Madison Alumni Conference Admissions Session 2015 at James Madison University

Welcome back to JMU!

 Admissions Recruitment Volunteer Program  Represent JMU at college fairs near you  Answer general admissions questions  Share your Madison experiences  Receive training materials in advance, with free return shipping label included  Any Current ARV’s in the crowd? What is the ARV Program?

 Varies! One fair a year or multiple, you choose what works with your schedule.  College Fairs are typically weekday evenings; occasionally weekends during the day  2 hours is average, 3 hours max- stay the whole time and arrive early!  Many fairs feed attendees dinner  Time & dates are chosen by the high schools or fair coordinators in that area  In-state you are additional help to an Admissions Counselor (BUSY Fairs)  Out-of-state you most likely will be on your own!  Most are in the fall (Sept-Nov) and spring (March-May), a few in the summer Time Commitment?

 I receive HUNDREDS of College Fair invitations from all over the US  Time & date is chosen by the high school or fair coordinator in that area  Many are scheduled on the same day as each other (staff can’t always cover)  Others are too far away for us to get to reasonably and cost effectively  Out of state is our big push! (Virginia is covered by the VACRAO Tour)  The more we can reach students and get JMU’s name out there, the better our quality will be Planning Travel How does the ARV program help Admissions?

 What makes a student competitive?  Program of study (AP, IB, DE, Honors)  Academic achievement (Grades)  Standardized tests (SAT/ACT)  Additional materials  Letter of Recommendation (optional)  Extracurricular Activities  Personal Statement, any topic (optional) Admissions Criteria

 We never tell a student he/she can’t apply  We use the word competitive – we are selective  Some credentials that resulted in an admit in past years can be a waitlist currently (increasingly more competitive)  Students who may have “similar stats” (GPA, SATs) can look very different in our review process  Population growth of high school students Points to Remember

What is your Madison Experience? Prospective students love hearing about authentic college experiences - YOU can share!

Emilie Bradshaw: Interested in being a volunteer?

Questions?

What is new with JMU Admissions?

Electronic Application Reading We are becoming paperless! Some admissions offices still have paper, but many are moving towards this format. Very exciting and challenging!

Moving…? Madison Hall (formerly RMH) The Admissions Office is slated to move to Madison Hall in 2016, but there have been a few things that have delayed us. There will be great benefits: -Close to Quad for tours -Attached to SSC for resources -Coffee/food for visitors -Nicer facility But also a few cons: -East Campus tour (bus?) -Tour logistics in general -Tough to find office?

Communication Plan (CRM) Customer Relationship Management New electronic tool - arrived in JMYou customized login Portal -Parent Portal - specific groups -Nicer looking s, add pictures & HTML customization -Changed the way we communicate

Challenges we are facing -Scholarship availability vs. Cost to attend. We are getting more expensive and have VERY few scholarships for students (low JMU endowment) -Out of state quality has dropped- we are having to make more offers (reducing quality of admits) to get our 30% OOS number -It is getting harder to compete with the 4000 other colleges in the US, especially when we aren’t able to offer many scholarships -Perception of JMU- many from further away think we are a small private school -Alumni- have a more visible presence! Talk about what you are up to!

Visitation: Our Growing Numbers Campus Tours, Open Houses (2 fall days), CHOICES (3 spring days) Last year we had over 55,000 visitors to campus! This doesn’t include anyone who may have unofficially visited or took a quick drive through campus. This is on par with universities the size of Ohio State!

Thanks for attending!