AACRAO SEM XIX presentation about recruiting, engaging, and retaining students using modern technology. Presented by Chris Ferguson and Samuel Sudhakar.

1. Chris Ferguson Samuel Sudhakar
Director of Admissions & Vice President of
Assistant Professor Administrative Services & CIO
Wilmington University Carl Sandburg College

2. About Wilmington University
 Private, Non-Profit, Non-Sectarian University
 Undergraduate, Graduate, and Doctorate Programs
 12,500 students
 11 Locations in Delaware and New Jersey
 Commuter
 41 Years Old
About Chris Ferguson
 10-years in College Admissions
 Director of Admissions: Oversees Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions
 Assistant Professor of Social & Behavioral Sciences
 Doctoral Candidate at University of Pennsylvania
 Specialized in College-Created SNS & Mass Notification for Yield Management
 Specialized in Developing Robust Communication Plans

3. Engagement is the Fundamental
Recruitment Principle
• Primary Goal of Admission Lifecycle
Prospect  Inquiry  Applicant  Student
To develop and strengthen student-centered relationships
while moving future students through the Admission Lifecycle.
This invites future students into Wilmington University’s
community while exploring it as their institution of choice.
After moving through the lifecycle, a personalized relationship
has been established enabling the potential for maximum
student success.

4. Use Multi-Channel Methods
Inquiry  Applicant
• Website (Student-Driven Navigation, Virtual Tour, IM [Live
Communicator], Online Application, Online Event Scheduling)
• Email Campaigns
• Online Information Sessions
• Postal Letters & Publications (Viewbooks, Postcards, Application
Materials)
• Person-to-Person Telephone Calls
• Face-to-Face Appointments
• Campus Visits (Tours, Info Sessions)
• On-Campus School Counselor Dinners and Trainings

6. Five-Year Application Growth
8000
110%
7000
6000
5000
160%
Undergraduate
4000 Applicants
3000 59% Graduate
Applicants
2000 Total
1000
0
2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09

7. Use Multi-Channel Methods
Applicant  Student
• Website
• Blackboard Connect Mass Notification Campaigns
• Private Social Network (wilmYOU)
– Integrates Applicant/Student Profiles, Blogs, Groups, Videos,
Events, RSS Feeds, IM, and Direct Website Links
• Campus Visits (Tours, Info Sessions, etc.)
• Email Campaigns
• Postal Letters & Publications (Postcards, Brochures)
• Face-to-Face Appointments

9. Five-Year New Enrolled Student Growth
4500
4000 44%
3500
3000
2500 63%
Undergraduate
2000
Graduate
1500 18% Total
1000
500
0
2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09

10. Email is used for…
• REINFORCING postal communications
• SPECIALIZING .edu website content
• INCREASING touch points
• QUANTIFYING communication plan
• EVALUATING messages

12. College-Created Social Networking Site
is used for…
• ENGAGING admitted applicants
• INTEGRATING social media strategies
• CONNECTING peer applicants
• TAILORING one-click navigation
• ENABLING self-service
• PREDICTING yield rates

14. Mass Notification is used for…
• DELIVERING specific messages
• TRACKING audience receipt
• REPORTING outcomes
• INCREASING tuition revenue/yield rates
• SURVEYING enrollment decisions

15. DELIVERING a message
(Spring 2009)

16. TRACKING audience receipt

17. REPORTING outcomes
89.2%

18. INCREASING tuition revenue
$483,000

19. Test Campaign
(Spring 2007 Test)
262 non-registered undergraduate and graduate
applicants received an email three working days
prior to the first day of courses for Spring 2007. At
7:00 p.m. two days prior to the first day of courses,
more than half were also sent a pre-recorded
Blackboard Connect telephone call from the
Director of Admissions encouraging them to register
for courses.

20. Spring 2007 Test Results
• 35.4% (93) registered for one or more courses
• Tuition revenue totaled more than $198,000
• This was compared to a test group of 168 non-registered
undergraduate and graduate applicants who were only
sent a postal letter. This group was not communicated via
Blackboard Connect telephone contact and email.
• 19.6% (33) registered for one or more courses
• Tuition revenue approximately totaled $40,000

21. One Question Survey

22. 42.3% Responded

23. Remember…

24. Student Retention Through
Engagement

26. Opportunity to Succeed
To provide accessible, quality education in a
caring
environment by keeping the learner’s needs
at the
center of decision making and by working in
partnership with communities of the College
district.

27.  People Actively Collaborate To Understand
More About The Student Experience and Work
Together to Design Better Approaches and
Programs
 Faculty Seek Out Student Perspectives On
Their Own Learning and See them as Critical
Voices in the Ongoing Conversation About
Quality
 NSSE, 2008

28. Institution Student
Student Student
Faculty Student

30.  Communications Management – Datatel
 eAdvising – Datatel
 iTunes University Initiative
 U.Select
 Retention Alert – Datatel
 Blackboard Connect – Blackboard
 Blackboard Learning System – Blackboard
 iClickers
 Insight - Faronics

31.  Noel – Levitz Engagement –Online CSI
 mySandburg Portal – Online Student Self Service
 Vertical and Horizontal Alliances (K-12, WIU, Franklin U,
SECC, Internships etc…)
 Campus Refresh
 Digital Signage Monitors
 Climate Control Projects
 Orientations
 Social Networking
 COMPASS Testing – Web Based
 eScript Initiative

33.  Part of the Overall Communications Strategy
 Emergency and Informational
Communications
 Granular Targets
 Built into the Culture
 Standardized Formats
 Hosted – Foray into the Cloud

37.  Scripts Run to Select Audience from
Database
 Student Services
 Financial Aid
 Business Office
 Academic Services
 Faculty
 Dispatch Office

38.  mySandburg – Skydrive Interface
 Operating Analytics – Business Intelligence
 Faculty Engagement Strategies
 Student Relationship Management
 Move Apps to the Cloud