Monthly Archives: February 2012

Feb 29 2012
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EM

The Student Lifecycle with @Zablocki

This week’s #EMchat guest is Fran Zablocki (@Zablocki), project manager at mStoner, where he works with colleges around the country to help them realize their strategic communications goals.

A couple of months ago he wrote a blog post, I’d Like To Introduce Myself as….Myself, and then again as Myself, that not only made an impact in the #highered feed, but in the #EMchat community as well.

His follow up post, Lifetime Engagement Management: Know Thyself, Know Thine Audience, does an amazing job of outlining the issues surrounding engagement management and giving you action items you can implement immediately.

Fran will be joining our #EMchat conversation this Thursday, March 1st at 9pm EST as we discuss the Student Lifecycle on our campuses.

Here’s more about Fran:

Fran Zablocki has worked for the last 7 years in higher education, trying to make better web experiences for all the various people that interact with a college online. He has been an online community manager, web communications strategist and web producer. At his last job he was the administrator and program manager of U-Knight, a collection of online sites and services that help SUNY Geneseo alumni find and connect with each other and the college. Before that he was a web content manager at Nazareth College. He now works at mStoner as a project manager, working with colleges around the country to help them realize their strategic communications goals.

How you can reach Fran:

Twitter: @Zablocki

Blog: www.franzablocki.com

See you Thursday!
Jennielle

Feb 27 2012
2 Comments
First-Generation, Retention

First Generation College Students – The Important Family Connection

Hello everyone and welcome to Part II of the First Generation College Student series with EMchat! Last month I introduced you to our FirstGen student group and how it started. This time around I want to talk about some of the firstgen families I’ve met (and heard about) since our group began. My firstgen mentees come from all different family backgrounds and after spending some time with them, I quickly saw how each student was shaped and motivated by their family experiences. A common concern that most of my students have brought to the group is being able to balance their college life with their family life. Their questions and comments come from all over the spectrum:

  • “How can I help my family understand the time I have to commit to being a student?”
  • “My mom doesn’t understand that when I’m not in class, I still have obligations on campus and can’t just drop everything to come home and work at the restaurant.”
  • “Its more important to my family to have a job rather than waste money on a degree.”

Its obvious these students want their family to understand their aspirations to become a college graduate, but they don’t know how to balance it all and still make sure they keep that important connection with their loved ones. It was made clear during their struggles that we as university professional staff should make sure we include family support in our goals of working with firstgen students.

With these students’ voices taking the drivers seat, we’ve got to make sure we are supportive “side-seat drivers” and guiding them properly on their college journey. So what can you do on your campus?

  • Post helpful tips for parents and family members about supporting college students. Use the web and post brochures in key offices students visit often.
  • Host a parents panel and invite firstgen parents of juniors and seniors as the speakers. They have valuable experiences (challenges and successes) to share with other families!
  • Create a firstgen newsletter (we have one) and make sure the family knows how to get on the mailing list
  • Have a firstgen family meet and greet during Family Weekend or Little Sibs weekend (hmmmm, maybe I should do this. Good advice Yolanda. Thanks Yolanda!)

I certainly was able to understand where my students are coming from because I felt the exact same way during my college journey. I had to remember my college life was foreign to my family and I needed to take time to explain and bring them into my experiences. I had to balance helping them to understand they were still important to me and their support was always needed as I worked on becoming a college graduate. I hope this helps you and your students. Let me know your thoughts and feel free to leave a comment in the box below. Until we meet again…

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Feb 27 2012
2 Comments
Admissions, EM, Recruitment

It’s All in the Smile

Hello #EMChat! My name is Eddie Wright and I am excited for my first blog post on this site! To learn more about me, check out my bio on the “Us” page. I hope today’s post sparks some thoughts in your mind. Leave a comment to respond to some of the questions posed, to share some random thoughts that are running through your head or to disagree completely with what I think. I look forward to the conversations!

MCPA, the Maryland state division of ACPA hosts a support staff conference each year in March. As I sit here wrestling with ideas for a presentation proposal, my mind wanders to #EMChat and I keep thinking about how I can tie the two topics together. Customer Service is the answer.

In my position at Mount St. Mary’s University, I oversee all on campus recruitment and have learned the value of investing in a quality customer experience. Sometimes people are uncomfortable talking about prospective students and their families as customers, but for this example, it is an appropriate comparison. Visitors come to your campus just as a customer goes to a specialized store. They are looking for something special, something specific and often they do not know what that something is until they find it. They will go from store to store (campus to campus) to view different models, prices and values. At the  end of the shopping trip most will make a decision and you are left hoping that your product (your institution) provided that special something.

The something special has to be something defined by you that your visitors can clearly articulate after their experience concludes. When families walk into our admissions office, one of the first things we do is take their picture and while they are on tour we print it out and give them a nice picture frame. We have also enhanced our welcome area with nice snacks and many K-cup options. At the Mount, we pride ourselves on personal connections, so our daily tours usually have only one or two families on them. If it is a larger group, we arrange more more guides.

A smiling, grandmother-like figure welcoming visitors to your office or large motion-sensitive video displays are examples of making a first impression with your visitors. The interactions visitors have with members of your campus community, both planned and spontaneous, can create a strong emotional connection (either positive or negative) that will not leave your visitors’ minds. Giving out a special candy or a unique giveaway can continue that lasting impression. Whatever you choose to do, make sure there is a special meaning behind it for your campus. Something wildly unique is fun and will set you apart but it also has to fit in with your campus atmosphere.

What do you do to make your visitors feel special? Does your institution have a customer service policy? Do your students and their families receive the same level of service as they did when they were being recruited? Are you interested in hearing more about service tips and techniques?

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Feb 23 2012
2 Comments
Tweet of the Night

#EMchat 17: Tweet of the Night goes to: @AbuKyle!

#EMchat 17: Recruiting Veterans was jammed packed with information and resources.

Our guest for tonight was Mark Schroeder (@AbuKyle), a 15 year Army vet who works at University of Toledo as their International Recruiter. He was originally hired at UT to do their military recruiting. He is responsible for starting UT’s Military Service Center and acted as their Certification Official.

He is also the winner of #EMchat 17′s Tweet of the Night:

Our Honorable Mentions go to:

_________

_________

_________

_________

Catch up on #EMchats 1-16 HERE!

Tagged
Feb 16 2012
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Poll, Retention

#Retention focused #EMchat topics: VOTE here!

Feb 13 2012
1 Comment
EM, Retention

First Year Experience – The Transition to College

Hello Everyone!  I am beyond excited to talk with you.  This is not only my first post with #EMchat, but really my first time talking as a professional.   For the next couple of months, I am going to be contributing to this website about the subject of transitioning to college.  I find a lot of professionals have that area that they gravitate towards and develop a strong passion.  Mine happens to be First Year Experience.  Before I dive into what I will be talking about in the next few posts, I guess I should briefly share where this passion came from and where I am headed.

I started college as a traditional student back in 2006.  I had an excellent experience going through First Year Experience. As a student, the program made me want to get involved.  Over the next 6 years to the present day, I have pursued as many experiences at the university in the area of First Year Experience.  I was the orientation leader, the welcome week leader, the student instructor in the seminar course, and eventually, the student coordinator for two of the programs.  I student taught and while I loved teaching high school, I found myself having a passion for empowering the students to be successful in their life over the subject of math.  Fast forward to today, I am currently a Graduate Assistant in Career and Student Employment Services, but I love First Year Experience so much that I am doing my practicum for my Master’s Degree with First Year Seminar.

First Year Experience at Western Michigan University includes three separate programs that work together to begin student success in college.  They are New Student Orientation, Fall Welcome (Welcome Week), and finally First Year Seminar.  My posts in the future will touch on what I found to be successful towards engaging students and becoming a advocate for student success both as a student leader level and as a student coordinator.  I even hope to recap my practicum experience as I move even closer towards being a better professional.

That sets the stage for what is headed your way.  I would love to get in contact with you and begin having discussions about anything really.  All you have to do is follow me on Twitter (@joshkohnert).  I will warn you ahead of time, I do tweet about my life both personal and professional because one thing I think is important to being an advocate is that you are genuine.  So come meet the real me and look forward to my input on a very important program in a college student’s life.

Thank You!

~Josh Kohnert~

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Feb 06 2012
1 Comment
Admissions, EM, Recruitment

Alumni & Recruitment Efforts

Hello EMchat friends!  I am thrilled to be writing the first of a three part series for the EMchat blog about the use of alumni in recruitment activities through the admissions process.  This allows alumni to represent the university, share stories of their time as a student on campus, as well as connect with their local community at high school college nights and on-campus events.  You may be wondering how does a young professional have a passion for the work of alumni.  Allow me to back track for a moment…

During my time as a student, I worked a variety of positions within Orientation and Admissions.  I served as a tour guide for one year and I had spoken with my supervisor about becoming more involved in the office.  The first position she gave me involved working with the recruitment team.  The second position involved working with the coordinator of the alumni admissions ambassador program.  The program was in year two and was consistently expanding.  I had the pleasure of working with alumni as well as representing the institution as an alumna at various recruitment events.  The opportunity to share my stories as well as get prospective students excited about becoming a part of the community was rewarding.

In the posts to follow, I am going to discuss the opportunities to get alumni involved in the recruitment process.  Due to creativity on behalf of past and current coordinators and student employees, outreach in the community has ranged from elementary school students to adult learners.  The chance for alumni to volunteer on behalf of their institution is greatly appreciated by those who choose to be involved.  This type of program allows for the individuals to share their love for their university with the greater community all while working to promote the institution and the impact felt around the region.

I am looking forward to continuing this conversation in the upcoming weeks.  I look forward to hearing what you have to say as well and be able to continue this discussion beyond this blog.  Please feel free to connect with me on Twitter (@kmrothfeld) to continue the conversation and networking.

Kristen

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