1. Communicating Electronically with Your Students

2. Rick Gardner Associate Director of Operations Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY - HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA

3. Evolution of Communication  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWfWJGSTY94&feature=player _detailpage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWfWJGSTY94&feature=player _detailpage

4. Presentation Outline  Challenges  Delivery Methods  Facebook/Twitter  Financial Aid Website  Student Administration System  Email  Best Practices

5. Challenges  High volume of students you need to inform  Fighting back against Information Overload  Getting students to act on your communication

6. Delivery Methods  “Pull” strategies (student self-serve)  Financial Aid Office Web page  Newsletters  FAQ’s  “Push” Strategies  Student Administration System  Email  Facebook  Twitter (?)

7. Delivery Methods  “Pull” strategies (student self-serve)  Student Administration System  Financial Aid Office Web page  Newsletters  FAQ’s

8. Delivery Methods  “Push” Strategies  Facebook/Twitter  Student Administration System  Email

9. JMU’s Facebook Page

11. Best Practices  Deliver the information at the right time  Use the right delivery method  Give the right information  Use automation

12. Deliver the information at the right time  Entrance Counselling? – “No thanks, I already know were the entrance to campus is…”

13. Deliver the information at the right time  Entrance Counselling – “No thanks, I already know were the entrance to campus is…”  Solution: Appears immediately after accepting loans in the student administration system.

14. My favorite all time electronic communication

15. Use the right delivery method  Websites  Traditionally good for non-student specific information but can be very effective if tailored as discussed above  Email  Great for individual student communication, especially if replying to student’s inquiries.  Somewhat effective in pushing out general information  Facebook/Twitter  Great for broadcast type information… if the students are connected to the page/twitter account

16. Give the right information  Tell them what they need to know  Include steps and/or website links to help them stay on the right track  Include contact information so they know how to get questions answered  Don’t forget to let them know when they have completed a requirement Humorous Tweet: You know you are broke when American Express calls and says “Leave home without it”

17. Give the right information

19. Use automation

20. Use automation whenever possible  Automation is the key ingredient necessary to communicate to large volumes of students in a timely manner  Daily emails for missing and completed requirements  Weekly reminders  To-Do Lists Humorous Tweet: The invisible man marries the invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at either.

21. Communication Summary - Missing MPN example  Students get alerted in Student Administration System  They get email notification and weekly email follow ups  They have a “to do list” item created in Student Administration System  They have a “Financial Aid Hold” put on their account  They are notified when the requirements are met

22. Final Thoughts  Some of the processes we discussed are meant to also communicate student status to the Bursar/Business Office  You can tell when your communication strategy is working because your phone will not ring as often and the questions you get will not be repetitive.  When a student says they did not read the email from the financial aid office, use it as a teaching moment.  “There are two types of people you always read email from  1. People you get money from  2. People you owe money to”

23. Questions?