Strategic Recruitment and Retention

Director of Admissions and Recruitment

Telephone: 304.442.3146

Email: Tech-Admissions@mail.wvu.edu

Campus Address: 210 Old Main

http://admissions.wvutech.edu

Upcoming Meeting Dates:

September 29, 2011 at 10:00am (1 Hour) Provost’s Conference Room, Old Main

October 28, 2011 at 9:00p. am (1 Hour) Provost’s Conference Room, Old Main

November 15, 2011 at 3:00pm (1 Hour) Provost’s Conference Room, Old Main

Strategic Recruitment and Retention Goals for Year 2 of the Strategic Plan:

1

2

3

Completed Strategic Recruitment and Retention Goals from Year 1:

The first year of the strategic plan has seen a revolution in how Tech recruits students. Prior years had only occasional new promotion materials, with more than five years passing since Tech had last released a promotional “viewbook” of programs and information. In contrast, this year a comprehensive set of new recruitment materials was developed, focus-grouped, and directed to targeted populations. The admissions office is now using “EMAS”, a student contact management system, in a much more thorough manner to track all communications between Tech and every potential new student. This permits a far greater pool of data for admissions to work with and to yield more targeted and effective communications.

Other advances include increasing the size of the admissions counselor team and creating well-defined recruitment territories with clear goals for each counselor. The admissions office space has been renovated and improved, along with the addition of an updated meeting room where students and parents can confer with an admissions counselor.

A stated goal of the strategic plan is to increase the diversity of Tech’s student body. This past year, Tech admissions has targeted and reached out to more out-of-state populations with a high composition of international students and more gender and ethnic diversity, doubling the number of applicants from these populations compared to last year. Non-academic programs are expected to aid in recruiting a diverse student body, such as band and new sports activities (see the Creating an Improved Student Experience initiative).

All of these advances have yielded significant results in recruitment this year. Compared to the year prior to the strategic plan, there are major increases in freshmen applications and acceptances, as well as transfer student applications. There is also a smaller decrease in the number of transfer student acceptances. Additionally, while the number of freshmen acceptances has increased, the proportion of freshmen applications rejected by Tech has actually grown as well, with an overall rejection increase of 2%. Among the resident first-time freshmen (the largest enrollment group), the rejection rate increased from 7% to 12%, indicating augmented institutional selectivity.

Regarding retention, the 2009 Fall-to-2010 Fall cohort retention rate was roughly 45%, and the prior year’s 2009 Fall-to-2009 Fall cohort retention rate was roughly 49%. The average retention rate of Tech’s aspirational peer institutions for the same periods of time was roughly 70%.

The strategic plan calls for clear and realistic enrollment goals based on Tech’s data and aspirational peer institution data beginning Years 2 through 5. For Year 1, a provisional enrollment plan was developed that assumes a 5% increase in retention per year. This enrollment plan is expected to change significantly for Year 2 when Tech admissions begins calibrating their territories and recruiting strategies based on the Year 1 report of Tech’s academic program capacities and the national enrollment trends of different academic disciplines (see the Enhancing Academics initiative for these findings).

Analysis:

As stated in the 5-Year strategic plan, increasing recruitment and retention is the heart of Tech’s mission of service. In Year 1, significant changes in recruitment strategy and practices have yielded impressive increases in freshmen recruitment. Further adapting recruitment strategies in Years 2-5 to match national and peer institutional trends should maintain these increases. The one (relatively minor) recruitment decrease is in transfer admits, and admissions office personnel have already studied this anomaly with plans to alter procedures to better communicate with this group of students. It is important to note that despite the recruitment increases the institution has maintained its academic entrance standards and selectivity.

While the recruitment half of the enrollment strategic initiative is certainly improving, the retention half must be addressed. Tech’s retention rate prior to Year 1 of the strategic plan was 25% lower than its institutional peers. Tech’s Year 1 retention rate will not be determined until the Fall 2011 semester commences, and it is hoped that enhanced student activities on campus (again, see the Creating an Improved Student Experience initiative) and the more student-oriented staff culture (see the Our People and Culture initiative) during Year 1 will yield an improved retention rate. Upgrades in campus facilities and the planned student success center are also expected to improve retention, as specified in the strategic plan.

For the complete Year 1 Progress Report, click here

The 5-Year Strategic Plan for Strategic Recruitment and Retention :

Expanding student enrollment and retention is the heart of WVU Tech’s mission to serve the community. Recruitment efforts should be focused on specific populations and have targeted, achievable short-term goals that feed into a long-term growth strategy. Developments in the other areas of strategic planning, especially enhancing campus life, facilities, and academic programs will result in a confluence of positive contributions that drive up recruitment and retention.

To achieve the 2015 vision for Tech’s enrollment, a comprehensive review of the capacity of all academic departments and programs will be completed by the end of the first year. Using current and historical data, this review will identify student enrollment trends in specific academic fields and assess Tech’s needs to ramp up or ramp down certain programs to better serve the needs of a wider student population. Data from the trends of similar institutions will also provide insight into how Tech should calibrate its academic offerings to meet the needs of students in the 21st century. Because academic adjustments must reflect the abilities of existing faculty, facilities, and students as well as future needs, careful and controlled changes will take place during years two through five, with continual reassessments as part of an ongoing process.

Annually-derived clear and realistic enrollment goals are critical to a successful recruitment and retention plan. By the end of the first year, and for each successive year, enrollment data from peer and “aspirational peer” institutions will be used to establish benchmarks to gauge progress and to make any necessary changes to increase progress. An annual recruitment plan will be developed that is based on future markets for various skill sets and degrees. Each year the plan will “reset” to adjust for market changes and different success results from prior years. Annual recruitment plans will also take into account existing student body characteristics, with a special focus on increasing diversity with more female and international students, as well as selective recruiting from certain areas in surrounding states.

New, non-academic programs will also be identified that could contribute to increased enrollment and retention. Athletics, music, arts, community theatre, service clubs, student groups, and other organizations contribute to campus life, the community, and have been shown to sustain retention at Tech and other institutions. An initial survey will be completed by the first year that identifies potential programs of interest. Years two through four will see the initiation and implementation of a number of such programs.

For the complete Strategic Plan, click here

YEAR 1 (6 Goals):

Goal 1: Recruitment Plan: Targeted, achievable short-term goals that feed into a long-term growth strategy. Timetable: Year 1 completed. Re-designed annually. Notes: Recruitment efforts have been re-calibrated to better serve WV students and surrounding states. Detailed recruitment goals have been set on the state level but also by county and high school in WV. The long term plan will be adjusted on an as-needed basis for future years. Significant increases have already been seen in the number of applications and admits from targeted areas.

Goal 2: Increasing student diversity. Timetable: 30% completed. Notes: – Increasing applications this year from students in high-diversity areas.

Goal 3: Develop Recruitment-Related Non-Academic Programs. Timetable: 20% completed. Notes: new, non-academic programs will be identified that could contribute to increased enrollment and retention. Swimming and band will be 2 new non-academic programs starting Fall 2011.

Goal 4: Communication-integrated Recruitment Plan. Timetable: On schedule, 65% completed. Notes: A communication plan and new recruitment pieces have been developed for this recruitment season. New pieces are already being planned and designed for next year (season 2011-2012) and more contacts will be added. A comprehensive recruitment/communication is underway. Deadline July 2011

Goal 5: Academic Program Capacity Review and Market Review. Timetable: on schedule. Notes: The capacity and market review is to be completed in conjunction with the Enhancing Academic Programs initiative.

Goal 6: First-year/Freshmen Experience Survey. Timetable: on schedule. Notes: The survey of all first year students is to be completed in conjunction with the Creating an Improved Student Experience initiative.