Friday Focus: Connecting students to UAF
May 21, 2020
— by Anna Gagne-Hawes, associate director for recruitment in the Office of Admissions
In my office I have a note taped to my computer that reads "Celebrate the work." It's a constant reminder from an article I read over a year ago about how necessary it is to continue to celebrate the work even in times of uncertainty. This has been a good guiding principle as I continue to find joy and inspiration celebrating the most fundamental part of my work — connecting students to UAF.
One of the most rewarding projects I've led this past year is the faculty calling campaign. This is an enrollment initiative focused on faculty connecting directly with newly admitted UAF students to welcome them to UAF, talk to them about their school, college or program, and begin to build the relationship that will result in a future UAF graduate.
I often talk about how in Admissions, we're in the business of stories. Stories of success, failure, struggle and celebration. Prospective students trust UAF with their stories — their hopes and goals. The student who is graduating in the top 10 percent of their graduating class receiving admissions and scholarships offers from multiple universities. The student who is the first person in their family to go to college and is feeling lost and overwhelmed. The transfer student who is moving here from a different state. The student who is taking online classes while working full time and supporting their family. All of these students need to see that they are welcome here and will be supported, and that they will find belonging and a home in UAF.
As someone who works with prospective students and their families every day, I am deeply indebted to them for trusting me with their stories. I also know, at the end of the day, I am not the reason they attend UAF. The faculty they meet and the mentors they will know are what bring them to UAF and keep them here through graduation. The sooner I can connect these students with faculty mentors, the better.
Amanda White, a School of Management faculty member who has participated in the faculty calling campaign multiple times, wrote, “Connecting with students before they enter into the classroom is extremely valuable. It allows us to answer questions, ease anxiety and build a long-lasting relationship. At the School of Management, our faculty and staff have created processes to connect with newly admitted students and students who have applied to build connections with them early and often. It is great to recognize the student on the first day of class and know a bit more of their story as they go through their academic program.”
The faculty calling campaign is hands-down my favorite Admissions event. To witness the warm and engaging conversations between faculty and students about internships, classes and professional opportunities is tremendously uplifting and inspiring. Right now, in this space and time especially, our charges can sometimes seem daunting. Our university has been through potential exigency and a pandemic in one fiscal year. But. I find hope in the work when it boils down to the most basic thing — a conversation between a student hoping to find a place for themselves and a faculty member with experience and knowledge to give. And that is indeed something to celebrate.
Thank you to the entire UAF community for all the work you do. I never question our efforts in recruiting students to UAF, knowing they are in good hands once they get here.
Friday Focus is a column written by a different member of UAF’s leadership team every week. On occasion, a guest writer is asked to contribute a column.