UAF registrar seeks comment on recruitment plan
March 7, 2011
UAF’s draft recruitment plan was presented at the Chancellor’s Executive Leadership workshop Feb. 1, 2011 and has been discussed at the Dean’s Council. As this plan evolves, I’d like to welcome staff and faculty to provide input on our future recruiting efforts.
We’ve seen increases over the past two years in new first-time freshmen and transfer students from Alaska as well as students from other parts of the U.S. These increases are due to the hard work of our recruiters, more targeted outreach, on-campus events, and collaboration between Admissions and the colleges and schools.
UAF attracts a majority of the college bound high school graduates from the Interior, but garners a smaller percentage of students from other areas of the state. This regionalism, as well as declining high school class sizes over the next decade, presents UAF with a challenge and an opportunity. For now, we’ll continue our traditional recruitment efforts but add more near-to-peer telecounseling, Discover UAF open house events as well as online college fairs and virtual tours to give prospective students an opportunity to see what UAF is all about.
These new approaches to recruiting freshmen are just the beginning. Today’s recruitment landscape requires creative solutions, and we’ll be looking to staff and faculty across campus for engagement. For example, we’ve recently begun conversations with the Cooperative Extension Service to discover how we might work better together in our outreach efforts. We’re discussing outreach to rural Alaska with Rural Student Services, and we’ll be looking for other partnerships as well.
From developing new degree programs, to providing quality academic advising, faculty are critical in any recruitment plan. Deans have told us that they want us to recruit more highly qualified transfer students to fill upper division courses. Faculty Senate paved the way for this effort by passing a motion to recognize approved associate of arts and associate of science degrees in lieu of the lower-division core curriculum.
Although the majority of our students will continue to come from Alaska and the U.S., Chancellor Rogers has challenged us to increase enrollment of international students on the UAF campus. We’ll be working with the Office of International Programs and with deans to develop a strategic recruitment plan. This will build on the faculty-driven efforts already underway in China, India, Mongolia and the Circumpolar North.
As we continue to work with deans and college recruiters to communicate our recruitment goals, we encourage you to think about what it is that attracts students to UAF and what keeps them here once they arrive.
When it comes to recruiting students at UAF, our faculty, staff and students are front-line ambassadors and will be most effective in sharing what UAF has to offer.
Feel free to offer your feedback here or send your comments to wmearnest@alaska.edu.