Author Archives: kmrothfeld

Apr 03 2012
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Admissions, Community

Alumni & Retention Initiatives

Part III of the Alumni & Recruitment Efforts series is taking a slight turn to open up other ways to engage alumni in the campus community long after they have graduated.  One way of continually engaging alumni is through retention initiatives.

One initiative that engages alumni in the retention efforts is the opportunity for alumni to become involved in a conference designed to assist students in the transition from student to professional.  This opportunity was implemented at my undergraduate institution and was very popular.  Not only was it popular with the alumni who gave presentations, it was a success with the students as well.  This gives alumni the chance to present on their experiences and offer tips and advice to students who are preparing to graduate and enter the working world.  Another initiative that allows alumni to engage with students is the program “Dinner with a Dozen Grizzlies.”  This event gathers current students, staff, and alumni at a volunteer’s home to enjoy a potluck meal, network with new people, and meet people from different areas of campus.  This gives current students another avenue to become involved on campus and get to know faculty and staff on a different level.  These initiatives are just a few examples of how alumni can remain involved with the institution’s community long after graduation.

For many programs designed to engage alumni in recruitment and retention activities, support is only offered from one department.  At my undergraduate institution, the program was started off a two year grant that applied for by the admissions and alumni offices.  The coordinator was involved in events and meetings with both departments.  Having buy-in from both departments allowed for the program to grow and with the hard work by the coordinator and student assistants, the program became permanently funded in the summer of 2010.

I hope my posts regarding alumni & recruitment efforts have sparked some ideas for others.  Please join #EMchat on Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 9:00 p.m. EST/8:00 p.m. CST as we discuss alumni in the recruitment process.   Until next time…

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Mar 06 2012
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Recruitment

Alumni on the Move – Recruiting!

Welcome to Part II of the Alumni & Recruitment Efforts series with EMchat!   I want to take the time during this post to discuss different ways to include alumni in recruitment efforts.

The first way to include alumni in recruitment efforts is involvement in recruitment events.  These events can include high school visits and college fairs within the high schools and outside community as well as on-campus recruitment events.  Depending on the alumni involved, they can team up with an admissions adviser or represent the institution on their own at a college fair.  At a previous institution, many alumni loved the opportunity to go back to the high school from which they graduated from and recruit those students to their alma mater.  There are also on-campus recruitment events that are great opportunities for alumni to engage with prospective students and family/friends.  Past events that have included Welcome Receptions (where alumni serve as greeters and share their experiences as students) and Open Houses (alumni share their experiences, serve as greeters, and hand out t-shirts).  These can be seen as more traditional ways to connect alumni with the prospective students in the recruitment process.

There are additional ways that alumni can assist in the outreach to prospective students of any age.  There are many fairs, festivals, and community events that alumni represent the institution.  These have ranged from community fairs at churches, art festivals in local cities, and outreach programs for various ethnic groups.  A way to connect with younger students is a “March is Reading Month” project where K-5 teachers who are alumni can sign up for the mascot and a representative from the institution to visit their classroom and read a book about a campus tour to the institution.  This has allowed for the younger students to interact with the mascot as well as getting them to think about their future.  While it is far too early to get a commitment, it does allow for the institution name to stick with those younger students and in the future, they may visit the campus and consider the college for their own education beyond high school.

These are just a few ideas of ways to engage alumni in the recruitment process.  Please feel free to comment with your own ideas so that we can continue the conversation.  Until next time…

Feb 06 2012
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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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