Changingwiththetimes

by Jennifer Kietur assistant perspectives editor

A new recruitment strategy has resulted in more than double the number of high school students applying to Cabrini.

The increase in applicants will allow the admissions staff to be more selective.

Before the change, the admissions counselors did a lot more traveling and were seen at many high school college nights. They also did less telemarketing and sent out numerous publications to all prospective incoming first-year students and transfer students.

Now the admissions office works differently. The counselors have been able to cut down on traveling to recruit at college fairs.

very positive, according to Laurie Tums, director of admissions.

They are now using a direct mail campaign instead of sending out publications. They have found that students are more likely to read a personalized letter then to read a pamphlet.

Part of the strategy is to make Cabrini less of a local college and more of a regional one. This means that recruitment can be spread further because more students in other states are hearing about Cabrini. The office hours have also been extended until 9 p.m., as well as being open on Saturday mornings.

Recommendations from Miller/ Cook Associates have helped bring about these changes. And things have been working much better.

Lori Turns, director of admissions, has been kept busy by a flood of college applications, 1,468 applications to be exact. New recruiting techniques have brought about a surge in applications to the college, more than doubling the amount received at this time last year.

Telemarketing has been

"Cabrini has a great product," Tums said. "The faculty, administration and students are great and we just needed to find a new way to reach students, and I think that we have achieved it." increased which has proved to be

Since the turnover, applications have been flooding in like never before. Last year at this time, there were 650 applications.

This year so far, the applicant pool has doubled to I468 applications. Since there have been so many applications, admissions is accepting more students and can be more selective in the process.

The scholarship distribution style has also been changed. In previous years, Cabrini's admissions office offered academic scholarships on a need basis. Now in addition to offering need-based academic scholarships, the office is now offering scholarships based on academic achievement only.

The graph to the left shows the gradual increase of applications received by Cabrini since 1991

Since the college changed its recruiting technique, the number of applications from first-year students has more than doubled.has

Another thing that has helped admissions so much is the role of student ambassadors.

'Toe Student Ambassador program is made up of some of the best students at Cabrini to recruit prospectives. It has made a big difference," Tums said.

The Student Ambassador program was designed to allow student leaders on campus to give tours and to answer questions that incoming first-year and transfer students might have. They are available at every open house to give tours and answer any questions.

Cabrini has been a local college but is now beginning to regionalize itself. 'There is an ability to study with students from different parts of the country and share experiences. That alone should strengthen any program," Turns said. "College is an opportunity to learn new things."

Cabrini benefits from this transition because it is in the most competitive markets in the country.

The local population is being sorted out by a huge number of other schools, such as Neumann and Eastern.

Since Cabrini is a small college, it is beneficial to get Cabrini's name out. This will help to diversify the campus community. __ _ _