1. 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

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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)

14. 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

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

16. Acid Test: The results

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

18. 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% ▲

19. 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%

20. 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

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

22. 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