of prominent Black and other underrepresented faculty and staff of color has a profound effect on the academic and social success of not only
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In 2019, I conducted a doctoral research study focused on identifying the academic, individual, and social needs of first-year Black male students attending PWIs in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Currently, Black males comprise the lowest academically achieving population of any student group in the country, which became the impetus
“Although, the majority of the interviews revealed disheartening experiences for these young men, many of them found ways to navigate their circumstances. They made the most of the resources that were available to them or created their own networks of support off-campus.� for my research into this issue. As a Black male, I wanted to understand the systemic reasons for this phenomenon. During the study, I met with first-year Black male students at three institutions in the region for individual and focus group interviews. My questions probed their overall first-year experiences, and specifically solicited responses to the resources that were present or not present to support their needs (individual, academic, and social) at their respective schools. One common theme that surfaced centered on the absence of Black faculty and staff on their campuses, and the impact that this had on their learning and connection to the institution. Several participants mentioned the pervasiveness of microaggressions and stereotypes from peers, professors, and the wider community (Lucas, 2020). continued on the next page
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MAKING EQUITY AND INCLUSION A TOP PRIORITY: THE CALL-TO-ACTION THAT INSTITUTIONS MUST ANSWER CONTINUED Although the majority of the interviews revealed disheartening experiences for these young men, many of them found ways to navigate their circumstances. They made the most of the resources that were available to them or created their own networks of support off-campus. If this study did nothing else, it showed me the power and potential Black male students have when they become a priority in our colleges and universities. From a macro level, the fact that many of our institutions have not placed much social and pedagogical capital on Black males continues to have implications on economic, social, and geopolitical levels that are only recently being amplified in academia. PWIs need to implement concrete, strategic action-steps to aid their efforts in supporting students of color in general. Black males and many other students of color contend with varying degrees of emotion at college, including feelings of isolation, unwelcomeness, and disempowerment. PWIs that are able to adequately support these students through intentional efforts (e.g., social programs, faculty and staff training on cultural awareness/sensitivity, and commitment to equity and inclusion at all levels) are able to position themselves, and their campus communities, as institutions primed for systemic change.
References
bias and cultural sensitivity. Last fall, the Office of Institutional Equity and Inclusion partnered with a small group of Marywood faculty and staff to apply for very a competitive grant from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) to establish a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Center on Campus. We were fortunate to be one of the few recipients chosen out of 100 institutions in the country to receive this grant.
American Council on Education. Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education. (2019). Report on Student Trends in Higher Education. Retrieved from, https://www. equityinhighered.org/ Brown, S. (2019). Nearly half of undergraduates are students of color: Blacks still lag behind. The Chronical of Higher Education. Retrieved August 10, 2020, from https://www.chronicle.com/article/ nearly-half-of-undergraduates-are-studentsof-color-but-black-students-lag-behind/
Marywood’s TRHT Campus Center will become a hub of information and relationship-building for our campus and the region. The Center will provide targeted training around racial healing and understanding through workshops, exhibition events, professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and students, symposia, intentional recruitment and retention efforts, and a host of other initiatives to foster dialogue all aimed at addressing the challenges we face as a community.
Harper, S. (2013). Peer support for African-American male college achievement: Beyond internalized racism and the burden of “acting white.” The Journal of Men’s Studies, 14(3), 337-358. Harper, S. R., & Palmer, R. T. (2016). Improving attainment, experiences, and career outcomes among Black male students in doctoral degree programs. In S.R. Harper & L.T. Wood (Eds.), Advancing Black male student success from preschool through Ph.D., (pp. 161163). Sterling, VA.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are team efforts. We must make it a top priority for all students, and especially for those students who have been historically underrepresented and underserved in our educational institutions.
Lucas, Y. (2020). Factors affecting African American male students at predominantly white institutions: A case study in northeastern Pennsylvania. The Journal of Applied Professional Studies, 1(1), 1-30. Robertson, R., & Chaney, C. (2017). “I know it [racism] still exists here:” African American males at a predominantly white institution. Humboldt Journal of Social Relations, 39(1), 262-280.
Since July 2019, I have served as the Director of Institutional Equity and Inclusion at Marywood University. Over the past year, our campus community has undertaken several critical steps toward building a more inclusive environment. Our faculty and staff have participated in workshops and other professional development opportunities on racial awareness and cultural competency training where we engage with concepts such as implicit
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Willis, D. (2018). On the road champion. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved August 9, 2020, from https://www. insidehighered.com/advice/2018/03/26/ advice-how-become-diversity-equity-andinclusion-leader-opinion continued on pg. 10
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MAKING EQUITY AND INCLUSION A TOP PRIORITY: THE CALL-TO-ACTION THAT INSTITUTIONS MUST ANSWER CONTINUED
2020–2022 NAGAP GOVERNING BOARD Officers
Bio Yerodin is an up-and-coming research scholar who has presented at several key conferences, conducted workshops focused on Black male student persistence in higher education, and created programs to establish an effective high school to college pipeline. He comes from a background in k-12 teaching, and he utilizes that experience to build connections and understanding of college expectations with many firstgeneration students and their families.
Yerodin Lucas currently serves as the Director of Institutional Equity and Inclusion and Title IX Coordinator at Marywood University, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Yerodin holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from Arcadia University, a master’s degree in Education from Temple University, and he recently earned his Ph.D. in Administration and Leadership from Marywood University. His research interests include educational access for underserved and underrepresented student populations, Race, Ethnic, and Gender Studies, and Africana Studies.
Yerodin is a native of Philadelphia, PA but currently resides in Scranton, PA. He has traveled and worked in Canada, Europe, and Asia. n
President Jeremiah Nelson Wake Forest University School of Business
Vice President Kristen Sterba University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Secretary Naronda Wright Georgia Southern University Treasurer Andrew Kim Memorial University of Newfoundland School of Graduate Studies Immediate Past President Keith Ramsdell Ashland University Executive Director Katherine Hughey NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management
The Exchange Check out NAGAP’s The Exchange: a real-time, social networking platform to communicate with colleagues, share ideas, and get the most up-to-date NAGAP and GEM-related news. Learn more about this members-only platform and its various functions by visiting nagap.org, and join a discussion today!
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NEW INTERNATIONAL MARKET ENTRY STRATEGIES FOR TACTICAL STUDENT RECRUITMENT
Directors Paula Baker University of Minnesota Katherine Beczak Rochester Institute of Technology
Christian DiGregorio, York College of Pennsylvania
Gregg Henderschiedt University of Florida Stanley Kania Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Jennifer Kulbeck Saint Mary's College of California Dana Mordecai University of North Texas Amanda Ostreko University of Kansas Mary Pascarella Sam Houston State University Ryan Taughrin University at Buffalo
A well-planned and balanced international market entry plan is essential to maximize student recruitment efforts. This article will examine market entry for a new country or region. Because there are multiple market entry strategies and techniques available to institutions, it is not intended to be an all encapsulating blueprint for market entry. The purpose of this article is to illustrate some basic international student recruitment strategies to assist institutions in recruiting a robust international student population. The outlook for enrollment in the coming years certainly has its challenges. By this time, many of you have reviewed the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s (WICHE) Knocking at the College Door reports, seen headlines about the downturn of enrollment, and have heard countless stories from industry professionals. Enrollment is going to be an uphill battle. Many institutions have put some mechanisms in place to counter the downturn in demographics, and now, the effects of a pandemic. Some colleges and universities now turned their attention to recruiting or expanding their recruitment of students internationally to help increase or maintain enrollment and revenue.
Publications Committee Denise Bridwell University of Kansas Dave Fletcher Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine Caitlin Getchell University of Tulsa Kate McConnell Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies Amanda Miller Brandeis University Kittie Pain Kutztown University
Whether you are new to international recruitment, or experienced with this student population, it is difficult to recruit in this arena, and many challenges lie ahead. Should you find yourself contemplating international student recruitment for the first time, there are multiple things to consider. An approach that is not well thought out can lead to a frustrated institution that can negatively affect future initiatives, leading the college or university to the conclusion
Troy Sterk Seattle University
that international recruitment, in any form, will not be successful. Before you tackle your new venture, consider the reasons for pursuing a new market. Is it because you want to grow enrollment or to add balance to a student body and provide a better quality experience for all students on your campus? This mission-based approach should not be overlooked. Living your mission authentically will provide you with a better introductory statement when you interface with new partners, students, and parents. Many of us joined the field of higher education because we believed that the more perspectives and diverse knowledge we provide our students, the better their experience at our institution, and the more dividends such as producing alumni with a global understanding. The proper foundation for any new or existing international recruitment strategy starts with establishing the necessary resources. Your college or university must be willing to put the resources behind the initiative; neglecting the need for the proper recruitment resources is often the first misstep in these ventures. Schools new to international recruitment who saddle an employee with major international initiatives in addition to their domestic recruitment duties will find that this will not suffice. International recruitment takes dedication, long hours, and establishing deep connections to make progress. Recruitment in general, let alone international recruitment, is complicated. It is a balance of enrollment management techniques, relationship building, cultural awareness, and nuance. Institutions have been known to hitch their wagons to international student recruitment as a last ditch effort to increase revenue and continued on pg. 12
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NEW INTERNATIONAL MARKET ENTRY STRATEGIES FOR TACTICAL STUDENT RECRUITMENT CONTINUED stave off closure, only to experience less than fruitful returns when a disorganized and cost-cutting approach was implemented.
will get back to friends and families in their home country, possibly damaging your reputation and your potential for future success. You need to critically examine if you have the resources, dedication, and time to enter that market. These crucial planning steps will have influence over your results. An institution must allocate substantial time and effort into their recruitment plan, executing it and supporting that plan with the budgetary resources required to do the job. Year one of a plan may not require tens of thousands of dollars, but you need enough to accomplish your goals.
Institutions will need to establish a framework for realistic goals. If your college is unknown in a geographic market, you should not expect 50 new students after 12 months of recruiting. If you are to be successful, you need to determine if your infrastructure can handle your enrollment aspirations. This includes housing capacity, tutoring and advising, dining, and international student services. This is an important, yet often overlooked, step. If a student comes to your campus and perceives your institution as unprepared, or if the student has a poor experience, word
Selecting your new market can come from a number of sources. You can use reports and data to help match
the strengths of your institution with the wants of a student market. Not leveraging this kind of data tends to be the second major mistake institutions make when recruiting in any new market, internationally or domestically. EducationUSA publishes Student Mobility Fact Sheets that list how many students from those countries come to the United States, the trends of sending countries, the level or type of education that is most desired, possible availability of government scholarships, recommended times for U.S. institutions to visit, and more. The Institute for International Education publishes their Open Doors Report annually with valuable information on a given country or region. Another helpful resource is the International Trade Administration’s continued on the next page
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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NEW INTERNATIONAL MARKET ENTRY STRATEGIES FOR TACTICAL STUDENT RECRUITMENT CONTINUED country by country Commercial Guide that has a market overview under their ‘Education Services’ summary. The Central Intelligence Agency maintains The World Factbook possessing demographic information and economical overviews. An economical overview is important information to have in your toolkit. I experienced the loss of a number of students over the years due to an economic crisis, usually involving the price of oil per barrel, so be alert when aggressively pursuing markets where the economy is a one-trick pony. As you are reviewing the data and beginning to gather a list of markets that could produce students, you can begin to refine the countries you wish to pursue. This initially might be anywhere from 15 to 20 countries. The goal throughout this process is to match your strengths with those areas that tend to seek your strengths. Some of these countries will work out, others will not. Do not overlook countries that send smaller numbers of students: those countries may be starved for attention and can produce immediate results. Institutions new to international recruitment will often wish to recruit in China or India because they are the top two sending countries of international students to the United States (IIE Open Doors Report, 2019); however, that may not be the best place for you to recruit. The market in these countries is saturated in major cities by other institutions, resulting in a high effort, low reward scenario. Understanding the markets becomes crucial in this stage of planning. Recruiting in China is very different from recruiting in other countries. In China, many families rely on third party rankings. The social media channels are different and learning how to effectively use
those channels takes time. Prospective Indian students, on the other hand, will not rely on rankings but rather, will tend to gravitate to things such as value. They will ask about internships and the opportunities for optional practical training (OPT) after they have completed their classes. Different messaging platforms will be preferred and the vocabulary students use when communicating will be different. When we say ‘course’, a student in India often hears “academic major” or “program.” These differences in vocabulary take time to learn. It is important to speak to people within a country so you can
give you an opportunity to examine these regions closer and weed out ones that ultimately may not work out for you. Once you have a more refined list to work from, determine how you fit into the marketplace. In other words, which strengths will you leverage, and in marketing terms, what is your brand promise? Most importantly, can you back up that brand promise? You do not want to be just another institution that muddies the water. You cannot show up to your new market with some brochures in your hand and expect everyone to listen about how great your institution is. You need to pass the “So what?” test. An international recruitment agent recently told me, “If you use data points, you need to use ones that differ from everyone else’s. Don’t tell me 95% of your undergraduate alumni are working or going to graduate school. I have never seen an institution list anything below 90%. Give examples, tell stories that people can relate to, not just your typical data points.” Determine what your new student market responds to when seeking out institutions of higher education, whether it’s rankings, prestige, academic programs, internships, or location. A few ways to explore your position is by connecting with EducationUSA Advising Centers, the United States Commercial Service in the area you are exploring, agents, and other universities. If you decide to work with the United States Commercial Service, you will be asked directly what unique characteristics you will bring to the country or region you wish to approach. Most countries, regardless of the indigenous language, will have some publications in English that will allow you to read up on important issues. It is imperative to find out what is important to people, culture, history, food, as well as their challenges. Even if an institution is
“Institutions new to international recruitment will often wish to recruit in China or India because they are the top two sending Countries of international students to the United States (IIE Open Doors Report, 2019), however, that may not be the best place for you to recruit.” focus your efforts in specific regions. Some target countries are large enough that the characteristics of students vary widely from city to city, as well as their desired level of education or the academic programs. You might be able to group some of the cities together for initiatives due to the proximity to each other and their similar characteristics. For example, some cities in India such as Hyderabad will have students that gravitate toward computer science and computer engineering, while students in the state of Gujarat will be more interested in graduate level business programs or management information systems. These regions are commonly referred to in India as “circuits.” Speaking with in-country people will
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NEW INTERNATIONAL MARKET ENTRY STRATEGIES FOR TACTICAL STUDENT RECRUITMENT CONTINUED experienced and has an established international student population, this is a good exercise to perform. Sometimes an institution can lose its focus, and key points and communication can become unexceptional.
at the end of the fiscal year in June 2018 into Australia's economy, directly boosting jobs and wages. As you move forward, continue to have dialogues with other organizations such as NAFSA: Association of International Educators, EducationUSA, and the United States Commercial Service, who can provide outstanding support. They will also have in-country knowledge and will be aware if there are existing market entry initiatives underway. As listed in the EducationUSA Global Guide 2019, these organizations share the common goal of “building a mutual understanding among the people of the United States and the people of other countries” (EducationUSA, 2019). It is a minimal investment to work with these organizations virtually, and there are a number of practices you can jointly deliver.
When an institution is ready to roll out communications, timing plays a large part in its effectiveness. The academic calendar will be different in many parts of the world, and this will have an impact on when you should communicate with students and school officials. For example, in Brazil, the academic calendar for the postsecondary education level tends to occur from February to December. You
“College fairs, expos, and tours can provide direct face-to-face contact with prospective students,
A sample of action items that can be deployed in your market entry strategy could include a range of activities such as: participation in recruitment fairs, paid media campaigns including social media ads, purchasing of names from Educational Testing Service (ETS), testimonials from current students and alumni, working with foreign governments, vetting and hiring of agents, and engaging with institutions abroad by leveraging your accreditations. Reading up on the education structure of a particular country by subscribing to World Evaluation Services’ World Education News and Review, and International Institute of Education’s Open Doors report for data, and other publications will allow you to learn more about the country, too. In and of themselves they may not lead to much success, but all of these things will support each other. Here is a quick summary on each of the action items listed.
their families, and sometimes college placement officers and agents. The costs can run anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.” will need to adjust your communication plan to the market’s characteristics, not the other way around. Realize you will be competing with institutions, not only in the United States, but also institutions all over the world, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and China, which all heavily rely on students from outside of their borders. Therefore, being aware of your competition and understanding how you stack up against those competitors is paramount. Many of these countries have considered international recruitment as a sector for economic growth. According to Universities Australia (2019), international students infused almost $32 billion ($23 billion U.S.)
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Recruitment Fairs College fairs, expos, and tours can provide direct face-to-face contact with prospective students, their families, and sometimes college placement officers and agents. The costs can run anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. Recruitment tours, and sometimes fairs, will include or at least provide suggestions on hotel accommodations, transportation options, flights, and dining options.
Social Media and Digital Advertising If you do not have the in-house expertise to do this, contact a third-party to assist you with social media and digital media buys. Knowing your market is key when initiating this type of action step. Explore the social media platforms and search engines that are most popular in your new market before jumping in with both feet. Provide a call to action whenever possible. You may even direct students to a specific landing page that displays information specific to your target market where you can capture a viewer’s contact information. These approaches can help you track engagement with your institution and help you inexpensively test what works best for communicating. This also allows you to build up your prospect and inquiry pools and communicate your brand.
Name Purchases Purchasing names from third parties such as ETS can assist you with enhancing your prospect pool. Direct and segmented communication per region that includes cultural references can be developed allowing you to cultivate applications. continued on the next page
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NEW INTERNATIONAL MARKET ENTRY STRATEGIES FOR TACTICAL STUDENT RECRUITMENT CONTINUED Testimonials
Institutions Abroad
Engaging with current students can provide valuable insight to your new market. Capturing the journey of an alumnus/a at your institution can provide you with the editorial copy you need for advertising, landing pages, and engagement.
Identify higher education institutions abroad and reach out to them. If you are looking to develop 1+1 agreements you can start with those who may share the same accreditations as you, such as AACSB, ABET, and so on, because there may exist commonalities in the curriculum. NAFSA also has wonderful resources on third-party engagement. Rely on numbers. You may only have a 20 percent response rate to your outreach. That is still a higher number than when you started. Some institutions will not respond to you no matter how hard you try, and that is okay. Be persistent, but move on before you risk being viewed as annoying. If you really insist on establishing that connection, wait for some time to pass, then try again.
Foreign Governments I have found working with foreign governments and a country’s ministry of education can be very rewarding, both personally and professionally. Often, these entities will have specific goals that require the assistance of higher education institutions in the United States. It may be education reform, advancement in certain technologies, developing agricultural practices, shortterm workshops on entrepreneurship, or English language instruction. Contact the country’s embassy, United States Department of Commerce, or third party consultant to assist you with identifying these opportunities.
Agents Institutions with successful international recruitment programs will often treat agents in a way that demonstrates a true partnership. If you are entering a partnership with an agent for the first time you must realize it is just that, a partnership. A common mistake is to sign an agent and not engage with one another. You should have regular meetings, provide training for their staff, and establish two-way dialogue. It is not unheard of to share costs for marketing events or other initiatives. You can also approach the relationship with the mindset of a service provider and the agent is the client. This type of shift in attitude can go a long way in developing a productive agent/institution relationship that enrolls students.
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what is working and what is not by reviewing the return on investment of your action steps. Performing this type of analysis can give you the organization required to strategically move through your initiative and communicate your progress to colleagues and senior administrators. Using a strategic and multi-pronged approach within your new market will give you a better chance of success. This approach is based around a single initiative, such as one relationship with an institution abroad in the hope of students being “funneled" your way. This type of strategy typically ends in disappointment. However, if you can be persistent, balanced, and patient with your approach you will be rewarded.
References
Finally, consider market entry strategies from other industries. Higher education can learn a lot by integrating other business models, especially in these changing times. You may want to consider adopting a form of a customer engagement cycle. Here you can plot out your strategy from being an unknown entity to a key player in a region. It is highly recommended you create a three-to-four-year strategic plan with goals, action steps and the reasons why you are performing each step, responsibility centers, timelines, and budget allocation. You may not be able to execute each goal or action step in one fell swoop. Take your time and complete items in a series of waves, and measure those deliverables for what they are intended to do, and not the end result always being enrollment. If you have a goal to drive more people to your website, set your goal to do exactly that, and not the amount of enrollments from hits to your website. Each item should support the other to generate enrollment. As you move through your strategic plan examine
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EducationUSA (2019). “Global Guide 2019”. Accessed from https:// educationusa.state.gov/sites/default/ files/2019_educationusa_global_guide. pdf on 8/19/2020. Institute of International Education (2019). “Open Doors 2019”. Accessed from https://opendoorsdata.org/data/ international-students/leading-places-oforigin/ on 8/12/2020. Universities Australia. “International Students Inject $32 Billion A Year into Australia’s Economy – Boosting Aussie Jobs and Wages”. Accessed from https://www. universitiesaustralia.edu.au/media-item/ international-students-inject-32-billion-a-yearinto-australias-economy-boosting-aussiejobs-and-wages/ on 8/14/2020. n
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THE UNEXPECTED PIVOT By Kate McConnell, The Pennsylvania University-Great Valley It was early March and things were moving along fine. Advertising and marketing initiatives were firmly in place for the fall; the application deadline for international students was quickly approaching — overall we were trending higher, and it looked like fall 2020 enrollment would meet, and most probably exceed, the previous year. We were weeks away from the launch of a new CRM and working toward a seamless transition. We were excited about the opportunity to fully utilize the capabilities of the CRM and track the impact on our marketing and recruitment efforts. It was the height of fall recruitment, and no obstacle could get in our way; we had planned so well. Little did we know what spring and summer had in store for us. Percolating in the background was news of a new virus called COVID-19. Daily we heard more and more news about it and its potential impact. Yet we persisted with our recruitment efforts, not ever considering that by mid-month we would be teaching and working remotely — not just us, but most of the world. Yet on March 11, we received word that the campus would be closed March 16 until at least April 4; all instruction and work would be done remotely. Like so many other schools we had to figure out how to make this work and indeed our staff, faculty, and students were up to the challenge. Unlike so many schools, my campus— Penn State Great Valley — is a special mission campus of The Pennsylvania State University located in a corporate park focused only on graduate and professional development education. In addition to education we support local business with meeting space for academic and corporate meetings, trainings, and special events.
challenge — how we were going to continue to effectively market, recruit, and convert prospective students while weathering the coronavirus crisis. It did not take long for it to become apparent that this crisis was not going to let up, and we needed to pivot and adjust to ensure goals were met. It felt like we had been cast into a science fiction movie, something so foreign that it was hard to make sense of or really understand.
We did not pause marketing but changed our message to be one of reassurance, empathy, and motivation. We found ways to creatively engage prospects virtually through live events, utilize alumni and faculty in virtual presentations, and expand personalized outreach. In addition, admission strategies or tactics were evaluated and adjusted to address things like standardized test requirements.
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We have all had to pivot somehow over the past few months.
Other schools have done the same. They have figured a way to do their jobs remotely and adjust to the needs of their audience and creatively work, and convert prospects.
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As we talked, one thing Tony mentioned, which resonated so much, was how he described this period as “a unique time for admissions and the nation as a whole — how more than ever people were more open to collaborate and try something new to get something done.” He talked about using internal collaboration more than ever— seeking out internal partners to work together with a common goal and purpose — like throwing things out there to see what sticks, what doesn’t, and going with what works— something so many schools are experimenting with today more than ever.
As they say — timing is everything, and that is how it was for us. With the implementation of the CRM we were better prepared to target prospects, track behavior, and personally engage at a much deeper level than ever before — maybe a silver lining amidst so much change and uncertainty.
While the campus successfully moved seamlessly to remote work and course delivery, the marketing and recruitment team was faced with a formidable
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No longer able to travel and attend in-person events, he turned his focus to social media and digital marketing to boost program presence in the marketplaces where he registered to attend virtual events. He collaborated with his communications office and took a more targeted and strategic approach to his recruitment efforts. Unable to bring students to campus, they are exploring alternative options such as programspecific recruitment video vignettes filmed by current students and professionally created virtual tours that will be featured during interviews early next year.
We jumped right in and embraced the challenge. We were going to figure this out and make it work. What other choice did we have?
In a recent conversation with Tony Perez, the associate director with the Graduate School at the Medical College of Wisconsin, we discussed how he was able to pivot and take a very uncertain situation and find opportunity. He assessed what had been lost by moving to remote work and what could be done to compensate for the inability to do in-person campus tours and visits. As he
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said, “it was time to rethink everything.”
What is your story? What did you do? What worked? Will those changes become part of your strategy whether remote or not? Something you did or something another colleague implemented could make a difference for you or for someone else. Reach out and share your story. Email me at ctm16@psu.edu, and I will compile stories from the frontlines to share with membership. Join the conversation, and let’s get started! n
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SUPPORTING GRADUATE STUDENTS DURING EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING Virginia L. Byrne, Morgan State University, School of Education & Urban Studies For graduate students, this fall has presented a litany of new challenges, particularly among those who teach undergraduate courses. These graduate student instructors have had to transform their face-to-face classes into Emergency Remote courses without the time or coaching that faculty developers recommend to novice online teachers (for more information about Emergency Remote Teaching see Hodges et al., 2020). As a researcher and instructor of online teaching and learning, I encourage universities to enact two practices to lessen the stress on graduate students as we conclude this challenging semester:
2019). Via an online survey, students provide anonymous feedback that can help the graduate instructor identify issues in their course and inform their teaching decisions in the second half of the semester. By listening to students and addressing issues mid-semester, instructors have the potential to improve their end-of-semester course evaluations. The MSECT-O is a 13-item online survey that has been found to be a valid and reliable measure of online college teaching. Read more about the validation process in the June 2020 issue of the Online Learning Journal. The MSECT-O can be easily distributed by graduate instructors to their students by following the instructions at: www.virginialbyrne. com/emergencyremoteteaching/msect-o
Adopt the Mid-Semester Evaluation of College Teaching – Online
Provide a Letter of Recognition
Supporting graduate instructors in their Emergency Remote Teaching is tricky when the semester is halfway over. One way institutions can support graduate students is by providing free resources that are designed to be useful midsemester. One such resource is the Mid-Semester Evaluation of College Teaching – Online (MSECT-O; Byrne & Donlan, 2020), a valid and reliable instrument that provides low-stakes, formative feedback to the instructor on four aspects of effective online teaching: the online classroom climate, the course content, the teaching practices, and the assignments (Donlan et al.,
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Positive end-of-semester student course evaluations are essential for graduate students entering the job market. However, many graduate instructors are at risk of receiving poor evaluations from undergraduate students who are frustrated by the pivot to Emergency Remote Teaching, the tuition and fee policies, etc. I encourage universities to provide spring and fall 2020 graduate instructors with a formal letter of recognition thanking them for their service to the university during this challenging time. These letters, ideally
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written by the provost’s office and personalized for their course, can then be included in the graduate students’ job market teaching portfolios to add context to their course evaluations. These two practices have the potential to recognize and support graduate students who are working tirelessly to teach remotely during the pandemic.
References Byrne, V. L. & Donlan, A. E. (2020). A mid-semester evaluation of college teaching to improve online teaching effectiveness. Online Learning Journal, 24(2). https://doi.org/10.24059/olj. v24i2.2126 Donlan, A.E., Loughlin, S., & Byrne, V. L. (2019). The Fearless Teaching Framework: A model to synthesize foundational education research for university instructors. To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development 38(1), 33-49. https://doi. org/10.1002/tia2.20087 Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., & Bond, A. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. EDUCAUSE. Retrieved July 25, 2020, from https:// er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/ the-difference-between-emergencyremote-teaching-and-online-learning
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WORKING WITH A PARTNER TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL: IMPLEMENTING AN INBOUND ENROLLMENT MARKETING PROGRAM FOR STUDENT RECRUITMENT By Lana Whitehead, Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, Kent State University Tony Fraga, CEO, DD Agency Kent State University (KSU) is home to over 37,000 students in its eight-campus system located in northeast Ohio. KSU serves nearly 5,000 graduate students through its extensive graduate program offerings which include five doctoral degrees in 39 majors, 24 master’s degrees in 110 majors, one post-master’s degree in six majors, and over 80 certificate and non-degree options.
Where We Were Three Years Ago In 2017, Kent State University’s Division of Graduate Studies realized that it needed to get serious about recruitment and enrollment. We were in the process of replacing our antiquated paperbased application system with a slick, automated one that could handle a larger volume of applications. The challenge was that we were starting to see a decline in applications compared to previous years. In 2016, KSU was swamped with over 12,000 applications. At that point, we weren’t concerned about building a larger inquiry pool because we were consumed with processing the ones we already had. But by 2017, things had changed dramatically. We saw a decrease of nearly 2,000 applications, with only two out of three applicants completing their files once the application was submitted. Even more concerning was that inquiries were trickling in at an extremely low volume of roughly 600 per year. Unfortunately, we weren’t very responsive to those inquiries and weren’t engaging them in meaningful or purposeful ways either. On top of that, our marketing efforts
relied heavily on GRE names that were sent a basic email drip sequence, which produced very few conversions. Our website was generating under 10,000 visits per month, with a very low new contact conversion rate of 0.5%. Our social media efforts were so dismal that you might as well have called them non-existent, and we really didn’t have any new content or recruitment events to promote. Email was really our only communication tactic, and it was very transaction-oriented with multiple drivesto-apply.
learned from the data after implementing a sophisticated marketing automation software platform (HubSpot) to help us track all of our efforts.
How We Built an Inbound Enrollment Marketing Program Incrementally In order to build an inbound marketing program that generates ongoing lead conversions, you need to have the following basic components in place: • Clearly identified personas with goals and pain points
We knew we needed to completely overhaul our enrollment marketing strategy.
• Valuable educational content that appeals to personas (and ranks organically)
In order to turn things arounds, we didn’t want to just add in some more tactics here and there, incrementally, and cross our fingers to see if they worked. Instead, we wanted to build a comprehensive program that had a combination of short-term and long-term tactics that would increase KSU’s visibility. We really needed to generate an ongoing stream of conversions at the top, middle, and bottom of the funnel.
• Landing pages, forms, and calls-to-action that capture prospect info • Marketing automation triggers based on prospect behaviors • Ongoing paid social media promotions remarketing content resources
That’s why we partnered with DD Agency to build an inbound enrollment marketing program — a full-scale digital marketing plan that included strategies for search engine optimization (SEO), digital ads, social media, content publishing, lead conversion, and advanced marketing automation — all tailored for each stage of the applicant’s journey.
• Robust contact tracking system providing data on top-performing tactics Our current website limited our ability to make changes, publish content frequently, capture information, and trigger marketing automation. So, we got ourselves set up on HubSpot and connected it via an integration to our CollegeNet CRM that hosted our application. Then we built out landing page templates, RMI forms (to embed throughout our website), an admissions blog, and associated email templates within HubSpot that aligned with our
Of course, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we needed a team that could help us do the right things first, and the best things second. Here’s how we did this in our first year, including what we
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WORKING WITH A PARTNER TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL: IMPLEMENTING AN INBOUND ENROLLMENT MARKETING PROGRAM FOR STUDENT RECRUITMENT CONTINUED current brand. This enabled us to create a seamless experience for prospective students as they navigated through our existing website to landing pages and articles that we published.
media posts, landing pages, and downloadable eBooks. The most challenging part of the content buildout process was getting buy-in and approval from faculty, graduate program coordinators, and deans, particularly because they were not used to producing thought-leadership content instead of viewbook-style program information that traditionally “sold” students on the benefits of KSU’s graduate programs.
The next step was to develop rich content resources that answered the goals and pain points of our personas. It took us a few months to build a persona matrix that identified the keywords and core questions that needed to be addressed for each persona (we started with 10) at all three stages of the applicant journey (awareness, consideration, and decision).
However, once we got our first content marketing campaign up and running, the program leaders were clamoring for more. Now, one of our greatest challenges is that every program wants us to provide a content buildout for them. Programs were able to see how all the
Once we had the personas and keyword themes established, the DD team helped us create various content pieces (both short and long format) that we published as articles, social
pieces fit together to nurture prospective students by providing engaging and meaningful content at the appropriate time. We were able to demonstrate how inbound enrollment marketing works to attract and convert prospective students who are researching programs before they start their application.
Initial Results After One Year After 12 months of ongoing content creation, publishing, remarketing, and a lot of technical improvements through better marketing automation (this was not easy, but worth it!), we were able to look closely at the data and dive into the performance metrics of each tactic. Here’s what we achieved in our first year:
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 Get Involved Page to learn more about the committees, organizational activities, and other
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The Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management
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WORKING WITH A PARTNER TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL: IMPLEMENTING AN INBOUND ENROLLMENT MARKETING PROGRAM FOR STUDENT RECRUITMENT CONTINUED • 37 published blog articles • 6 career/program guides • 20 landing pages • 14,400 website visits per month (+44%) • 3,956 inquiry form submissions (+566%)
• 2,966 new contacts (30% sourced from organic search) • 2.9% new contact conversion rate (up from 0.5%) While these initial results were exciting, we also learned some hard lessons that first year that we didn’t want to repeat in the future. For instance, we had a few cross-department program guides that were meant to provide information about a variety of career paths and programs centered around a broad theme. This was a great idea in theory, but we were never able to get approval from certain departments, and we ended up putting a lot of time and energy into a project that ultimately was never published. In the end, we learned that it’s best to go with simpler, program-specific content that does not require buy-in from multiple department leaders. Even when we narrowed down the scope it was often a challenge to get the collaboration we needed from just one program at a time. It’s not that faculty and staff didn’t want to participate in the process. They were truly grateful for the opportunity. It was a matter of prioritizing content review when they had so many other tugs at their time. I also think it was a struggle for them to simplify the way they talked about their programs that would translate to prospective students who were exploring graduate school options.
campaigns were ones that spoke to a wider audience and were more universal, like crafting a remarkable graduate school application. One of the big advantages of doing a general piece was that the publishing timeline was only dependent upon my review and didn’t require coordination with the academic programs. (This was also a disadvantage, because I only had myself to blame for any delays.)
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• 3 recorded webinars • 46 landing pages • 15,140 website visits per month • 7,471 prospect form submissions (non-application) • 6,615 new contacts (31% sourced from organic search) • 6.2% new contact conversion rate (up from 2.9% two years ago) Each year we add more advanced tactics and content offers (chatbots, smart content, progressive forms, etc.), and they aren’t all home runs. The difference today is that we are able to make extremely quick adjustments at the tactical level— such as changing our digital ad strategy in light of COVID19 — which prevents us from wasting time and money in areas that aren’t producing worthwhile results. We’ve found this especially necessary during the current global pandemic as we, like every graduate school, have had to adjust our enrollment marketing strategy to favor more virtual events, more digital content offerings, and fewer traditional in-person events.
The best part about inbound marketing is the compounding value of evergreen content that keeps working for us year over year. Yes, we do have to augment and republish certain articles and long-form resources here and there, but that’s all part of SEO best practices that ultimately help increase our organic search rankings for dozens of keywords we want to be winning on.
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• 12 career/program/ admissions guides
Fast forward to 2020 and we’ve gone from infant to adolescent in the sophistication of our inbound enrollment marketing program. Building the initial foundation that first year was the hardest part, but after that, we faced other challenges each year that required us to adapt and improve the content we published, the emails we sent out, and the marketing campaigns we executed. At least now we have the structure, or framework, to continue building. We are starting to see the whole thing take shape.
In the end, some of our most successful
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• 62 published blog articles
Compounding Results with Continuous Improvement
To give you a real sense of SEO growth in terms of keyword rankings, back in June of 2017, our graduate studies website only ranked for a total of 53 keywords in the top 10 positions on Google. Now, three years later, our site ranks for 213 keywords in the top 10 positions— that’s a 400% increase.
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Today, three years after we built and launched our inbound enrollment marketing program, here’s what we have achieved (our current benchmarks from the last 12 months):
Where to Lean on Your Partner Our partnership with DD Agency has enabled the KSU Graduate Studies team to be able to focus on internal continued on pg. 22
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WORKING WITH A PARTNER TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL: IMPLEMENTING AN INBOUND ENROLLMENT MARKETING PROGRAM FOR STUDENT RECRUITMENT CONTINUED issues at our institution, the ones that require our immediate attention every day. We have had to really lean on our partners to manage our smaller marketing campaigns— events, content, inquiry-nurturing, etc.— from start to finish.
which metrics really matter. The work of connecting the dots from top-funnel lead generation down to applicants and enrolled students requires sophisticated data analysis. Although we do have state-of-the-art technical software applications, we have relied on our partners at DD Agency to handle the deep data crunching that is required to see where we are actually getting the most traction and ROI across the
There are also a LOT of moving parts to inbound marketing, and it is nearly impossible to coordinate and execute all of it by yourself, let alone understand
many channels through which prospects engage with our brand. Quite honestly, if we didn’t lean on DD Agency to manage our inbound marketing campaigns, we wouldn’t have any. If they didn’t nudge us to keep moving forward, we would be in the exact same position as we were in 2017. n
Strategic Partnership Council The Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) is designed for organizations whose missions are aligned with NAGAP’s and who wish to become more strategically engaged with our association. Through customized marketing and collaboration platforms we offer bundled packages and unique opportunities for organizations to help build and maintain year-round relationships with our members and GEM professionals across the nation and around the world. NAGAP welcomed the following inaugural members in April of this year. Many thanks and appreciation for their committed support.
To learn more about the SPC, visit our website: https://nagap.org/strategic-alliance-circle
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2021 GRADUATE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT SUMMIT By Joshua Walehwa, Washington University in Saint Louis, 2020 GEM Summit Marketing Chair
We are excited to share updates on the 2021 GEM Summit meeting in San Francisco, California. We’ve been working hard to deliver a great conference experience. This year’s planning committee is putting together an accessible experience to continue supporting our membership’s professional development needs. Whether you’re seeking best practices in an everchanging landscape of graduate enrollment management, connection
opportunities through our vast network, or improving your professional outcomes and goals, this year’s GEM Summit will continue to provide the best content for your needs. We invite you to join us and enhance your professional acumen in the areas of admissions, marketing, financial aid, student advising, alumni support, and more. This year’s GEM Summit will be hosted at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis from April 28— May 1, 2021. This year’s conference hotel is following
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all state and local government safety guidelines. This year's summit will be a hybrid of virtual learning and in-person sessions. All registrants will be able to access all conference content. The GEM Summit registration opens later this fall semester, so make sure to look out for more information in NAGAP News in the coming months. We look forward to seeing you at the 2021 GEM Summit! n
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As many of us are still getting used to a new normal during this unique Fall semester, the NAGAP leadership and staff have continued to monitor the status and impact of COVID-19 in preparation for the Winter Professional Development Institute (PDI). Our main priority continues to be the health and safety of our members, event participants, and our GEM community. We remain committed to our mission: Engage and advance Graduate Enrollment Management professionals by promoting excellence and collaboration through education, research, and professional development. As such, NAGAP leadership has made plans to host an entirely virtual Winter PDI Wednesday, Jan. 13 and Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021. The Professional Development Committee is already hard at work to develop an engaging, virtual January program. Registration details coming soon! Thank you for your continued support of NAGAP. Providing a high level of education to our members and the industry continues to be our top priority during this period of uncertainty. Please contact us at info@nagap.org if you have questions or suggestions for how NAGAP can best support you and your institution during this time.
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