NAGAP Perspectives

The Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management

Perspectives A Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals

Planning Without a Crystal Ball: Best Practices for Hybrid Yield Programming

Vol. 34.1

Table of Contents

Spring 2022, Vol. 34, Number 1

Recruitment & Marketing

Perspectives A Newsmagazine for Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals Money

From the President..............................................................................3

By Jeremiah Nelson, PhD, NAGAP President

Matters

Editor, Melissa Sersland Associate Director of Graduate Admissions and Financial Aid Northwestern University Recruitment Evanston, IL GEM & Marketing (847) 491-5042Operations NAGAPpublications@gmail.com NAGAP Perspectives is published Money Lifecycle, three timesStudent per year (fall, spring, Matters Engagement, summer). Articles of particular and Support interest for publication are graduate enrollment management research/ study results, how-to articles, success stories, reports of workshops/ GEM Enrollment seminars, book reviews, etc.

Operations Modeling & Strategic Submissions should be sent to the Planning editor via email. Articles should be provided in Microsoft Word format, Student Lifecycle, with figures and photos provided Engagement, Career, Staff, separately as high-resolution TIF or and Support Personal EPS files. APA&style is preferred for documentingDevelopment sources. Submission deadlines: August 30, January 6, May 17.

Enrollment Modeling Copyright ©Diversity, 2022 NAGAP & Strategic Equity, Planning and Inclusion NAGAP is committed to diversity and inclusiveness in all of its activities.

This commitment embraces respect Career, Staff, for differences including age, culture, & Personal disability, education, ethnicity, gender, Development life experiences, race, religion,

and sexual orientation. NAGAP champions an open exchange of ideas in a collegial environment that embraces academic freedom, Diversity, Equity, cooperation, mutual respect, and and Inclusion responsibility. NAGAP supports activities that promote and nurture professional development, best practices, research, and collaboration of a diverse and global community of graduate enrollment management professionals, encouraging dialogue that fosters professional growth among all of its constituents, in the U.S. and internationally.

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Spring 2022

Planning Without a Crystal Ball – Best Practices for Hybrid Yield Programming ...................................................... 4

By Melissa Sersland, MS, Northwestern University

Adopting the Duolingo English Test: Two Institutions Share Their Challenges and Successes...................................9

By Melissa Sersland, MS, Northwestern University

2022 Graduate Enrollment Management Summit..............15

By Joshua Walehwa, PhD, Washington University in Saint Louis, 2022 GEM Summit Marketing Chair

NAGAP Leadership Academy Update......................................16

By Brett DiMarzo, MEd, Boston College, NAGAP Leadership Academy Program Lead

Q&A With MAGAP (Midwest Chapter) President Sarah Wanger, EdD, Indiana University..............................18 Incoming NAGAP President Kristen Sterba, PhD, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences...................19 Incoming NAGAP Vice President Naronda C. Wright, MEd, Georgia Southern University................................................. 20 Incoming NAGAP Secretary Brett DiMarzo, MEd, Boston College..............................................................................21 Incoming NAGAP Treasurer Jamie R. Grenon, MBA, Bryant University......................................................................... 22 NAGAP Mentorship Program: Connecting Today’s Leaders with Tomorrow’s Visionaries...................................... 23

NAGAP Perspectives

FROM THE PRESIDENT

NAGAP Friends, I don’t know about you, but I really, really, REALLY hoped we’d be looking back on our pandemic experience by now in the same way we reflect on a bad breakup – That really sucked, but I’m thankful for the lessons I learned. Alas, Omicron had other plans, so we collectively soldier on.

Despite the pandemic challenges, your NAGAP Board and volunteer committee leaders have been busy! We’ve got a lot of good things happening that I hope you find valuable. Here are a few highlights: PERSPECTIVES UPGRADE – You’ll likely notice that this is the first issue of our redesigned Perspectives newsmagazine. We hope you like it! Please join me in thanking the entire Publications Committee for all of the additional time and effort it took to facilitate this significant upgrade.

NEW WEBSITE IN PROGRESS – This project has been on our wish list for a couple of years, but the cost and time associated with a complete redesign of the website made it seem out of reach.

This fiscal year we committed to making it happen, thanks to a successful virtual summit in 2021, a generous partnership with DD Agency, the unflappable leadership of Kristen Sterba, and an army of NAGAP members stepping up to volunteer. We are on pace to unveil the new website at the 2022 GEM Summit in Chicago.

NEW DIVERSITY CERTIFICATE – NAGAP will offer a first-of-its-kind certificate focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in Graduate Enrollment Management in conjunction with the Pre-Summit Institute. Participants in the Pre-Summit Institute will have the option to continue their learning with implicit bias training and a series of webinars to earn Credly badges to verify their achievements.

2022 GEM SUMMIT – If you’re like me, you’re craving the opportunity to catch up with your friends and colleagues without screens between you. The Conference Committee is actively planning for an incredible in-person conference this April. As a community, we need this event to unplug from our day-to-day responsibilities and fully invest in our professional development and networking.

This wasn’t how I imagined my term as NAGAP President would go, but I really am grateful to have been given your trust to lead our Association in this most extraordinary time. I’m so thankful for the extraordinary Kellen staff and my ride-or-die board for their hard work and unwavering commitment to our members.

Stay strong. Stay safe. Stay connected.

In appreciation,

Jeremiah

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Planning Without a Crystal Ball – Best Practices for Hybrid Yield Programming

By Melissa Sersland, MS, Northwestern University

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s we enter a third spring during the COVID-19 public health crisis, we’re faced with a familiar challenge – how to plan yield programming for our admitted students amidst continued uncertainty.

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During MAGAP’s spring 2022 workshop on yield efforts in mid-January, 76% of the about 50 graduate enrollment management professionals in attendance said that as of January 14, they planned to have a combination of inperson and virtual yield programming. Eleven percent said they planned to have virtual visits, and 5% were unsure.

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While some programs offered virtual yield programming pre-pandemic, for many programs, this has been a new endeavor over the past two application cycles. Below, graduate enrollment management professionals share what they’ve learned over the past two years in planning virtual and hybrid yield programming.

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Brandeis University, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University offers seven degree programs, including master’s and doctoral levels.

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For Amanda Miller’s team, yield programming is typically held in February and March. Miller serves as the senior assistant director of admissions for The Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

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Though Miller’s programs have access to a visitor forum with an outdoor space that would allow for greater airflow, given Boston’s climate, utilizing an outdoor space for an in-person event is off the table. “We really don’t have an option to do an outdoor, in-person event until May,” Miller said.

Pre-COVID-19, students met in person with their program director and attended a current student panel and class.

In 2021, all programming was held virtually. Miller says her team had a lot of data that showed one of the greatest predictors of enrollment was if a student was able to sit in on a class. So not being able to have students physically sit in a class felt like a loss, Miller says.

However, Miller has seen several benefits to going virtualonly. “We actually haven’t seen that much of a difference between admitted in-person vs. virtual events,” she said.

For one, virtual events have been better attended than their in-person counterparts, with more prospective students registering and more registrants actually attending. Miller credits the ability to space out sessions for boosting engagement. “One of the advantages is that (sessions) can be a lot shorter,” Miller says. “We can break them up so students can attend a panel during their lunch hour and then meet with their program director two weeks later.”

Better attendance for virtual events over in-person is not a pandemic-specific trend for Miller’s programs. The time needed to commute to campus for events was a barrier for student attendance prior to COVID-19. “Prospective students had shifted a little bit away from (in-person programming) even prior to the pandemic,” Miller says.

“As a student, you sign up for something, you have the best of intentions of going, and then you kind of realize, do I really want to trek all the way out there? Do I really want to miss this time at my job?”

Miller’s team plans virtual programming over lunchtime or from 5 to 6 Eastern Standard Time. Miller’s virtual admitted student programming has included a Meet

Better attendance for virtual events over in-person is not a pandemic-specific trend for Miller’s programs.

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Robles’ team would like to utilize their new building on campus for an in-person gathering in the spring with safety precautions if COVID-19 allows. the Faculty event as well as sessions on Heller’s Career Development Center, internships, and experiential learning opportunities. Miller’s team also organized a session where current students and admitted students could interact without staff or faculty present. “We wanted them to feel like they could have a really honest, sort of open conversation,” Miller says.

Housing is another key topic, including how to help students arranging housing from out-of-town to identify housing scams. Graduate assistants ran webinar chats providing an overview of Boston neighbor-hoods, if a car is needed, and what the commute looks like in a Boston winter.

Tufts Gordon Institute, School of Engineering At Tuft’s Gordon Institute, Ethan Robles, assistant director of admissions, works with students enrolling in the full-time MS in Innovation & Management program and the part-time MS in Engineering Management program (offered online and hybrid).

Last year, Robles’ team leveraged gather.town to facilitate a virtual open house. Robles likens gather.town to playing Pokemon on a Gameboy; after creating an avatar with their choice of hair, skin, clothing, and accessories, participants can use the arrow keys on their keyboard to explore a digital room. By approaching different objects, they can play games, watch videos, and view posters.

They can also approach other participants’ avatars and interact with them via their computer’s camera and microphone. Utilizing gather.town in addition to Zoom sessions allows for a more interactive opportunity to help abate Zoom fatigue, Robles said.

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Though planning for Robles’ programs was not finalized as of mid-January, Robles said his team hoped to offer the open house via gather.town in addition to other modular sessions such as a faculty town hall, a current student and alumni panel, and a session with the executive director of the program. All sessions would be planned on different days for different time zones to accommodate students located across the globe.

Robles’ team would like to utilize their new building on campus for an in-person gathering in the spring with safety precautions if COVID-19 allows. This gathering would also offer modular sessions that would allow students to sit in on a class, have meetings with faculty, and attend a current student panel. If Robles and his team are able to host both in-person and virtual events, Robles emphasized the importance of making the experiences mirror one another; allowing students to have a similar experience regardless of modality, but also making the in-person experience unique for those able to attend both.

To further engage students, Robles’ team invites students to join an admitted student Slack, with administrative channels where staff can post information and studentspecific channels with a limited administrator presence where students can have more freedom to openly converse (one staff member does monitor the studentspecific channels).

Using Slack has resulted in varying degrees of success, Robles said. “We find that there are some students who really take to it, they like it, they put the app on their phone, and it becomes part of how they converse, not just through the Orientation process but throughout their time Spring 2022

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in the program with us,” he said. However, Robles says their Slack channel is “always competing with WhatsApp,” which is particularly popular with international students.

Like Miller, Robles said offering virtual programming has reduced barriers for out-of-town students that existed preCOVID-19. “Not everybody can afford to get to campus or to come to Boston to Tufts,” Robles said. “We would offer reimbursement for the trip but it’s still a lot. If you have a kid who’s from UC Davis, to come to Boston for a day to see a graduate program, that’s a lot to ask. So now, online is a part of what we’re going to do. Even if this pandemic ever ends, I think there will always be an online option available for students.”

Pre-COVID-19, Robles’ team had already shifted yield programming for the part-time Engineering Management program online. “[Students in this program] are much less willing to dedicate time to these types of events, because they don’t really have it,” Robles said.

Robles and his team offered one or two digital events that are offered repeatedly, like an open house or a town hall with the program’s executive director. For these students, Robles said, hosting sessions right after the work day leads to the best attendance.

Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, Northwestern University

Editor’s note: The author currently works at Medill.

The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University offers graduate programs in journalism (full-time) and Integrated Marketing Communications (full-time and part-time).

Pre-COVID-19, Medill held in-person, two-day Admit Days for its full-time programs. Students were invited to a welcome reception the first evening, where they could mingle with faculty, staff, and current students. They then attended a full day of programming that included a welcome from the dean, a current student panel, a keynote from an alum, and breakout sessions on topics like financial aid, Career Services, and unique program offerings.

Since 2020, Medill has developed a content calendar bridging the months between when students receive their decision and when they need to make their tuition deposit. Each week has a different theme, with either asynchronous or synchronous programming offered on that theme. All synchronous sessions were held via Zoom.

More Yield Programming Ideas from the MAGAP Spring Workshop • Focus on your electronic communications and design a drip marketing campaign through your CRM • Send out housing resources soon after admission; host a webinar on housing • Host virtual one-on-one appointments, weekly office hours, and lunch and learns with specific topics (e.g. how to complete the FAFSA) • Offer students Grubhub gift cards to pay for virtual Visit Day lunches • Design a print piece that outlines your value proposition to include in your admitted student packet or box • Student mentor/buddy/ambassador programs; current students may be too busy and faculty may not offer to engage with admitted students, but your alumni may be excited and willing to do so!

• Send out personalized welcome cards to admitted students • Use texting for transactional purposes • Use a tool like Gather (gather.town) or Remo for virtual poster presentations, which allow for the same kind of interaction as an in-person presentation • Send videos to admitted students through your CRM or a video messaging platform like Goodkind or Covideo • Offer virtual tours or video walk-throughs of your facilities Specific strategies to help reduce melt: • Build regular check-ins into your communication plan • Use Canvas to house resources and design a self-paced Orientation to keep students engaged between deposit and enrollment. Add students to the Orientation early on in the process.

• After they deposit, send students a car decal or other swag to get them excited for the start of classes • Conduct personal calls prior to classes starting to check in • Continue leveraging student ambassadors and communication from faculty if possible • Ask incoming students to attend Zoom classes over the summer • Send out book or article suggestions from faculty about industry topics

Programming that allows admitted students to connect with faculty and current students is of the greatest value, said Julie Collins, director of graduate admissions and financial aid at Medill.

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Medill invites students to an admitted student Slack channel and requires them to join with their Northwestern email to confirm their identity.

Programming that allows admitted students to connect with faculty and current students is of the greatest value, said Julie Collins, director of graduate admissions and financial aid at Medill. “After students have been admitted, the source of information they are looking for is really a deeper dive from faculty about curriculum, opportunities they will have when they enroll, and really getting the current student perspective,” she said.

Connecting students with ambassadors with whom they share a commonality, whether that be an identity, a shared hometown, interest, or undergraduate institution, is integral. “(Student ambassadors) begin to help admitted students see themselves in the program…how they have been able to bring their identities into the classroom experience and how they have been able to leverage that for marketing or reporting projects,” Collins said.

Medill invites students to an admitted student Slack channel and requires them to join with their Northwestern email to confirm their identity. Setting up their school email can create a barrier, so to encourage students to join Slack, Medill has offered all students who signed up a branded baseball cap (mailed out to students in the U.S. and provided at Orientation for international students).

The Slack channels are monitored by staff, and all students are removed from the channels following the first week of classes (students are encouraged to create their own social media groups if they haven’t before then).

To align with the admitted student content calendar, Medill designs specific Slack content to be shared each week. One simple best practice that has led to strong engagement is to encourage students to introduce themselves to one another, including their hometown, what they’re currently doing (whether in school or working), and what they’re excited about for the program.

Like Robles, Collins finds that some students utilize Slack more than others. “Slack allows space for our admitted students to share their stories with us and be as comfortable as they want to,” Collins said. “Some folks may want to ask questions and be more involved, and others want to be on the sideline and be more observant.”

Students also take advantage of the direct messaging feature in Slack to communicate with Medill staff. Direct messaging usage is especially strong around the tuition deposit deadlines and as students prepare to enroll in classes. Since Medill admissions staff manage Slack, questions around registration, health insurance, and other more niche topics are directed to those offices.

Getting faculty involved in engaging on Slack has proven beneficial. One program director shared book lists and links to articles they were reading over the summer and NAGAP.org

focused on building community with the admitted students.

By allowing students to get a better sense of who she was, this program director saw high attendance for their events in the first quarter of the program, Collins said.

School of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University Mark Hoffman serves as the associate director for academic advising and enrollment for the MS in Higher Education Administration and Policy (MSHE) program in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. The program is offered full-time and part-time.

All students are required to have an internship or to be working full-time during the program.

The program has traditionally offered its MSHE Preview Days in the spring over two days. The program has provided hotel accommodations in Evanston, IL, and travel assistance. In addition to attending sessions, students at MSHE Preview Days also participate in interviews for potential internships they will complete during the program. These interviews are coordinated through the program.

Post-COVID-19, the MSHE program spread out the programming over four days instead and held all sessions virtually. For 2022, the MSHE Preview Days will be held virtually from March 1 to 4. Informationbased sessions and panels will be held primarily in the evening to accommodate domestic students who work and international applicants from China. In addition to a poster session featuring over 30 student-facilitated poster presentations, there will also be panels including current students, faculty, and national/international alumni.

The program will facilitate two days of virtual interviewing for internships.

The program is hoping to host an overnight, optional in-person program from April 1 to 2, which will provide admitted students an opportunity to tour campus, meet one another, connect with current students and local alumni, and meet with faculty, internship supervisors, and the program’s administrative team. This program may be canceled or altered depending on the pandemic.

In addition to this event, the MSHE team has created an internal admitted students website via WordPress. This site includes registration for admitted student days, bios and photos of admitted students, a “Why MSHE” page, internship interview information, a directory of current students, and more. Hoffman asks current students to create brief welcome videos via Flipgrid, which are also posted on this site.

“Once Preview Days pass, we upload recordings of all sessions in case someone wants to review or they missed Spring 2022

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“[Personally contacting all admitted students] is time consuming, but very informative,” Hoffman said. “And it sets us apart from our competitors.” a session,” Hoffman said. “This has been amazing as it allows us to streamline communications.”

Melissa Sersland is the associate director of graduate admissions and financial aid at the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from Medill and a master’s in higher education administration and policy from Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy.

The MSHE team also creates a Facebook page for admitted students.

A survey is sent out following yield programming for assessment. The MSHE team also personally contacts all students after they have confirmed or declined their enrollment to learn more about their decision. “This is time consuming, but very informative,” Hoffman said.

“And it sets us apart from our competitors.” n

Join the Conversation!

The Exchange Check out NAGAP’s The Exchange: a social networking resource library 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!

This was a great learning experience for our team, and we are now at a point where we have the new system running smoothly. Join the conversation on NAGAP’s The Exchange and discuss in more depth your experiences, questions, or concerns regarding implementation of a new system!

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Adopting the Duolingo English Test: Two Institutions Share Their Challenges and Successes

By Melissa Sersland, MS, Northwestern University

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Photo credit: Duolingo

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or years, two main English language proficiency test providers have been the go-to for graduate admissions applications: ETS’ Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Then, five years ago, a new player came onto the market: the Duolingo English Test.

Though some schools began researching Duolingo as an option before COVID-19, the closing of TOEFL and IELTS test centers in the winter and spring of 2020 prompted many to adopt Duolingo as a short-term option for students. More than 2,000 new institutions began accepting the Duolingo English Test in 2020, and the test experienced a 2,000% increase in test volume that year.

Now Duolingo is increasingly being accepted as a formal English language proficiency test option and is currently accepted by more than 3,500 institutions and programs.

In late November 2021, Duolingo sponsored a NAGAP webinar inviting two of its participating institutions to

NAGAP.org

share their takeaways. The following is a summary of that webinar with some added insights from each institution.

Overview of Duolingo The Duolingo English Test was launched about five years ago as a digital-first language test. An at-home, on-demand and internet-based test, the Duolingo English Test costs $49, which includes allowing students to share their scores with as many institutions as they choose.

The test is administered through an app that locks down test takers’ browsers; results are then reviewed and certified by expert human proctors with the help of artificial intelligence. Scores are certified within 48 hours.

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The test provides schools with subscores in Literacy, Comprehension, Conversation, and Production, along with a video interview and writing sample.

The test was founded by international students who experienced barriers to English language proficiency testing when they were applying, says Lindsay Mathers Addington, senior strategic engagement executive at Duolingo. These barriers included a scarcity of test centers not evenly distributed across countries, with test centers densely located in English-speaking countries.

The test has now been taken in more than 200 countries.

Addington says that the test is serving students where the test-center-per-capita is low, in countries such as China, Korea, Brazil, Saudia Arabia, Mexico, India, and Kazakhstan. Addington adds that Duolingo is seeing tremendous growth among prospective graduate students in India. About 41% of test takers are pursuing graduate level study, with many interested in STEM and business and management fields.

For a program or school to begin accepting Duolingo

English Test scores, they need to submit a free online form, which creates a certified results dashboard.

Duolingo then shares an API Key that allows institutions to integrate scores with their CRM. Schools using Slate can integrate the video interview and writing sample to their CRM. Schools using a different CRM can access these test elements in their Duolingo dashboard or, through the API, they can access the video via a direct link from the CRM to the video player.

For 2022, Duolingo plans to release new reports at the close of the admission cycle to provide more information to institutions about where their test takers are coming from, who their competitors are, and their average scores across the board. These reports will continue to be generated at the end of every admission cycle going forward.

Schools can complete an application to request coupon codes to provide test fee waivers for low-income students. Duolingo has also recently announced a new partnership with the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), focusing on placing refugees at institutions throughout the world.

Photo credit: Duolingo

Arizona State University, which enrolls students from 136 different countries around the world, had begun researching the Duolingo English Test prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“In fall 2020, about 1% of our applicants used Duolingo, and by fall 2021, we saw about 8% use it,” Falkner says.

Image credit: Duolingo

minimums. The law school set a minimum of 115, while the School of Mass Communication and Journalism and the Department of English set a minimum of 120.

Takeaways from Arizona State University Arizona State University, which enrolls students from 136 different countries around the world, had begun researching the Duolingo English Test prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to begin accepting the Duolingo English Test came down to ASU’s mission and values, says Lisa Falkner, director of graduate and transfer recruitment at ASU. “ASU focuses a lot on who we can include in higher education and not who we exclude,” Falkner says. “So basically we see it as, if a student is competitive to a graduate program at ASU, whether it’s through test scores or through their academic background or their goals, then there is a degree program that is here for them and that can support them as they are exploring options, career opportunities, and research opportunities.”

In early February 2020, in response to test center closures in China, the ASU Provost temporarily approved accepting the Duolingo English test between February and July 2020 for Chinese applicants. A month later, ASU opened up the Duolingo option in 14 more countries.

On March 9, 2020, they opened it to 19 more. Finally on March 17, 2020, students from all global locations were approved to submit Duolingo English test scores.

Falkner and her team also felt that the Duolingo English Test had strong security features to prevent academic integrity issues. The quick turnaround of schools receiving test scores was also attractive, Falkner said.

Finally, upon review of the exam and application data, applications with Duolingo scores were found to be consistently as competitive as those who took other exams.

ASU set a minimum of 105 for the Duolingo English Test, though other programs could adopt their own higher NAGAP.org

The number of ASU applicants has increased in the past year. “In fall 2020, about 1% of our applicants used Duolingo, and by fall 2021, we saw about 8% use it,” Falkner says. The test has opened the door for students who were unable to travel to test centers, who were unable to afford other English proficiency tests, or who were unable to access test centers due to closures, Falkner says.

The accessibility of the test proved especially helpful for Indian students. “In India the accessibility of the test really, truly allowed students to adopt the exam early on because we saw especially in India, they were able to continue with their application for a graduate program at ASU because they could do it from the safety and security of their home despite the pandemic happening around them,” Falkner says.

One challenge for ASU has been to establish an internal process to more quickly import scores into applications.

Initially, Duolingo scores needed to be manually added to a student’s file, which was tedious.

ASU is working on an internal API that autofeeds Duolingo scores into ASU’s central database, and Falkner recommends other institutions go a similar route. “(The internal API) is in development so right now we are downloading the scores to a spreadsheet each day from the DET portal,” Falkner says. “The download is manageable, but the tougher part is manually searching for the candidate to ensure we match the score to the application. It is time consuming, but it is still a top priority to manage it regularly because it is [in] the best interest of the student.”

Falkner and her team encourage applicants to compare the different English proficiency exams and take the exam that is the best option for them, which aligns with their student-centric mindset. In their application tips webinars, they emphasize the need for a quiet space to take the test, away from family, pets, and roommates, and making sure students have the technology in place to take the exam without interruptions to their Wi-Fi. “We use a lot of our communication to deliver that studentcentric message of we are here as admission services to be a resource to our students, so we want to give them the best option so that they can get their scores to us and Spring 2022

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get their application processed quickly,” Falkner says.

experience be for a student taking the test,” Otto says.

Takeaways from Southern Methodist University

Dedman administration and faculty worked closely with SMU’s ESL office to get a sense of how the Duolingo test compared with the TOEFL and IELTS. The security features of the test were a major strength in allowing the SMU team to feel confident about accepting the results moving forward, Otto says.

At Southern Methodist University, the Lyle School of Engineering and the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences began accepting the Duolingo English Test for students for the 2021-2022 admissions cycle. SMU’s Lyle School of Engineering also began accepting Duolingo scores for the 2020-2021 cycle, though has seen more students submitting Duolingo scores for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 cycles.

Dedman did not offer Duolingo as an option for the 2020-2021 application cycle since all major admissions decisions had been made by February 2020. However, as the spring of 2020 progressed, they realized the pandemic was gaining speed as test centers remained closed. “We realized we probably had to come up with some kind of alternative for accessibility for our students,” says Stevie Otto, director of graduate recruitment and admissions for the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies at SMU. In April 2020, SMU attended a demonstration of the Duolingo English Test. “What impressed me most were the security features and just how in depth they took the time to look at all the different aspects of what the at-home testing experience would look like and what the student experience would be so it wasn’t so much just appeasing me as an administrator and looking at the test score and the results end but also what would the

They adopted a minimum Duolingo score of 110. Dedman also adopted a trial run as a test option for students with extenuating circumstances for 2021-2022, finding that many students had existing TOEFL or IELTS scores.

“Even though a lot of students may not have taken it, they were appreciative that they had the option in case their old TOEFL score was expired or, if they needed to take it, it was a quick and easy test to access,” Otto said.

However, Dedman found more and more students needed an option like Duolingo for the 2022-2023 application cycle. Its graduate program directors and associate dean have now formally approved Duolingo as an English language proficiency test option.

The Meadows School of the Arts and the Simmons School of Education and Human Development both only formally accept Duolingo in exceptional circumstances. Meadows set their minimum Duolingo score at 115 due to language scores needed for collaboration and ensembles.

SMU operates with a decentralized admissions process and policies but with a central graduate application process-

Its graduate program directors and associate dean have now formally approved Duolingo as an English language proficiency test option.

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 the 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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Otto says that, for the 2022-2023 cycle, more students are directly asking if SMU will accept their Duolingo test scores. ing office. The centralized processing office receives all test scores and adds them to applications in Slate.

Though Duolingo includes a video interview as part of the test, Dedman decided to ask PhD applicants to prepare a separate video essay through Slate. This separate essay helped the admissions team decide on funding, such as teaching or research assistantships. “The reason we do this is because a lot of the questions that are asked in the verbal section of the Duolingo exam, while it does effectively assess their ability to speak and listen and understand and comprehend the language, the type of conversational content isn’t quite academic, and so for us (the separate video essay) gives us an idea of how a student may respond to a question in a more academic setting either as a TA or research colleague.”

SMU is continuing to coordinate with the ESL Office once students enroll. “We’re still coordinating with our ESL office to see how students’ progress has been and if their skills are still on par with students who came in with TOEFL or IELTS, so we’re constantly monitoring and measuring to see how effective this Duolingo test is at predicting their success in the classroom,” Otto says.

A key benefit of accepting Duolingo scores has been broadening SMU’s reach to students from different countries. “It opened us up to other countries where students may not have had the accessibility to take the TOEFL or IELTS but they could take this exam easily and complete an application for study in the U.S.,” Otto

said. In particular, SMU saw an increase in students from Nigeria, Iran, Colombia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malawi, and Thailand. SMU also saw more students applying from Indian cities that were not commonly represented previously.

“This is useful to us because we’re broadening our reach to students who may not have been able to apply to us otherwise,” Otto said.

Otto says that, for the 2022-2023 cycle, more students are directly asking if SMU will accept their Duolingo test scores. “It has allowed us to connect with applicants who come from countries where access to the TOEFL and IELTS is more difficult,” Otto says. “And even in countries where they do have relatively easy access, the lower cost and ease of the exam make it more accessible to those students who may not be able to afford the standard exams or have the money or means to travel to testing locations. I do think, for those students, the Duolingo exam does help them overcome at least one major barrier to the application process and perhaps encourages them to follow through with the process.”

Addington says that the Duolingo English Test helps students find institutions in a variety of ways. Duolingo maintains a database of institutions that accept Duolingo.

Joint presentations with institutions that accept Duolingo and communication with test takers about how to use their results also increase awareness about higher education options, Addington says. 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.

Applications due April 1.

To learn more about the SPC, visit our website: https://nagap.org/strategic-partnership-council

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NAGAP Chapters

2020–2022 NAGAP Governing Board Officers President Jeremiah Nelson Catawba College Vice President Kristen Sterba University of Arkansas Recruitment for & Marketing Medical Sciences Secretary Naronda Wright Georgia Southern University Money Matters

Treasurer Andrew Kim Memorial University of Newfoundland School of GEM Operations Graduate Studies Immediate Past President Keith Ramsdell Ashland University Student Lifecycle, Engagement, and Support

Executive Director Marla Schrager NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Enrollment Modeling Management

& Strategic Planning

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 GEM Summit.

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.

Career, Staff, & Personal Development

UPCOMING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Pre-Summit Institute: Inclusive Marketing & Recruitment Wednesday, April 20, 2022 - 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Diversity, Equity,

The Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are fundamental to the success of our institutions. Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM) and Inclusion professionals are uniquely positioned to offer DEI leadership by influencing aspects of access, information, communication, strategic planning, budgeting, and staffing decisions. This hands-on session will help participants recognize and harness their various sources of power and influence to make progress toward DEI goals. The session will also be a forum for sharing successful tactics and good professional practices that GEM professionals can implement to improve the diversity of candidates in their enrollment funnels and explore strategies for more successfully engaging and supporting diverse candidates throughout the exploration and application processes.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Certificate Program (Pre-Summit Institute participation is a pre-requisite for this program) In conjunction with the Pre-Summit Institute, you are invited to be among the first to earn the NAGAP DEI Certificate. The program includes four webinars with post-tests and an asynchronous video series on implicit bias to be completed in Summer 2022. Upon completion you will receive a Credly badge verifying your achievement. If you are interested in participating, sign up when you register for the GEM Summit. There is an additional $50 fee associated with this program, and you must register and participate in the Pre-Summit Institute to complete this program.

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NAGAP Perspectives

2022 Graduate Enrollment Management Summit, Chicago, IL

By Joshua Walehwa, PhD, Washington University in Saint Louis, 2022 GEM Summit Marketing Chair

Save the Date 2022 Graduate Enrollment Management Summit

Directors Paula Baker University of Minnesota Katherine Beczak Rochester Institute of Technology Gregg Henderschiedt University of Florida Jennifer Kulbeck Saint Mary's College of California Dana Mordecai University of North Texas Amanda Ostreko University of Kansas

APRIL

GEM

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CHANGE MANAGEMENT @

Mary Pascarella Sam Houston State University Melissa Sersland Northwestern University Ryan Taughrin University at Buffalo

Publications Committee Dave Fletcher Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine

April 20 – 23, 2022 Hyatt Regency Chicago Chicago, IL

We are excited to return to our in-person format for the 2022 GEM Summit, April 20-23, 2022, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Our goal is to deliver the highest quality and best professional development for our industry. Our conference location adheres to the highest standards of safety and quality to make this possible. Centrally located and close to everything, we look forward to hosting this year’s event in the Windy City.

Caitlin Getchell University of Tulsa Kate McConnell Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies Amanda Miller Brandeis University

As always, there are plenty of ways to get involved in this year’s GEM Summit. Please consider participating as a presentation moderator or recorder, consider joining the Fun Run, or join us in a range of volunteer options coming soon. This year’s list of presentations and speakers will help you make the most of your conference experience.

Kittie Pain Kutztown University

We will continue to share more information through NAGAP News and Perspectives along with our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.

If you post content related to the conference, please feel free to utilize the hashtag #NAGAPImgoing.

Nicole Sloan University of Florida

Ethan Robles Tufts Gordon Institute

Troy Sterk Seattle University

This is a great opportunity to reconnect with colleagues while improving your practice. We look forward to seeing you in Chicago!

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CAREER, STAFF, & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

NAGAP Leadership Academy Update

Photo credit: Brett DiMarzo

By Brett DiMarzo, MEd, Boston College, NAGAP Leadership Academy Program Lead

A

fter several years of planning and discussion, NAGAP created a program in 2018 intended to provide GEM professionals an opportunity to develop their leadership skills through a yearlong structured curriculum. Deemed the NAGAP Leadership Academy, the first cohort met in New York City in fall of 2019 to kick off their program. Thirty professionals in the first cohort spent the next nine months participating in a host of activities, both in-person and virtual, and we were in the midst of planning their capstone project presentations for the 2020 Annual Summit when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Though the culmination of the first cohort program was cut short, the group successfully closed out their experience virtually. After a year hiatus, and with careful consideration and assistance from our curriculum partner, Management Concepts, the second cohort launched in fall of 2021, welcoming 12 new participants to this engaging experience.

After several days of in-person workshops on Boston College’s campus in September, the class participated in virtual webinars covering leadership topics such as adaptability, accountability and resilience, and making effective decisions. In addition, several guest speakers from areas across higher education joined the group in virtual sessions during the fall months. In October, NAGAP President Jeremiah Nelson led the group in a discussion on creativity and innovation in GEM, sharing his insight

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on how GEM professionals can use their creativity to lead efforts in graduate admission and seek innovative ways to address today’s challenges. In early December, the class heard from Kathy Anderson, associate vice president of student financial services at Berklee in Boston, about the basics of financial aid, some of the common challenges students face when exploring financing their graduate education, and how leaders in admission and financial aid need to work together at every stage of the process to NAGAP Perspectives

effectively serve students. In December, the Leadership Academy reached the midpoint of their program

With the beginning of the new year, the Leadership Academy will feature virtual sessions on topics such as managing conflict effectively and taking innovative thinking approaches in the workplace. In addition, participants will hear from experts in areas such as student services and diversity, equity, and inclusion, in addition to finalizing their capstone projects for presentation at the 2022 NAGAP Annual Summit in Chicago.

The Leadership Academy committee looks forward to seeing everyone in April and can’t wait for the Leadership Academy class to share their work at Summit! n

Photo credit: Brett DiMarzo

Throughout the program, participants in the class worked with seasoned GEM professionals who volunteer their time as coaches providing guidance to cohort members.

During conversations, coaches and participants explore ways to use the results of their 360° assessment to inform their leadership development. Coaches also share insights on leadership, using their own experiences and expertise to help support participants in their growth as a leader.

Brett DiMarzo is the director of graduate enrollment digital strategy at Boston College in Massachusetts. A GEM professional for over 18 years, he has experience in graduate admission, financial aid, and enrollment management strategy. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Sports Administration at Stetson University in Florida and his Master of Education in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University in Massachusetts.

Photo credit: Brett DiMarzo

Throughout the program, participants in the class worked with seasoned GEM professionals who volunteer their time as coaches providing guidance to cohort members.

NAGAP.org

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CAREER, STAFF, & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q&A

with MAGAP (Midwest Chapter) President Sarah Wanger

MAGAP (Midwest Chapter) President Sarah Wanger, EdD, Executive Director for Kelley Direct Online MBA & MS Programs, Indiana University

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?

I accidentally fell into admissions in 2006. A theatre major by academic training, I was looking for a steady income to pay the bills while I moved between directing gigs in Minneapolis. A position opened up in the graduate admissions office of my alma mater, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. I threw my hat in the ring and 16 years later I have moved through a variety of roles in graduate admissions and academic program administration, both at Saint Mary’s and then Indiana University where I moved in 2019. I found I had a passion for sales and marketing as well as leading teams, a combination that has served me well in graduate admissions. I was initially focused on regional recruitment for a school of education at a small, non-profit institution, and now I work for a nationally recognized, top-ranked business school. At both organizations I started out focused on tactical admissions and recruitment processes and slowly expanded my scope to design marketing plans and lead overall academic program strategy.

Briefly describe your pathway to getting involved in NAGAP and then becoming a Chapter President.

I joined NAGAP early in my career in admissions since I was new to graduate admissions and appreciated working within a community of practice. I became aware of MAGAP when I attended my first chapter business meeting at the NAGAP annual conference in Denver years ago. I also presented at the annual conferences in 18

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Washington, D.C., and New Orleans. However, I didn’t get actively involved with the regional chapter until recently.

In the spring of 2020 I was anticipating finishing my doctorate in educational leadership and knew I wanted to pursue something that would continue to challenge me professionally and keep me on my toes. I decided to run for secretary of MAGAP, which was a great way to get my feet wet on a chapter board. A year later, I had finished my doctorate and had a bit more time on my hands so when the president position opened up, I decided to run.

What are some things you are looking to do as chapter president to engage NAGAP members in your chapter?

The focus of the MAGAP board for the past two years or so has been on providing more regular professional development offerings for members that incorporate both networking and professional development in a wide variety of topics. We have also worked on developing more robust tracking and communication systems for our membership base, which we are making headway on with the creation of a chapter website, move to a more robust listserv, and membership tracking database. I feel we have been successful in rebuilding the cornerstones of a strong chapter through these new mechanisms so that we can continue to refine our programming.

How has your involvement with your chapter enhanced your experience as a NAGAP member?

My involvement with MAGAP has been eye-opening to the benefits of NAGAP as a whole and the amazing networks we have within graduate enrollment management. I so appreciate the community I have been slowly building among my peers at institutions across the Midwest and the nation as a whole. Whenever I meet with board members of other chapters we are able to share ideas and find synergies across our chapters. I would highly recommend that others find ways to get involved with either a chapter board or NAGAP opportunities as you will enhance your networks and grow personally and professionally. n NAGAP Perspectives

CAREER, STAFF, & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q&A

with NAGAP Incoming President Kristen Sterba

Incoming President Kristen Sterba, PhD, Associate Provost for Students and Administration, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

What led you to your career in graduate enrollment management? For instance, how did you find your first role in GEM? Why have you continued in this field since?

While completing my PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology in 2002, my institution (the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences) posted a job position for coordinator and recruiter for graduate studies in the College of Medicine. I was not sure if I wanted to go into academic administration or stay in research. Well… I took the position and began recruiting graduate students for the biomedical science research programs. I then assisted with the implementation of a new biomedical science research graduate program. I found that I really enjoyed working with the students and faculty, so I switched career paths from a future biomedical researcher to a GEM professional. It has been a perfect fit.

Tell us about your current role in graduate enrollment management. What do you enjoy most about it?

I am the associate provost for students and administration at UAMS. The departments in my areas of responsibility include Enrollment Services, Campus Life, Title IX, and Accessibility Services. I am also the director of institutional research, policy, and accreditation. It is amazing to be involved with the entire spectrum of student services at the institutional level. I was previously the associate dean of recruitment and retention in the UAMS Graduate School, so I have deep institutional knowledge. I get to work with faculty, staff, and students across the campus and love that I am able to support the mission of our university.

NAGAP.org

How long have you been involved in NAGAP, and what led you to becoming involved?

I started my first position as recruiter/coordinator in 2004.

I needed guidance on how to be successful in my job so I joined NAGAP. A chance encounter in an elevator in 2008 with NAGAP board member Joanne Canyon-Heller and I was “volunteered.” We were talking at a McNair conference, and I mentioned that I wanted to be more involved in NAGAP. Say no more! Joanne helped me find a role as research chair, and I have served in various NAGAP positions ever since.

What are you most excited to work on or accomplish as president?

Beginning face-to-face events again! I cannot wait to be in Chicago for Summit 2022. The pandemic forced NAGAP to pivot to online professional development opportunities for the last two years. We have learned much through these efforts and have developed programs that increase access and bring NAGAP’s mission “home.” We should continue offering online professional development programming since not everyone can travel to our in-person events. During the last several years, NAGAP has conducted numerous research studies with various partners. I would like to expand our industry and association partnerships. This will provide GEM professionals with the best practices and research they need to be more successful in their careers. I am also excited about our new website – launching in spring 2022.

What do you like to do for fun?

I love to run! Roads, trails, races, whatever… I am running the New York City Marathon (unless…you know) in 2022.

It is my dream race. I have three boys and am a huge Marvel and Star Wars fan. I also try to relax by doing puzzles or reading, but you will often find me binge watching television shows, my two dogs sitting with me, drink in hand. n Spring 2022

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CAREER, STAFF, & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q&A

with Incoming NAGAP Vice President Naronda C. Wright

Incoming Vice President Naronda C. Wright, MEd, Graduate Admissions Coordinator, College of Graduate Studies at Georgia Southern University

What led you to your career in graduate enrollment management? For instance, how did you find your first role in GEM? Why have you continued in this field since?

I was originally just looking to find a job in the town I lived in after moving to Georgia, and I applied to Georgia Southern University for an administrative specialist position in graduate admissions and fell in love with higher education. After being hired in the position, I was quickly immersed into the world of higher education and then the recession of 2008 hit us all, and I realized how much education was a retreat to so many looking for ways to improve themselves and make them more marketable in such an uncertain time. Being in my position made me realize that I needed to finish my undergraduate degree and, shortly after completing my undergraduate degree, I jumped right into my graduate program and earned my M.Ed in Higher Education Administration. Here I am 14 years later, and I still love what I do as a graduate enrollment management professional, and I am in the second semester of my pursuit of a doctorate degree in higher education leadership.

Tell us about your current role in graduate enrollment management. What do you enjoy most about it?

Currently, I serve as a graduate admissions coordinator in the College of Graduate Studies at Georgia Southern University. What I enjoy most about my position is being able to help the students we serve. I love working with a student to get them admitted to a program that will enhance their professional and personal lives, then seeing them walk across the stage at graduation. The 20

Spring 2022

feeling that I played a small role in their accomplishment is wonderful.

How long have you been involved in NAGAP, and what led you to becoming involved?

I have been a member of NAGAP since 2010 and actively involved since 2012. I had a past supervisor that encouraged our office to take part in professional development offered by the association. After initially attending conferences and a Summer Professional Development Institute (PDI), I felt the need to get more involved. In 2014, a call went out for volunteers to be a part of the annual conference planning committee, and I submitted a letter of interest and was selected. That involvement led to my desire to continue to grow in being an active member of NAGAP and eventually led to my leadership roles within the association.

What are you most excited to work on or accomplish in your new role as vice president?

First, I would like to say thank you and share that I am humbled by the confidence our membership has in me to elect me to the secretary position for 2020-2022 and now vice president for the 2022-2024 board cycle.

I am excited to continue to promote NAGAP and the wonderful opportunities for professional development for those working in graduate enrollment management (GEM). I look forward to working alongside my fellow board members and the membership to position NAGAP to be the first thing that crosses GEM professionals’ minds when they are looking for professional development opportunities and connections that will prove valuable over the years.

What do you like to do for fun?

For fun I like to watch sports, ANY kind! I am a huge football and basketball fan, but I will watch pretty much any kind of sporting event. Other than sports I love to travel, especially with my family. n NAGAP Perspectives

CAREER, STAFF, & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q&A

with Incoming NAGAP Secretary Brett DiMarzo

Incoming Secretary Brett DiMarzo, MEd, Director, Graduate Enrollment Digital Strategy, Boston College

What led you to your career in graduate enrollment management? For instance, how did you find your first role in GEM? Why have you continued in this field since?

Having spent time as a student worker in residential life and student life as an undergraduate, I always looked at higher education administration as a possible career. After spending a few years in retail management after graduation, I searched for a way back to higher education and began my career in graduate enrollment management, hoping to bring my experience in service to helping students find the program that would help them reach their educational goals. Even today, I continue to value the impact I can have helping students learn about the opportunities in graduate education and working with dedicated colleagues with that same mission. I am truly thankful to have found my purpose and calling, and it has added so much to my life professionally and personally.

Tell us about your current role in graduate enrollment management. What do you enjoy most about it?

Having spent most of my 18-plus-year career working directly with students as an assistant, associate, and director of admissions, my current role as director of graduate enrollment digital strategy at Boston College allows me to think creatively and share my knowledge with the admission and marketing teams across the university. Using my service experience and expertise, I can dedicate my time helping the teams at BC find the tools they need to provide excellent service to their students. My role allows me to work across various disciplines, collaborate with my colleagues in graduate admissions and student service areas across campus, and discover new tools and technologies to explore how we as an institution can serve our students better. It truly brings me joy each and every day.

How long have you been involved in NAGAP, and what led you to becoming involved?

NAGAP.org

When I first began as an assistant director of graduate admission in 2006, my director encouraged me to join the association. She believed that my professional development would rely on the knowledge and network found in an organization like NAGAP, and it would help me continue to grow as a person and a GEM professional.

Coming from a previous industry that does not embrace sharing best practices the way higher education does, I quickly realized how dedicated NAGAP is in providing development and networking opportunities and how much I value those attributes in my professional career.

I wanted to give back to this profession I love, and almost immediately became involved volunteering time at annual conferences, seeking opportunities to present, and eventually started to serve in the New England chapter.

What are you most excited to work on or accomplish in your new role as secretary?

In my new role as secretary for NAGAP, I want to do my part in helping to operate the association efficiently and effectively, bringing my experience as part of the New England chapter leadership to the team. With the ever-changing landscape of graduate education and enrollment management in particular, I hope to work with my board colleagues to continue to define NAGAP as the leader in GEM, expand the work we do as an association to grow our membership, especially with newer professionals coming into the industry, and look for new opportunities to enhance the current benefits of membership and bring new programs to the association.

I see myself as a steward for the GEM profession and am excited to be a part of the leadership team to continue the work of NAGAP for the next two years.

What do you like to do for fun?

I am at my happiest when I get to spend time with my wife and son exploring all New England has to offer. We love to spend time along the coasts at the beach, visiting places in Maine and Rhode Island and anywhere near the water. I enjoy playing golf and spending time with extended family and friends, celebrating holidays and special events. Our family are avid NASCAR fans, and we love watching the races, both on television as well as attending the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway each July. As a former cast member for the company, I am also a huge Disney fan and love spending time watching movies, visiting the theme parks, and keeping up to date with all the details of the company. n Spring 2022

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CAREER, STAFF, & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Q&A

with Incoming NAGAP Treasurer Jamie R. Grenon Tell us about your current role in graduate enrollment management. What do you enjoy most about it?

Incoming Treasurer Jamie R. Grenon, MBA, Director of Graduate Programs, Bryant University

What led you to your career in graduate enrollment management? For instance, how did you find your first role in GEM? Why have you continued in this field since?

My career trajectory was more happenstance than intention. After graduating from Boston College with a degree in music, I became a volunteer music and science teacher at the Nativity Prep School in New Bedford, MA, along with seven other recent BC grads. After two years of teaching, I landed a job as an admissions advisor at Berklee Online - Berklee College of Music’s fully-online school, where I then began working in marketing. This was really the impetus for my career in higher education as my experience at Berklee was incredible, and their investment in online learning is top notch. I then moved to New York to try my hand in teaching again, which (fortunately) didn’t work out. I landed at Roger Williams University where I worked in the School of Continuing Studies, which then merged with graduate education, which was my first foray into graduate enrollment management. After a second re-organization at RWU, I landed on the graduate side, which became my future professional path, but which also allowed for my first experience in international admissions where I took three international trips to promote both undergraduate and graduate degrees around the world. From RWU, I worked in graduate admission and financial aid roles at Bridgewater State University, Boston College, and am now at Bryant University, where I head up the Graduate Programs Office, a concierge model approach to graduate programs at the university. My path was anything but direct, but I am grateful for the opportunities I was presented and am beyond excited to be where I am today.

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Earlier in my career, the travel and excitement of meeting new students and colleagues was my primary motivation.

I enjoyed connecting with prospects, then seeing them all the way through to graduation. Much like teaching, it’s a long and sometimes difficult road, but the reward at the end is worth the challenge. Now, with three young children, travel is not as appealing as it once was, but I do enjoy the novel travel that NAGAP and NEGAP afford me. Having years of experience, I now most look forward to the strategic aspect of the job, the analytical nature of what we do, and how to maximize our resources to enhance and grow our programs.

How long have you been involved in NAGAP, and what led you to becoming involved?

I originally volunteered for NEGAP’s Marketing Committee but eventually wanted to get more involved in the group once I met other colleagues. I’m analytical in nature so I put my name in for the treasurer position, which I took over in 2014. I then served as vice president and president, although I had to cut my time as president short when my third child was born, as I wanted to devote time to my family. I haven’t been formally involved in a leadership capacity in NEGAP or NAGAP since that time, which is why I was eager to become a NAGAP board member.

What are you most excited to work on or accomplish in your new role on the executive board?

As the incoming treasurer, I am excited to work to find new and exciting ways to support our members in their professional development and to create new opportunities for our organization to thrive for many years.

I am also very excited about the potential for returning to in-person events, since it has been so long since I’ve seen many of my long-distance colleagues face-to-face.

What do you like to do for fun?

My three kids (10, 7, and 3) keep me pretty busy, but I still enjoy playing soccer and hockey as well as woodworking, which is a new hobby of mine (when time allows). n NAGAP Perspectives

CAREER, STAFF, & PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

NAGAP Mentorship Program: Connecting Today’s Leaders with Tomorrow’s Visionaries

By Kandice King, University of Rochester’s School of Medicine & Dentistry

It was Chicago 2010. A seasoned graduate enrollment management (GEM) professional and NAGAP member was having a conversation with an industry newcomer at a NAGAP event gathering. That simple dialogue inspired what would become the NAGAP Mentorship Program.

Program Co-Founder Kittie Pain, director of graduate admissions at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, said the program was created as a means to formally connect industry veterans and rookies in a knowledge transfer.

The purpose is to equip the next generation of GEM professionals to be successful industry contributors and future leaders. “For those just starting out, it’s a great way to build a network. For those who have been doing this a while, consider it your way to give back and to impart your knowledge as well as continue to learn,” she says.

Fast forward to the present, and the NAGAP Mentorship Program continues to provide a safe space to swap war stories about office life. With the 2020-21 cohort, those conversations took on new meaning as the entire industry NAGAP.org

tackled together what it means to be a graduate enrollment professional in a pandemic, with unprecedented challenges.

Industry veterans rewrote their playbooks as the mentor/ mentee relationship took on new meaning. The merits of industry experience took a backseat to how matched mentorship pairs might be able to innovate with creative solutions to their respective roles and obstacles during COVID-19. Here are a few of their stories.

Mike Marshall, Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing & Communication, Bellarmine University, Louisville, KY

2021 Mentor of the Year

Mike enjoyed a powerful mentoring experience years back, which equipped him with the skills and passion Spring 2022

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to pay it forward. While at Texas Christian University, he became the chancellor’s leadership intern as part of a program that was modeled after the ACE Fellows Program.

The experience required his full commitment to the role and had a profound impact on him academically and professionally because it required that he obtain his EdD in Higher Ed Leadership. He received robust mentoring through a full shadowing experience, which ultimately led to a professional role as the university’s interim chief government affairs officer.

That experience shaped the future of his mentoring style, which has now benefitted several professionals whom he has mentored since serving in that capacity.

For the 2020-21 Mentorship Program year, Mike was matched with Melanie Steele, graduate admissions director at Ursuline University in Cleveland, OH, who wasn’t new to higher education but wasn’t very experienced on the nuances of graduate enrollment specifically. For mentors like Mike, mentorship is a means to invest in the future of rising industry professionals in the same way that others first invested in his own success and future.

What was your mentoring experience like?

It’s one thing to think that a mentor is always the one giving advice. The beauty of it is that you can give and receive advice… I gained so many insights because Melanie offered a perspective that I didn’t recognize.

The program is a reminder of the true benefit of being able to connect with others in this profession.

Were there any specific outcomes from your mentoring relationship?

Yes. We met once a month whereas the program asks for four total meetings. We still meet periodically even now.

There were three tangible outcomes from our discussions: 1. I gave feedback on a conference proposal that my mentee ultimately submitted incorporating my comments;

2. My mentee developed strategic marketing via an annual plan for her organization that I gave feedback on; 3. Through our conversations my mentee learned that I had developed a graduate assistantship program at two different institutions. She ended up developing a model informed by our discussions.

Jessica Linke, Manager of Graduate Admissions, School of Professional Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

2021 Mentee of the Year Jessica has been working in higher education for a decade, but her work wasn’t always focused on admissions. She joined NAGAP and signed up for the mentorship program last year as the result of taking on a new leadership role, her first one in an admissions domain.

Jessica’s mentor was an admissions director in the Chicago area, and she found that connection invaluable in the absence of traditional networking opportunities.

Jessica said she is grateful that her mentor always had other resources, solutions, or industry connections to offer which widened her network, especially of those in similar roles in her immediate area. Jessica cited tangible benefits from the program including knowledge gained in budgeting, trend forecasting, and the future of social media platforms in higher education marketing.

Can you share some details about your mentorship experience?

Last year was so different because I had to consume everything digitally. I tried to participate in a lot of those events as much as possible together with my mentor.

My mentor and I went to the digital PDI [Professional

The mentorship program makes an open call for interested participants in late summer each year.

A great deal of time is spent carefully matching the pairs based on location, backgrounds, commonalities, and the mentee’s stated objectives for their participation. The pairs are then introduced to one another in early fall at an event kickoff, and they are asked to meet four times throughout the academic year. Topic prompts are provided to foster dialogue.

Interested to get involved? Brett offered the following advice, which sums it up best: “It’s just a matter of jumping in. You don’t have to have any particular experience. Just let your natural personality shine through.”

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Spring 2022

NAGAP Perspectives

Throughout the program, participants in the class worked with seasoned GEM professionals who volunteer their time as coaches providing guidance to cohort members.

Development Institute] event together. Having that catalyst gives you the space to think about things that are beyond the proposed mentorship program. We met twice a month and actually still do. He is a fantastic sounding board.

that I have mentored. Mentees have helped me think of things in new ways.

How does it feel to win the “Mentee of the Year” honor?

The traditional model has been a veteran paired with a newcomer. I want to expand on it so that we can provide mentorship for seasoned veterans who want to be mentored by other seasoned veterans.

I was really surprised. I just came with questions. I had so many questions to ask. The inquisitiveness was recognized as a good thing. It gave me confidence to ask questions and be unafraid. You can be anywhere in your career and can still find someone to mentor you. There’s something useful in that.

How has this experience shaped your professional development?

My mentor encouraged me to apply, and I received admission to a PhD program in higher education as a result of my mentor’s involvement. I’ve really enjoyed all the programming that I’ve participated in with NAGAP, but the mentorship program has undoubtedly been my favorite.

How has the mentorship program changed over the years?

What’s next for the Mentorship Program?

I feel mentorship and mentorship programs are going to be crucial for us as an industry, specifically in graduate enrollment management. I think that we all know that the industry is rapidly changing, the landscape is evolving. It will continue to be really challenging for all of us to do our jobs as GEM professionals, and we’re going to have to look for opportunities like the mentorship program to find those support resources. n

Kandice King is the director of graduate enrollment in University of Rochester’s School of Medicine & Dentistry. Her career in higher education spans 16 years in graduate enrollment management and university advancement. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from University of Evansville and a master’s degree in organizational and change management from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Brett DiMarzo, Director, Graduate Enrollment Digital Strategy, Boston College, Boston, MA

Mentorship Program Moderator Have you been a mentor before?

Yes. It’s important to be able to give back to the next generation of professionals. I love to provide insight and guidance to help people navigate higher education and graduate enrollment management, which is a unique aspect of the industry. I have learned a lot from the people

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

The Annual Call for Volunteers occurs each spring after the GEM Summit.

The Leader in Graduate Enrollment Management

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Spring 2022

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