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How the iSchool at Illinois Utilizes Purposeful Engagement with Admitted MS/LIS Students
From Admitted to Enrolled: How the iSchool at Illinois Utilizes Purposeful Engagement with Admitted MS/LIS Students
By Katelyn Talbott, EdD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Emma L. Kopko, MS, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Moises Orozco Villicaña, PhD, University of Illinois, Chicago
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The Master’s in Library and Information Sciences (MS/LIS) program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is continuously ranked the #1 program of its kind. To uphold the standards of a #1 ranked program, the Enrollment Management (EM) team and the Student Affairs team work in tandem to provide accessible and engaging resources to admitted students as they take into consideration the many factors that impact their decision to accept an admission offer.
In 2021, the MS/LIS program accounted for 41% of the iSchool’s total student population. Of the total enrollment for the MS/LIS program, 67% are enrolled in the online, synchronous program with the remaining students participating in the on-campus program. The racial and ethnic make-up of the MS/LIS program is predominantly white (76%), followed by Latinx (10%), Black/African American (5%), students that identify as being more than one race or ethnicity (3%), Asian (3%), American Indian or Alaska Native (>1%), International (>1%), and Unknown Race or Ethnicity (>1%). What follows is an overview of the collaborative approach between Enrollment Management and Student Affairs to create purposeful engagement with admitted students to the MS/LIS program, which has consistently generated a yield rate that exceeds the campus yield rate for master’s programs at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Enrollment Management
The iSchool at Illinois is an extremely collaborative environment, where the Enrollment Management (EM) team frequently partners with the Students Affairs staff to ensure a positive, welcoming environment for all iSchool students. The EM team is responsible for working with prospective students during the application cycle – recruiting applicants, answering a myriad of questions, holding information sessions and campus visits, and processing and reviewing applications. They are also in charge of the yield campaign, which seeks to convert admitted LIS students to accepted and enrolled students. The Student Affairs team assists with recruitment and yield efforts, but their primary role is to provide high-touch support to current students. Once students accept their offers of admission, there is a behind-the-scenes handoff between the EM team and the Student Affairs staff – but students must receive their offer of admission first. Our yield campaign launches two to three days after applicants are notified of their decision.
The first email in the admitted LIS student yield campaign congratulates them on their admission and encourages them to consider joining the next group of talented information professionals, but the true purpose is to inform them of all the upcoming yield events, dates, times, and registration links. These events are designed to provide as much information as possible to the admitted students, so they feel prepared and confident to make an informed graduate enrollment decision. The fall 2022 yield campaign, which ran from February 1-April 15, 2022, contained eight yield events, many of which were held
virtually to accommodate as many admitted students as possible. The EM team also utilized Slate to create a welcome video for admitted students and a roadmap of all yield events, which can be accessed in their Slate application portal. The yield campaign consists of a robust email campaign that showcases the strength of the program, alumni profiles, and student features. Our email campaign also includes information about deadlines to accept. The campaigns generate a high open rate for admitted students. In addition to email correspondence, the EM coordinates seven signature events and one new event that is led by iSchool ambassadors, which is called LIS Ambassador hangout, which provides admitted students a relaxed setting to ask questions to current students without staff present. Table 1 provides a list of yield signature events and a short description.
Table 1. Yield Events Created and Initiated by the iSchool Enrollment Management Team
Event Description
Enrollment Management Meet and Greet
MS/LIS Academic Advisor Information Session
Current On-Campus Student Panel
LIS Student Employment Fair
Admitted Student Visit Day
Students of Color Panel
LIS Ambassador Hangout A virtual event that provides admitted students an opportunity to ask EM staff about deadlines, registration, orientation, and upcoming yield events.
MS/LIS advisors provide an overview of degree requirements and experiential learning opportunities in a virtual setting.
Admitted students can hear directly from current MS/LIS students about their experience at the iSchool especially as it relates to housing options, campus life, internships, practicums, and graduate assistantships.
Employment fair showcasing graduate assistantships and graduate hourly positions available to new MS/LIS students.
This in-person event welcomes admitted on-campus MS/ LIS students to hear from and interact with faculty, LIS alumni, and current MS/LIS students. This event also consists of a networking session with campus employers looking to hire new MS/LIS students.
All admitted MS/LIS students of color are invited to attend a virtual panel session composed of students of color. The aim of this session is to have an open and candid conversation about being a student of color at a predominantly white institution. This event has been well received by admitted students of color.
This virtual event is run by current MS/LIS students, and it offers admitted students a relaxed setting to ask questions that will help inform their decision making process.
The overall goal of our yield campaign to be transparent and forthcoming about our students’ experiences in the LIS program, and we accomplish this openness through a variety of different events and opportunities to connect with members of the Enrollment Management and Student Affairs teams, as well as current students. The listed yield events are only one component of our purposeful engagement approach with admitted students.
Student Affairs
The Student Affairs team initiates elements of onboarding in parallel with yield events hosted by EM. To ensure that all students can access information about the program once they are admitted, our iSchool New MS/LIS Student Information website link is shared with them in their formal admissions letter. Creating content on demand meets the needs of today’s 24-hour consumers and is a crucial component, as Talbott (2021) notes that “ondemand resources should be made available to students at any time of day, regardless of hours of operation or student responsibilities” (p. 107). As the majority of admitted students to the MS/LIS program at Illinois are adult learners, they have “major life responsibilities outside schooling through work, home, or community” (Council for Adult and Educational Learning, 1999, p. 3). Students must divide their time between each of these commitments. Ensuring that this information is available to them early helps those that accept right away begin making their plans for enrollment. For admitted students who are still deciding on their acceptance, this ondemand resource paired with live yield events allows admitted students a variety of ways to inform their admissions decision.
iSchool New MS/LIS Student Information website This internal website contains eleven tabs of information that students frequently inquire about when trying to decide on a program and when taking the steps to successfully enroll in the upcoming term. The tabs include – Welcome, Checklist, Technology, Tuition Assistance, Billing Information, LIS Advising, Logistics, Career Services, International Students, Important Dates, and Orientation. When students inquire about topics outlined on this website, we direct them to the specific webpage that will answer their questions. When they have a more nuanced question, we direct them to the specific webpage for the basic information but continue to answer the question in more detail.
Onboarding Activities
Once a student has formally accepted their offer of admission to the MS/LIS program (either the online or on-campus program), they are encouraged to follow the Checklist webpage found on the iSchool New MS/LIS Student Information website. Here, students are encouraged to take specific actions around the categories of technology, student affairs, and logistics. Implemented by Student Affairs professionals, students are required to complete two tasks before enrolling:
New Student Intake Form
This intake form provides the academic advisors with pertinent information to best advise the incoming students. Students self-identify information such as their preferred name, contact information, program modality, outside commitments, intended timeline for degree completion, options to select up to five areas and environments of interest as it relates to the profession of library and information science, years of experience, career goals, policy acknowledgements, links to the course schedule, and an option for students to pose any remaining questions for the advisor.
New Student Advising Appointment The New Student Advising Appointment allows the advisor and student to interact one-on-one, building rapport by asking about the student’s motivations to pursue an advanced degree in library and information science. During this appointment, the advisor uses the New Student Intake Form submission as a guide to talk about the student’s previous work experiences and areas of academic interest. Then, additional conversations are had about specific enrollments for the student’s first term. All the while, students are encouraged to ask any questions. These required appointments are scheduled for 20 minutes and take place via phone, in-person, or video conferencing.
Orientation Activities
Leading up to the start of the term, there are many optional orientation activities that are meant to inform and build community. Just before the term begins, students attend a required orientation session based on the modality of the program to which they are admitted. As COVID has impacted the ability to gather as a group, we have continued to offer optional virtual sessions on
topics such as affinity groups, understanding the student bill, preparing for graduate school, and student socials (when possible). All of these optional activities culminate with the required orientation session just days before the start of term. A community building activity offered for those enrolling in the on-campus program is to participate in a campus scavenger hunt. Entering its third iteration, students are divided into random groups and asked to submit photos of their group in front of campus landmarks. This not only is a fun, outdoor activity, but it helps each student to start becoming more familiar with campus and their peers.
Required Orientation Session For each program modality (online and on-campus) a twohour required orientation is held for all incoming students. This time is essential for students to start building community with one another, with faculty, and with staff. During this session, there is designated small-group time for students to meet one another before staff and faculty introduce themselves. A general program overview is provided to the students in addition to a quick overview of available resources such as technology, library, and disability services. These sessions always allow ample time at the conclusion for questions.
Conclusion
The roles between Enrollment Management and Student Affairs are clearly defined, but to truly make an impact in our yield and enrollment it is imperative that we work collaboratively. Admitted students ask very pointed and nuanced questions, especially in terms of degree requirements that require the expertise and knowledge of academic advisors, so it is imperative that we collaborate to offer many touchpoints with admitted students as they finalize their decision. Through this purposeful engagement, the iSchool has been very successful in yielding admitted students and reducing melt from the moment that an applicant accepts their admission offer to
Table 2. Fall 2016 – Fall 2021 Yield Rate for MS/LIS and all MS Admits
Average Yield Rate Fall 2016-2021
MS/LIS Admits 61%
Campus MS Admits 51% enrolling for their initial term. Over the past six years, the iSchool at Illinois has averaged a yield rate that exceeds the campus average. The average yield rate 61% for MS/ LIS students admitted at the iSchool while the campus yield falls at 51%. n
References
Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. (1999). Serving adult learners in higher education: Findings from CAEL’s benchmarking study. Talbott, K. R. (2021). Exploring retention of career changers in an online library and information science professional master’s program: An exploratory case study [Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign]. IDEALS @ Illinois.
Emma is the Assistant Director of Recruitment and Admissions for the School of Information Sciences, one of the fastest growing units on University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign’s campus. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and public relations and a master’s in communication from Illinois State University.
Dr. Katelyn Talbott is the Coordinator of Student and Academic Affairs for the rapidly growing Information Sciences PhD program in the iSchool. She earned a bachelor’s and master’s in sport management and a doctorate in learning, design, and leadership from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. Moises Orozco Villicaña is the Director of Recruitment and Outreach for first-year and transfer students at one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse universities in the country. He earned a master’s in education and a doctorate in educational policy studies from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He also attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he doubled majored in sociology and law and society with a minor in education.
