Graduate Recruitment Case Study: A One-Year Turnaround College of Engineering and Computing Florida International University Gerardo Alvarado, MBA Director, Marketing and Enrollment Management, 2006

The FIU College of Engineering and Computing The FIU College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) results from the 2005 merger of the College of Engineering and the School of Computing and Information Science (SCIS). As of January 2006, the FIU CEC offered 11 Bachelor’s degrees, 14 Master’s degrees, and 6 PhD programs. As of Spring 2006, the enrollment of the College consisted of 2,056 undergraduate and 693 graduate students. Graduate enrollment included 450 Master students, as well as 243 PhD candidates.

Graduate enrollment issues During the 2001 – 2005 period, the College had experienced moderate enrollment growth, mostly due to new program development (4 new BS, 3 new MS and 2 new PhD degree programs) At the graduate level, however, enrollment growth had been modest (39% over 5 years), particularly when considering the merger with SCIS and the introduction of 5 new graduate programs. No new graduate programs or increases in merit-aid were planned for 2006 and 2007, creating a problem for future growth during that period. (*) 2005 includes SCIS enrollment

Graduate enrollment issues The CEC needed to expand graduate enrollment organically, through increased recruitment into existing programs without additional merit-aid incentives or resources In 2005, the Dean of the CEC created a new position: Director of Marketing and Enrollment Management, whose primary mission was to increase graduate enrollment. This presentation will show the status of most of the basic recruitment tools at the time of appointment of the new position (February 2006), the changes and improvements made, as well as the resulting outcomes in terms of graduate recruitment and enrollment.

Strategic recruitment initiatives A strategic recruitment plan was developed and designed to produce a one year turn-around. The plan revolved around four key areas: Redevelopment of recruitment pieces and materials Consistent branding standards among pieces Content consistent with steps in recruitment process Streamlined recruitment process Targeted online marketing Improved communications with prospects CRM integration Increased follow-up

Old Publications No relation to University’s branding Inconsistent look among pieces All-purpose departmental brochures lacked proper focus Brochures had little or no admissions / contact information

New Publications New College-wide folder 11 new recruitment brochures Consistent branding Upscale look Larger format Covers featuring ethnically diverse students Standardized content Basic program / degree info Admissions information University / College facts Research highlights Links to online application Cross-selling of programs Self-addressed reply card New recruitment posters

Old Website Difficult navigation. Long footprint forced down-scrolling No relation to University’s branding No relation to collateral publications No links to online inquiry / application forms Little or no data on programs and their requirements Department - centered

New Website Easy to navigate Consistent branding Look and feel consistent with FIU’s admission websites Online inquiry and application forms Over 200 pages of relevant content Student and service centered Consistent use and display of information Traffic tracking tools

Old Admissions Packet Included only: Reply letter Printed graduate application 3-page information flyer decorated with “clipart” Business card Prospects requested information, yet received no information on University, College, Department or program of interest

New Admissions Packet Individual program guides with FIU, College, Dept, degree, admissions, and Int’l student info (25 page document) Guide to graduate financial aid (20 page document) Printed graduate application Printed scholarship Transcript request form New program brochure Self-mailer inquiry card Reply letter Business Card

Improved recruitment process Process centralized within College (vs. Graduate School) In-college document scanning / linking (vs. Graduate School). Eliminated 3-month processing backlog at Graduate Admissions. New Admissions counselor position, for improved follow-up Enterprise system (Peoplesoft) training for staff Admissions module Query development tools Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database system Additional communication points / pieces Targeted promotion of merit aid Development and tracking of performance metrics

New Advertising initiatives Targeted Internet marketing Printed Educational Directories Peterson’s Guide Hobson’s international student guides (Asia- Pacific, Latin America) Graduate Guide (national) AllEngineeringSchools.com ALLSchools.com Collegeview.com ComputerSchools.com Education.org EngineeringSchools.com EnviroEducation.com Google.com Gradschools.com Graduateguide.com MiamiEducation.com USEduguides.com USAStudyGuide.com (International)

New E-Newsletter Distribution via Email Consistent branding Easy to “Scan” graphic interface Look and feel congruent with website and collateral pieces Brief snapshots of news items Quick links to online content

Integrated CRM Database Marketing Website: Online Inquiry Form Prospect feeds data directly Into ACT! CRM software Email marketing with Swiftpage Eliminates internal data entry Leading off-the-shelf CRM Integrated w/ email software Customized fields, mapped to match Peoplesoft Easy query / lookup function Automated reminders / follow-ups Low cost Email blasts Open, click, bounce reports Survey creation, reporting Full integration into ACT! populates communications history of each record

Acid Test: The results

Trend in graduate inquiries New website New recruitment Brochures 712% increase Printed directories campaign Online directories campaign Start date

Trend in graduate applications Spring applications surged a record 67% in relation to previous years, in sharp contrast to declining national trend in the field. 67% ▲

Admission / Enrollment trends Graduate admissions surged by a record 77% re: previous year. New enrollment for Spring ’07: 81% greater than in Spring 2006. Applicant conversion increased from 26% to 29%

Admission / Enrollment trends Graduate headcount increased organically (without the benefit of new programs) by 17% in just one year, nearly half as much as the combined growth for the previous 5 years (*) Headcount: 693 Headcount: 810 (*) Source: Florida Board of Governors, FIU College of Engineering and Computing

Admission / Enrollment trends Graduate FTE increased by over 20% in just one year, more than the previous 5 years combined (15.4%)* Grad FTE: 179.49 Grad FTE: 148.58 (*) Source: Florida Board of Governors, FIU College of Engineering and Computing

Conclusion Through the implementation of a strategic marketing plan, the FIU College of Engineering and Computing was able to achieve unprecedented levels of graduate recruitment and enrollment within a one year period These results are unprecedented not just for FIU, but also for the field of Engineering at the national level, which has seen a severe decline in graduate enrollment over the last few years