Institutional AssessmentDeborah Knaust

Developing a Marketing PlanEleni Hoffhines

Recruitment Planning 101

St. Paul, Minnesota

Institutional AssessmentSome ideas and information were taken from the NAFSA

Management Development Program, May 2004.

Reinforce your strengths and transform your weaknesses

Consider:

•School mission•Recruitment and retention

•Publications, handouts, website, etc.

•Resources (Staff, Budget, etc.)

•Academic Programs•Tuition, scholarships,

financial aid •Fund raising programs •Institution Location and

Physical Facilities•Other

Look at your current situation

• International Student enrollmentAt the University of St. Thomas:

314 Graduate62 Undergraduate52 on OPT

428 total for Fall 2004 • Countries represented

At the University of St. Thomas:76 countries represented, the Top 5 countries are:

1. India2. Nepal3. P.R. China4. Bangladesh5. Pakistan

Look at your current situation

• How students learn about your institution At the University of St. Thomas:

– Word of mouth (Friends, family, colleagues, etc.)– Personal visits from International Admissions Office– Website (University and office)– Faculty interactions (research and volunteer projects)– Exchange Students– Other

• Other things to consider– Application process / fee / deadlines– Campus reputation, culture and other related issues– Unique issues at your institution

Evaluate your situation using SWOT with a twist

• SWOT with an Environmental Scan

• Strengths• Weaknesses• Opportunities (Current and Potential)• Threats (Current and Potential)

Environmental Scan

• Environmental Scan – can be focused on large scale-events removed from the school such as the passage of legislation or campus events such as a change in personnel, a new admissions policy or a change in the availability of housing.

• To make the concept more workable, you can break the “Environment” into 11 categories (based on Egan, G. 1993).

11 Environment Categories

Institution

Global Trends

& Events

Social Needs Ph

ysic

al E

nviro

nmen

t

Political

Environment

Emerging

Technology

International EducationTrend

Government

Environment

Econ

omy Changing

Demographics

Com

petit

ors

Institution

International Education Trends

Global Trends & Events

Government

Social Trends

Economy

Physical Environment

Changing Demographics

Political Climate

Competitors

Emerging Technology

Why an Environmental Scan?

• If your office/department is in need of strategic focus and direction, an environmental scan is a useful way to begin.

• Environmental scans are an effective means by which you can communicate the big picture to senior administrators.

• Conducting an environmental scan could provide helpful context to accompany budget requests.

• As an internal exercise, conducting an environmental scan is a good way for you to pull your thoughts together in an annual updating of your program’s strategy.

• Institution – Example from the University of St. Thomas

• Strengths: Reputation in Midwest

LocationLegacy / Word of mouth very strongStrong Exchange Student AgreementsPersonal attention for students

• Weaknesses: Location

Few International Student ScholarshipsTuition costs are higher than other nearby schoolsRecent budget cut-backs - difficult to do more with lessChanges in College of Business – transition

Example SWOT and Environmental Scan

Example SWOT and Environmental Scan

• Institution – Example from the University of St. Thomas

• Opportunities (Current and Potential):ELS Language Center located on our campusNew residence hall being builtDowntown MPLS campus expanding – Entrepreneurial BuildingCapital Campaign to begin (possibly more $$ for scholarships)Changes in College of Business – accreditationLaw School – increase in International Students enrollment

 • Threats (Current and Potential):

Tuition costs are high – predicted to continue to rise in the futureOther nearby schools have more scholarships for Int’l Students

ELS Language Center Recruiting

• Visit ELS Language Center classes each month at the start of new program.

• Give brief overview of St. Thomas and academic programs

• Advantage of this recruitment strategy is students are already on campus.

• Send notes after visit to students who indicated an interest.

• Offer a scholarship

ELS UST

Community College Recruiting

• Attend Community College Fairs in collaboration with our Undergraduate Admissions office.

• Send notes to students who indicated interest in St. Thomas.

• About a week later send application packet • Advantage of community college visits is students

are already in the U.S.• Offer a scholarship

ELS UST

Hobsons

• Contracted in August with Hobsons for one year to advertise on their website and in two of their magazines, Latin America and Asia

• Receive weekly spread sheets with names of students who are inquiring

• Send application packets

Local High Schools

• Collaborate with undergraduate admissions counselors to visit local high schools and meet with high school counselors and international students.

• Advantage is that students are already here.UST

Embassy Visits

• Visit Embassy and meet with officials to establish relationships

UAE

SAUDI ARABIA

KUWAIT

BAHRAIN

OMAN