2019-20 Annual Report – Admissions

Mission

The Office of Admissions’ mission is to recruit, admit, and serve a diverse student population by cultivating relationships with prospective students and partners on and off campus.  Our goal is to educate, support, and guide students and their families through the admission process, while striving to make their transition to higher education a positive, exciting and successful experience at UA Little Rock.

Summary Narrative

1) Enhance recruitment and retention efforts to increase enrollment

  • Created and implemented additional admit packets to include all student types, not just freshmen and transfer. New admit pieces include returning, dual enrolled, visiting, and non-degree seeking students.  Post-bac pieces in progress.  These pieces include: name, T number, net ID, UA Little Rock email address, missing credentials to be submitted, student type, admit term, how to log into their my UA Little Rock account, and next steps.
  • Created and implemented a new admission application for dual enrolled applicants in Recruit.
  • Obtained graduation list from UA-PTC to utilize for transfer recruiting purposes.
  • Increased the number of touch points with prospective students via phone, text, and email (personal invites to events, admitted but not enrolled, admitted but not registered for orientation, not admitted because of missing credentials, mailing of inquiry postcards, search pieces, completed requests for information, etc.
  • Increased the number of recruitment/marketing communication being sent.
  • Created and implemented a summer melt communication plan.  This plan sent 2 distinct emails per week to prospective students.  Separate from the daily workflow emails.
  • Increased number of community events attended.
  • Developed and implemented admission application days at high schools and 2-year institutions.  This allowed for application, credential processing, decisioning, and scholarship offers to be completed on-site with students.
  • Developed and implemented recruiter-led virtual tours by utilizing Zoom and self-led virtual tours that were heavily advertised via multiple means such as social media, emails, digital marketing campaigns, etc…
  • Developed and implemented virtual school visits to maintain engagement and communication with prospective students and admits. 
  • Greatly increased social media presence including social media posts, Instagram Live sessions, and student takeovers
  • Created the TROJAN2020 campaign which offered students an application fee waiver through the spring and summer months.
  • Increased the number of school visits (traditionally and virtually).
  • Increased the number of campus tours conducted.
  • Organized and implemented on-campus prospective student days for high school seniors and juniors, transfer, and non-traditional students (Discover, Explore, Counselor’s Luncheon, Saturday Spotlights, Transformation, and Transfer Fridays, Group/Specialty Tours).
  • Purchased 50,000 ACT scores for seniors and juniors in Arkansas and Texas; uploaded new leads into the recruitment funnel,mailed search pieces and began targeted e-mail communication.
  • Renewed partnership with Cappex, a website profile, online marketing and lead generator partner, to gain additional leads in AR and TX.
  • Co-developed a summer bridge digital media plan and ads with  NRCCUA to continue and increase digital marketing, lead generation, and geo-fencing strategies. This includes pop-up ads on Facebook, Amazon, Google, Yahoo, Spotify, Snapchat, etc.
  • Participated and assisted with other areas on and off campus events.
  • Created recruitment publications for 2020-2021.
  • New admission standards created (ATCC) and implemented for High School Concurrent, Dual Enrolled, Non-Degree Seeking, Transfer, and Freshmen students.
  • Developed scholarship booklet for recruitment season.
  • Created the Trojan Referral online form for anyone to submit a prospective student to the Office of Admissions so that we may reach out and discuss UA Little Rock with them.
  • Created the Request a Recruiter online form.  This allows UA Little Rock colleges/departments to request that a recruiter attend their on or off campus event for the purposes of recruitment.
  • Cross-trained with the Office of Financial Aid on the Trojan Smart scholarship database.  This allowed admission staff to pull reports and continue communication with students who have applied for or have been offered an academic scholarship for recruitment purposes.
  • Developed the New Student Change of Major/Minor online form.  There is a time period in between registration sessions (about 6 months) that academic advisors can’t update a new student’s major.  They complete this form and we complete the task on their behalf.

2) Strengthen student-friendly operations and customer service

  • Continue to update and streamline operating procedures.
  • Developed the Admissions Team Resource website.  This in-house website houses training material and resources for our staff and is used to train new staff members and student workers.
  • Continually updated the Office of Admissions website to ensure the accuracy of information being delivered.
  • Utilize event surveys to receive constructive feedback from event attendees.
  • Monthly full-staff meetings.
  • Weekly office manager meetings.

3) Improve diversity and inclusion efforts to provide a safe and inclusive environment for students

  • Eight staff members have attended Safe Zone training.
  • Director will be encouraging additional staff to attend Safe Zone training in the upcoming year.
  • Prospect cards have been updated and now list an option for a preferred name.  That preferred name is listed in Banner and Recruit.  This allows all email communication, admit packets, and mailings to be sent to the students preferred name instead of having the option of only the legal name.

4) Align financial and human resources to operate more effectively and efficiently

  • Hired and trained Assistant Director of Admissions.
  • Hired and trained three Customer Service Representatives.
  • Hired and trained two Admission Counselors.
  • Hired and trained one Data Technician.
  • Hired and trained five recruitment coordinators.
  • Four staff members attended the ArkACROA conference for professional development.
  • One staff member attended SACAC (Southern Association for College Admission Counseling) Summer Seminar for professional development.
  • Worked on streamlining the admission process, which assisted both staff and students.
  • Combined two Discover Days into one big event.  The largest event hosted in several years with over 1,000 attendees.  This event was very well received and cut cost significantly: We were able to have only one DJ, one time to rent tables, chairs, tents, etc.

5) Promote student development, engagement, and leadership

  • Hired and trained extra labor and work study students.
  • Invited and brought current UA Little Rock students on high school and college day visits in their hometown to assist with recruitment.
  • Invited current students to participate in recruitment publication photoshoots.
  • Encouraged the participation of current UA Little rock students at on-campus events to tell their stories and assist in guiding new students.
  • Engaged current UA Little Rock students to partner with the Office of Admissions to create and disseminate social media content.


At A Glance

School Visits:

  • 428 high school visits/application days (traditional and virtual)
  • 74 ArkACRAO and TACRAO High School College Fairs
  • 23 College Fairs (hosted by schools outside of ArkACRAO)
  • 23 Two Year Visits
  • 27 ArkACRAO 2-Year College Fairs

Campus Tours:

  • 699 registered for individual tours (traditional and virtual)
  • 26 group Tours currently attended

On-Campus Events:

  • Organized and implemented on-campus prospective student days for high school seniors and juniors, transfer, and non-traditional students (Discover, Experience Days, Explore, Counselor’s Luncheon, Saturday Spotlights, Transformation, Transfer Fridays).

Other Information:

  • 28,517 pages scanned and imaged into ImageNOW (Oct. 2019 – June 2020)
  • 45 community outreach events
  • 7 Instagram Live sessions 
  • 11 student takeovers
  • 915 Social Media posts
  • 1,532 scholarship certificates mailed (award ceremonies cancelled)
  • 13,427 phone calls to the Office of Admissions main phone line
  • 16, 452 emails were received in the Office of Admissions email account, admissions@ualr.edu.
  • 1,056 RFIs were provided responses
  • 1,736 students were assisted face to face in the office 
  • 8,564 admission applications received and reviewed (freshman applications up around 600 and admits around 250)

Please note that when schools closed in mid-march tours, events, school visits, college fairs, and students visiting the office also ceased at that time.  The Office of Admissions created and executed many virtual items to continue its engagement and communication with prospective and admitted students throughout this time.

Assessment 1

Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)

Operational

Goal

Prepare students for success

Activity or experience being assessed

Create weekly social media posts about the Office of Admissions and the University to attract students

Develop a virtual tour to host on our website

Collaborate with other offices and departments for content and host Facebook and Instagram live sessions

Assessment artifacts

Tracking tool to determine if the new virtual engagement items are being seen and utilized by students.  For example: a fee waiver code used in or during our virtual communications and events.

Time period assessment was done

March 2020 – June 30, 2020

Results

The Office of Admissions virtual items are being seen by prospective students.  The TROJAN 2020 fee waiver code developed and advertised virtually has been used over 800 times.

Continuous improvement process

Virtual presence has been increased.  We are developing and posting more on social media and using students telling their stories to engage new students.

We will continue to maintain a robust social media presence upon the reopening of the University, continue to utilize one of our greatest assets (students telling their stories), and we will continue to offer recruiter-led and self-led virtual tours.

WHEN: July 2020

Stateholder involvement / Communication plan

Student Affairs Leadership Group

Communication to staff during staff meetings and updates to Enrollment Management AVC

Assessment 2

Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)

Operational and Practical Competence

Goal

Improve diversity / inclusion / equity / and global understanding in the campus community

Activity or experience being assessed

Update prospect cards to include preferred name and more gender options and increase staff who have Safe Zone training.

Assessment artifacts

Using Banner and Recruit to identify the number of students who utilized the new fields on the prospect cards.

We surveyed staff who attended safe zone training to determine if they felt the training was helpful and what they learned.

Time period assessment was done

September 2019- June 2020

Results

The results have been impactful.  We have received social media shout outs, emails, and students tell their recruiters how much they appreciate being able to use their preferred name.  In some cases their legal names no longer match who they are and this was the first time they had received official communication using their preferred name.  Thirty percent of students who completed a prospect card indicated a preferred name.

Staff members who attended the safe zone training thought the content was useful and would help in their communication to students.  Some of the comments included I feel better able to assist students in accessing support and resources on campus and in the community, I feel more comfortable discussing diversity and inclusion, and I learned about using the appropriate pronouns.

Continuous improvement process

The revision was made to the prospect cards that prospective students complete at school visits, college fairs, campus tours, events, etc…  Once we began receiving the new information on the cards, we worked within Banner and Recruit to adjust the way the data entered was pulled in our communication plans. The changes have been made across Banner and Recruit, which adjusts their communication from the Office of Admissions across the board. This positive change will remain in effect.

Eight staff members have gone through safe zone training and will have additional staff this upcoming year. 

WHEN:

Prospect card changes made: August 2019

Changes made in Banner: September 2019

Changes made in Recruit: December 2019

Safe Zone Training will be ongoing.

Stateholder involvement / Communication plan

Student Affairs Leadership Group

Assessment 3

Type of assessment (learning outcome or operational)

Operational

Goal

Serve as an active partner in the community

Activity or experience being assessed

Greater presence in Saline County for recruitment, including businesses, community centers, churches, games, and a dedicated recruiter for the county.

Assessment artifacts

Compare numbers from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020 on the following metrics: Number of events/contacts to Saline County; number of prospect cards, and number of applications from those prospects using SIS and CRM.

Time period assessment was done

June 2020

Results

Saline County 

2018-2019 15 visits and college fairs/112 applications 

2019-2020 20 visits and college fairs/152 applications  

2019-2020 4 community events with an additional 5 community events  scheduled that were cancelled due to COVID-19.

Continuous improvement process

We have a dedicated recruiter for Saline County who was given the priority of developing those school relationships with the administration and students.  As well as, being present more often in the districts and increasing off site communication and engagement.  We have also hired a non-traditional recruiter that has a priority of serving home school students, non-traditional students and developing a presence in the businesses and churches.

We will continue to grow this target area by working with the schools in Saline County, the Chamber of Commerce, and local businesses. The spring semester was cut short this year.  We hope to have more results to show for the upcoming recruitment season.

WHEN: Changes have already been made and will continue through next recruitment season

Stateholder involvement / Communication plan

Student Affairs Leadership Group

Priorities for Next Year

  • Increase the number of applications and admits
  • Continue staff training on diversity and equality
  • Continue staff training as needed
  • Begin new CRM process and/implementation