Student Recruitment and Admissions

Dr. Steve Warshaw

Several posting to the listserve have expressed concern about the decline in number of applications to NCCSM as noted in the Fairness and Diversity Commission's report. The numbers of applicants in the past five years have been:

1994-95   945 (highest ever)
1995-96   886
1996-97   878
1997-98   773
1998-99   671 (lowest ever)

This clearly is a cause for concern. Discussions have been held with a number of groups this year to compile promising ideas on how to improve our recruitment process. These groups have included the Admissions Office staff, Curriculum Council, Educational Advisory Council (State-mandated group that advises the Executive Director on long-term issues), Educational Policies and Practices Committee of the Board of Trustees, Faculty Council, Parents Council, and a student focus group.

Each of these discussions has yielded good ideas. But the only input sought from alums so far has been through the Curriculum Council, whose membership includes Gina Stewart '86 and Carrie Bridges '91. We'd appreciate receiving your ideas and recommendations. In particular, we'd like to know your reaction to the possibility of establishing a statewide network of alumni and parents to do recruitment presentations and otherwise help us inform the state about the School. Many people in North Carolina have never heard of us. The Admissions Office would provide training and support for those who could do this.

Here is a partial list of ideas that have been proposed for implementation next year:

List of Possible Recruitment Changes

1. Promote: there are still many people, especially in rural areas, who know little or nothing about NCSSM.
   • Get more news into local papers about student achievements (press packets for junior parents?).
   • Get listed on websites of high schools that have them.
   • Send press releases for all recruitment presentations, not just the ones at night.
   • Send fliers to malls and other places where a lot of people may see them prior to recruitment presentations.
   • We should consider posting notices of recruitment presentations in public libraries.
   • Guest appearances on television shows with a local broadcast audience are a good way to reach people.
   • Other promotional possibilities are public access television channels, UNC-TV, half-time announcements at college sporting events, and guest spots for student groups such as cheerleaders or jugglers at half-times.
   • Provide script for morning announcements at schools where we do recruitment presentations.
   • Focus on middle schools in the spring, particularly those with magnet programs (visit every middle school with a magnet program at least once per year?) .
   • Attend more conferences, such as counselors' conference.
   • Hold more math/science competitions on NCSSM campus.
   • "Losing" top students to NCSSM is not popular with some high schools, but perhaps we can turn that around by making it a matter of prestige for the school to have students selected to come.
2. Recruit: one of the most important duties of a recruiter is enthusiastically representing NCSSM's advantages and opportunities to any student likely to be successful here.
   • It has become increasing important to think of prospective students and their parents as customers and to ask what they want from an educational institution.
   • We should identify the characteristics of the students we attract versus the characteristics of those we don't.
   • Recruiters should visit classes, visit events, and generally get firsthand anecdotal information about exciting things that are happening at NCSSM to share at recruitment presentations.
   • Improvements in local school systems should cause us to re-evaluate where in the State we invest our recruitment efforts.
   • Obtain new recruitment software.
   • Get names of prospects and use new software to stay in touch with them (e.g. high scorers on State math exam, students who take SAT early from T.I.P., names from new students during Orientation).
   • Get names of supportive teachers and counselors during Orientation. Write the thank you letters and maintain connections with them.
   • Involve faculty and students in recruitment presentations.
   • It may be helpful to think of alums and parents as "Ambassadors" of NCSSM. Set up a statewide network of field representatives composed of alumni and their parents to do recruitment presentations, attend summer socials, etc.
   • We need to use alums more effectively while at the same time trying to ensure that they don't spread misinformation. Hold an annual event (or perhaps do it every 2-3 years) at NCSSM honoring the field representatives and bringing them up-to-date on changes at the School.
3. Other
   • Periodically invite a review of admissions procedures and practices by an outside group.

Sorry this is so long. If you've made it this far and have a little more time, please let me know what you think.

Steve Warshaw
Director of Academic Programs