MINUTES – NOVEMBER 15, 2001
ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT TEAM
The Enrollment Management Team (EMT) met at 10:15 – 11:45 a.m. on November 15th.
Present for the meeting were Sandra Close, Bill Cox, Lori Duke, Deborah Horvitz, Sue Kearney, Carol Kercheval, Jeannie Morelock and Sue Todd.
The minutes of the October 25th meeting were
approved and there were several items on which follow-up comments were
made. Sue K. reported that a proposal
regarding the graduation with distinction policy would be presented to Academic
Council at its meeting the next day.
Sue T. indicated that a proposal concerning second degrees would likely
be sent to Academic Council from one of the departments that would be most
affected by a change in the implementation of the policy. Concerning admission packets for faculty to
take to meetings, Carol indicated that materials have been sent to John Mecham
and a few others. Packets were offered
to the departments early in the fall when admission counselors met with the
heads. Suggestions were made that an e-mail message might be sent reminding
faculty of the helpfulness of taking packets to conferences and that such an
announcement might be posted at the on-campus mailboxes in the various
buildings.
Having recently returned from the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) conference, Sue K. reported on the growing use of portals on college campuses and on the ways in which students are now building communities electronically. She stressed the need for Meredith to advance in the technological world if we want to be able to say we are “high tech.” Lively discussion ensued about the needs for the future, including the capability for students to access their accounts, their registration status, etc. through the use of a portal. Also the following needs were cited: for all faculty to use e-mail, for the implementation of web advising at the earliest opportunity, and for a complete e-mail group list of all students (such as the employee list) and a listserv for graduate students.
Jeannie reported that a new home page should be appearing in the coming week and that the development of the second and third levels of the web site was also beginning to take place. The newly hired web editor will soon be on board to address content needs. The College is beginning to gather some good information about internal and external usage, and the hope is to have a search mechanism sometime in the spring semester. The EMT expressed deep appreciation to President Hartford for her support for enhancing Meredith’s web presence.
Carol reported on traditional and 23+ Program applications for Spring 2002. Sue K. noted that there is a significant increase in the number of regular transfer applicants and requested information on the composition of this group (TA versus 23+). Sandra indicated that 20 new and 102 returning 23+ Program students have pre-registered; those who have not done so will be called. Sue T. provided information on students who have pre-registered for the spring term. Pre-registration ends on November 21st, after which time a pre-registration report will be run in the Enrollment Planning office. It was noted that perhaps some calling of students who have not pre-registered might be needed in the hope of optimizing enrollment for next semester.
Deborah indicated that several changes have been made in the graduate school. Graduate students are now being registered by the Registrar’s Office rather than the Graduate Studies office; program directors are being encouraged to send the students’ registration materials directly to the Registrar. Another change is the requirement of a $100 advance deposit for accepted students. For 2002-03, the graduate office expects to change the application deadlines to November 1st (for spring), April 1st (for summer) and July 1st (for fall). For those who cannot get their applications completed, postbaccalaureate (PBS) status would be available. Deborah also indicated that she is exploring several possibilities with other institutions and public schools that might generate additional students for Meredith and that the College is looking into offering a concentration in Health Administration rather than the MHA degree.
Sue K. reported on sessions at both the College Board National Forum and at the SEM conference that addressed the climate for admissions applications and college selection in the wake of September 11th and subsequent terrorist activities. As Meredith looks to fall 2002, it may be helpful that the College draws a large number of students from a fairly limited radius, that Raleigh is not a city where there are major events that might be targeted for terrorist activity, and that the campus is generally seen as a safe environment.
Meanwhile, freshman applications for fall 2002 are down from last year’s numbers. However, Carol indicated that Open Days have been well attended this fall. A special committee is looking into Honors and Teaching Fellows recruitment, and a review of scholarships needs is taking place. Bill reported that Dr. Hartford has indicated Meredith Service Awards will be offered again next year to continuing students.
The meeting was adjourned with a reminder that the next meeting is scheduled for December 6th.
Sue Kearney, Chair