Designing Communication Plans for Increased Enrollment Brent Rudin Dean of Enrollment Management Cornerstone University Grand Rapids, Michigan

Quick Overview of Cornerstone • Private, religious institution • Enrollment – Total enrollment – 2,600 – Traditional undergraduate – 1,250 • Located in Grand Rapids, Michigan

How We Use Connect

• Connect • VIP pages • Telecenter • Apply

For all Prospect AND Applicant tracking and communication (except financial aid and class registration)

Our Enrollment Challenges • Fall 2006 – 2 nd freshman class highest • Fall 2007 – clearly not the 2 nd highest class • Tuition dependent • Must at a minimum maintain enrollment

Our Communication Challenges • Datatel transition, training and implementation • Lack of flexibility in reporting • Inability to engage our audience • Difficulty to communicate beyond seniors

Higher Education Communication Challenges • Is your Web site ever really “good enough?” • Secret shoppers • Stealth applicants • Static electronic communication • Failure to act on known information

Nellie, The Wonder Dog

Communication Plans

• What do you want to say?

• How do you want to say it?

• To what audience(s)?

• At what point in time?

• To accomplish what goal/response?

What is an Ideal Communication Plan?

• It’s an overview – may not have all details for all situations • Proactive – not reactive • Engaging – not static • Purposeful – not pointless

Lots of Plans!

• Suspects • Prospects • Applied • Accepted • Deposited • Transfers • Parents

Case Study

• Problem: – Why are students starting, but not finishing application?

• Solution: – Develop communication plan to address this – Get more completed apps… – In a shorter timeframe… – Or find out why not

Case Study

• Who?

– Those who started but not completed app • When?

– Series of communication methods – Weekly reminders via email to complete – Surveys to explain why not – Multiple opportunities to complete – Incorporate phone call from counselor

Build Your Communication Plan Around… • “Regular” communication – Prospects – Applicants • Campus visits • VIP Page visits • Telecenter calls • Academic messages

Communication Plans Include… • Emails • Letters • Phone calls • Surveys • Events • Publications • Combinations of each

To What Audience(s)?

• Your filters are so important – Who is receiving this?

– Who is NOT receiving this?

• Spent a lot of time learning how to master the skill of filter-writing

Evaluating Results

• Review the results of emails – Who opened?

– Who responded?

• Hyperlinks – What are being followed?

– Not too many links • Survey results – Respond accordingly – May trigger more communication

Success Stories

• Much better communication with students • More informed counselors • More predictable enrollment…?

• Provide leadership more accurate information

Questions?

Brent Rudin Dean of Enrollment Management Cornerstone University [email protected]

616-222-1426