1. Recruiting and Working With Graduate Students
Anantha Aiyyer and Andrew M. Goodliffe

2. Why Choose a Particular University?
What made you choose your PhD university?
Discuss at your table for 3-4 minutes and then report out
Potential answers….
Personal attention? Someone actually ed/called you
Work with a particular university?
Work with a particular faculty member
Location?
Funding?
Family….

3. Recruitment Methodology….
What have you been doing to recruit students?
Run this as a discussion in the room ~5 minutes
Personal connections – your advisor was a friend of an old advisor
Some potential answers:
You inherited students already at your university
You picked from the applicant pool for your department
Recruitment tables at conferences…
Advertisements in EOS etc

4. Resources at your University….
What resources do you have to help you at your university?
Does your university pay to bring in students?
Is your college/grad school helping in any way
Purchased lists (GRE, etc)
Fellowships/scholarships?
Partnerships with other universities that you can leverage

5. University Resources you Might not Know About….
Your university may buy names (e.g. GRE & TOEFL; make sure that you contact potential applicants who have submitted GRE scores, but not applied)
Resources to find students
McNair
SACNAS
Council on Undergraduate Research
National Name Exchange
Regional groups focused on underrepresented minorities
Gather university recruitment materials
Become familiar with benefits/support programs for students at your university
Use these as selling points – i.e. do you have lactation rooms, health insurance, mentoring programs, etc.
Example of regional groups:
CA Diversity Forum
Southern Regional Education Board

6. University Resources you Might not Know About….
Find out which universities your university recruits at!
Identify key universities and offer to help
Offer to use your contacts (domestic or international) and travel to recruit at these places – very often your university will financially support this – ASK!
Do you have open houses (dept./college/university level)
Will your dean meet with your top recruits?
Other university resources
What fellowship/scholarship/assistantship opportunities are there
Student ambassadors (to advise on housing, etc)
Support and professional development programs

7. Some Key Points (in case these did not come up already…)
Be proactive!!
Commit Time to Recruitment
You are picking a team that will have a HUGE impact on your research success
Will your students be tenure makers or tenure breakers?

8. The Little Things
Up to date personal web page with research/teaching interests and publications
Respond to student enquiries in a timely fashion – create a form letter…
Make sure that your research is featured on your university web page and in university publications (i.e. research magazine, alumni magazine)
Call/Skype/FaceTime with prospects – your “competition” is almost certainly not doing this
Have your chair/dean call the applicant
Have other faculty call the applicant

9. Closing The Deal
So, you have managed to get the best student ever to apply – this is where the hard part of recruitment starts!
This is where a campus visit may be VITAL
Be familiar with what your university offers that others do not….. examples….
Be responsive
Have students contact the applicant
Have chair/dean contact student
Does the applicant have housing/town resources?

10. Money Sometimes it all comes down to money…..
Are there institutional fellowships that you can nominate your applicant for (even at the last moment)?
Are there departmental scholarships?
If you are offering a GTA position, can you supplement it with any of the above?
If you have support from a 3 year grant for the student, will the university “match” this with a 4th year? Ask!

11. What are your challenges (and what are the solutions)?
Table top discussion – 5 mins and then report out
Common challenges:
stipends too low,
we are miles from anywhere
The politics of my state are awful
it is too cold
It is too hot
my department is so small
My department is so big
Lack of diversity in your area

12. Keeping that Excellent Student
Keep an eye out for opportunities for that student – professional (e.g. writing workshops) and financial (e.g. scholarships)
Make sure that they have research/conference travel money
Do you know about all the resources your university offers?
Weekly meetings (individual/group)
Make sure your chair/dean knows all the good things that you/they do – sell yourself and your students
Go to commencement!

13. Questions and Comments?