College Recruitment as a Campus-Wide Effort

Carrie HilgerUniversity of St. Thomas

Master of Business Communication

December 18, 2007

University of St. Thomas

• Office of Undergraduate Admissions– My employer

– Shares information about campus

– No formal communication process with other offices

Research Question

Is there an opportunity for the

Office of Admissions to strengthen

their communication with other

campus departments by offering

them assistance with their marketing

activities?

Purpose

• Admissions knowledge and experience

• Establish a two-way relationship

What I wanted to know

• Four categories

– Current types of marketing and communication performed

– Motivation behind marketing

– Willingness to work with admissions

– Impediments to marketing

Research Process

• 622 paper surveys

• St. Thomas faculty and staff

• 126 surveys returned

• 20% response rate

• 17 questions about departmental marketing

What marketing or communication tools does your office use to

reach current and/or prospective students?

Response Option Percentage Choosing the Response

Web site (kept updated and current) 89%

Department brochures 82%

Information sessions or events 68%

Newsletter (Web or paper based) 56%

Department bulletin board 56%

Flyers, posters or table tents 52%

Career fairs or industry fairs 34%

Alumni outreach activities 29%

Other (please specify) 18%

None 2%

What motivates your office to conduct these activities?

Response Option Percentage Choosing the Response

Increase awareness on campus of department programs and services

71%

Increase the number of current students using department services

65%

Inform the campus community about an event on- or off-campus

64%

Increase the number of current students enrolled as majors/minors

58%

Connect with constituents (i.e. alumni, colleagues, students, etc.)

55%

Increase the number of prospective students enrolled as majors/minors

53%

Other (please specify) 10%

If your office/department was looking to start or expand its

marketing toward prospective students,

would you contact the Office of Admissions?

Response Option Percentage Choosing the Response

Yes 52%

No 9%

I don’t know 39%

Total 100%

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Response Percentage Choosing the Response

Strongly Agree

Somewhat Agree

NeitherAgree NorDisagree

SomewhatDisagree

StronglyDisagree

Time 26% 31% 17% 17% 7%

Funding 17% 33% 27% 17% 3%

-Time hinders my department from performing marketing and communication activities.

-A lack of funding impedes my department from performing marketing and communication activities

Key Findings

• No need to assist in basic marketing strategies

• Raise awareness of prospective student marketing

• Admissions not a resource

• Lack of knowledge about effective marketing

Research Question

Is there an opportunity for the

Office of Admissions to strengthen

their communication with other

campus departments by offering

them assistance with their marketing

activities?

Recommendation

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions

should reach out to assist other departments

with marketing and communication activities.

Questions?

Thank you.