office of admissions 2017-2018 annual report departmental …€¦ · expectations for important...
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Part I: Annual Report | 1
Office of Admissions
2017-2018 Annual Report
Departmental Core Objectives and Staff Excellence
October 2018
Part I: Annual Report | 2
MISSION STATEMENT
The Office of Admissions recruits students to the University of Utah in the hopes of building an incoming
class that is pluralistic, academically astute, and engaged. We strive to attract a student body that reflects
both the state of Utah, and the greater global community. As the flagship institution for Utah, we take
onus to accurately represent university programs and policies while evaluating a student candidacy for
admission and residency. Applications are reviewed holistically, confidentially, and securely by trained
admission professionals. This is done to ensure fairness and to maximize access for all applicants.
Our mission is accomplished by:
Representing the University through aggressive recruitment and outreach plans both
off campus and in communities throughout Utah and the world as well as through
innovative and welcoming campus visit programs.
Formulating relationships with high school counselors and other educators as well as
key stakeholders to meet the goals of the University’s Strategic Enrollment
Management plan.
Partnering with other University programs and offices to do outreach and ensure
access to all communities of the state of Utah and to bring in a diverse and talent
student body that can be retained and will graduate from the University.
Holistically reviewing admission applications in a fair and consistent matter as
approved and guided by the Credit and Admissions committee.
Evaluating transcripts and processing all graduate applications.
Notifying all applicants of their admission status in an efficient and timely manner.
Determining students’ residency status for tuition purposes.
Evaluating, articulating and posting transfer credit from other institutions in a concise
and transparent manner.
Evaluating and posting credit by examination (e.g. AP, IB, CLEP, Challenge,
language and other special credit).
I. Departmental Core Objectives
a. Alignment with Student Affairs Strategic Objectives
Brand Awareness: Due to the office’s role in working with prospective students and families,
schools, as well as community organizations, we strive for consistent and centralized messaging
that upholds the branding standards set forth by the University, while strategically expanding the
University’s footprint to areas where our brand is not as strong or has not been established.
Class Shaping: The Office of Admissions invests a significant amount of financial resources
towards the recruitment of diverse and talented students. These efforts are designed to ensure
access, increase the academic profile of entering students as well as ensure economic
sustainability. These efforts include but are not limited to in-state and out-of-state recruitment
activities, campus programs, and marketing and communication.
Campus Experience: As the "front door" to the University, the office strives to make sure that
every interaction is at a standard that makes an excellent impression on those that interact with
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the University. The office provides opportunities for campus visitors to have a first-rate
experience that showcases the numerous opportunities available to prospective students and
families and demonstrates to them why they should consider the University of Utah.
Seamless Navigation: The office continues to review and update its processes as a way to
eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and strive toward clear and concise instructions and
expectations for important admissions related processes (admissions application, scholarship
consideration, Honors selection, residency classification, etc.)
Our office’s core objectives aid us meeting the following Student Affairs Strategic Objectives:
(3) Engage the University of Utah to develop a strategic enrollment management process that
supports student success, promotes institutional vitality and fulfills the institutional mission; (4)
promote diversity and inclusion to fulfill our commitment to all students, staff and faculty; (6) use
assessment and research to inform decision-making and best practices that serve the needs of, and
engage, students to promote holistic student success.
b. Supporting Programs, Services, and Initiatives
i. Goals and Outcomes
Below represents seven overarching office-wide goals that encompass the expressed core
objectives: brand awareness; class shaping; campus experience; and seamless navigation.
Goal 1: To develop and implement a robust and segmented communications plan
targeting key student populations (Ex: high school students, grades 9-12, high
achieving, diversity, women, international, transfer, veterans and returning students).
Outcome 1a: Increase the number of students that demonstrate interest in, apply to
and enroll in the University of Utah.
Assessment for Goal #1:
Communications: All audiences received a variety of communications through
email, print, web and social media. Fall communications to prospective students
focused heavily on the December 1 priority application date and included viewbooks,
freshman and transfer travel brochures, Facebook posts, on and off campus events
invitations (e.g. Bringing the U to You and Connecting U events) and reminder
emails. Spring communications focused on the value proposition of the University
and the next steps after admissions and our “yield” events. These communications
included our admission packet, welcome letter from the UOSFA, welcome letter from
each college dean, welcome letter from the Office of Student Equity & Diversity,
welcome letter from the Women’s Enrollment Initiative, and our yield books.
We also produced a campus visit mail piece to encourage summer campus visits and a
junior brochure sent to rising seniors.
Audiences: Communications were sent to prospective students, high school
counselors, and alumni and parent volunteers. Our main audience included the
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following four groups of high school seniors: high-achieving, diversity, women and
general populations.
High school counselors received monthly newsletters from September to May, as well
as a postcard and emails regarding our annual Counselor Conference and NACAC
Counselors reception.
Results: Between July 1, 2016 and August 30, 2017 approximately 660 unique emails
were sent (up 234 or 55% over last year). Our open rates ranged from 25% to 65% for
freshmen and 40% to 90% for transfers (well above national averages for e-mail
communications).
Recruitment: Calling campaigns and chat events were conducted to move students
through the admissions funnel. Multiple calling campaigns and chat events were
developed to target: (1) freshman applicants who were missing application
credentials prior to December 1, February 1, April 1 and the late application period;
(2) admitted freshman and transfer students who had not confirmed and/or deposited
by May 1; (3) admitted freshman awarded scholarships who had not accepted
scholarships, confirmed intent to enroll and/or paid enrollment deposit by May 1; (4)
admitted freshman who had questions about their next steps towards enrollment; (5)
registration and reminder campaign for students to attend on and off-campus
programs; (6) college and departmental calling campaigns to recruit students to
specific programs and majors.
Each calling campaign was designed to create a “call to action” for the target
audience such as to complete an admissions application, confirm intent to enroll, pay
the enrollment deposit, enroll in a departmental program, or participate in an
admissions program/event. Various University staff were involved in the calling
campaigns, including admissions staff, University ambassadors, departmental staff,
departmental ambassadors, alumni and parent volunteers. The following table
outlines the calling campaigns and chat events conducted throughout the 2017-2018
admissions cycle, the target population and outcome data from these communication
activities. Note that “success” in each of the campaigns means that the caller spoke
with either the student or a parent.
Calling Campaign Target Audience Call to Action Total
Contacts
Total
Contacts
Called
Completed
Calls Success
December 1 freshman
incomplete application
campaign
Incomplete freshman applying
by Dec. 1 for summer/fall
2018 with test scores on file
and are missing an application
fee and/or transcript.
Pay application fee
and/or submit
missing transcript for
complete application
by Dec. 1.
1519 518 207 194
February 1 freshman
incomplete application
campaign
Incomplete freshman applying
by Feb. 1 for summer/fall
2018 who are missing
transcript(s) and/or test scores.
Submit missing
transcript(s) and/or
test scores for
1618 1544 508 463
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complete application
by Feb. 1.
Diversity Incomplete
Application Female
Outreach
Female students of color with
incomplete applications
Complete application
for summer/fall 2018
by March 1, 2018.
1181 1177 270 191
Diversity Incomplete
Application Male
Outreach
Male students of color with
incomplete applications Complete application
for summer/fall 2018
by March 1, 2018
956 878 261 207
Transfer Incomplete
Application Campaign
Transfer students who
completed application for fall
2018 and paid fee but are
missing transcripts and/or test
scores.
Submit missing
transcripts and/or test
scores by May 1,
2018.
591 508 181 151
Women’s Enrollment
Initiative Outreach
Women of color admitted by
Dec. 1 to remind them to
confirm and deposit.
Confirm intent to
enroll and pay
enrollment deposit by
May 1, 2018.
904 904 148 119
Students of Color w/
Scholarships Campaign
Students of color offered
scholarships but have not
confirmed and deposited.
Accept scholarship
and confirm and
deposit by May 1,
2018.
942 941 250 186
Admitted freshman yield
campaign
Admitted freshman who
accepted scholarship and/or
applied for housing but have
not confirmed and deposited.
Complete confirm
intent to enroll and
pay enrollment
deposit.
608 605 182 124
Admitted freshman yield
campaign
Admitted Freshman who
confirmed but have not
deposited.
Complete enrollment
deposit and register
for orientation.
93 91 23 68
Admitted freshman yield
campaign
Admitted freshman who have
confirmed but have not
deposited
Complete enrollment
deposit and register
for orientation.
81 81 24 14
Admitted freshman in
Utah scholarship
campaign
Admitted freshman in Utah
who have not accepted the
Presidential or Academic
Recognition Scholarships
Accept scholarship
and confirm, deposit
and register for
orientation.
719 718 207 80
Transfer Deposit
campaign
Admitted transfer for
summer/fall 2018 students
who have not confirmed and
deposited.
Complete confirm
intent to enroll and
pay enrollment
deposit.
506 421 121 61
Freshman New Student
Orientation Reminder*
Admitted freshman who have
confirmed and deposited but
have not registered for
orientation.
Register for new
student orientation. 991 724 233 207
Dallas, Texas U to You
Event Reminder
Admitted freshman in
Dallas/Fort Worth region
Attend the U to You
event in Dallas, TX
on March 17, 2018
91 91 25 19
Utah County U to You
Event Reminder
Admitted freshman in Utah
County
Attend the U to You
event in Lehi, UT on
March 10, 2018
1187 19 1 1
San Jose, CA U to You
Event Reminder
Prospective Juniors and
Admitted freshman in Bay
Area
Attend U to You
Event in San Jose,
CA on March 10,
2018
632 402 57 39
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Admitted freshman Utah
Flagship Scholarship
campaign*
Utah Flagship Scholarship
recipients who have not
accepted
Accept scholarship
and confirm and
deposit by May 1,
2018.
783 783 240 144
Admitted freshman out-
of-state scholarship
campaign*
Admitted freshman out-of-
state who have not accepted
scholarships
Accept scholarship
and confirm, deposit
and register for
orientation.
1440 1437 255 34
Trustees Scholarship
campaign*
Admitted freshman awarded
the Trustee’s scholarship.
Accept Trustee’s
Scholarship by May
1, confirm, deposit
and attend
scholarship reception
1067 895 193 52
School of Architecture &
Planning RW&U Event
Reminder*
Admitted freshman with
architecture & planning pre-
major
Register for RW&U
and attend
architecture &
planning session
188 185 64 49
College of Science
RW&U Event
Reminder*
Admitted freshman with
science pre-major
Confirm, deposit, and
register for
orientation. Attend
RW&U College of
Science session.
991 716 175 150
College of Engineering
yield campaign*
Admitted freshman with
engineering pre-major
Confirm, deposit and
register for
orientation.
363 351 12 5
Business Scholars
campaign*
Admitted freshmen with
business pre-major.
Apply for business
scholars' program 689 460 101 80
Totals 18,140 14,449 3,738 2,638
*Calling campaign conducted by a campus partner as indicated under the name of each calling campaign
Multiple chat nights were hosted to help admitted freshman and transfer students navigate
their next steps. The chat room moderators included staff members from the Office of
Admissions, University Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid, and Housing &
Residential Education. The chat nights provided a forum for admitted students to login
and ask questions and/or to speak one-on-one with any one of the moderators. The chat
night call to action was for freshman and transfer students to confirm their intent to
enroll, pay the enrollment deposit, complete the FAFSA process, complete the housing
application, and/or complete orientation. The following table illustrates the number of
participants for each chat night.
Chat Night Dates Participants
February 1 58
March 8 46
April 12 54
Goal #2: To strategically increase our recruitment footprint by identifying and
engaging new market areas domestically and internationally.
Outcome 2a: Increase the number of students that demonstrate interest in, apply to
and enroll in the University of Utah.
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Assessment for Goal #2:
Recruitment: Recruitment travel was conducted during fall and spring in the
following states. The strategy during out-of-state travel was to increase the footprint
within key markets (e.g., cities) in these states that aligned with name purchases,
quantitative recruitment data and qualitative market indicators. Intentional
recruitment travel in these key markets allowed us to focus on areas where we were
more likely to increase interest and move students through the application process
and enrollment in the University of Utah. Recruitment travel consisted of high school
visits, coffee chats, college fairs and recruitment programs. Admissions counselors
maintained participation in annual college fairs and high school visits where they
were likely to attract students or generate interest. They also, participated in new
college fairs and school visits as a way to saturate and expand our recruitment
footprint in these key markets. The table below highlights new fairs and/or
recruitment visits we engaged in during the year.
Recruitment Travel States
New College Fairs
State College Fairs
California DeAnza Foothill College International College Fair, Silicon Valley
NACAC STEM fair*
Colorado Castleview High School, Ponderosa High School
Illinois District 211 at Palatine High School, College of DuPage, Joliet Junior
College, College of Lake County
Nevada Rancho High School, Faith Lutheran High School
Texas Houston NACAC STEM fair* *College fair registration fee covered by the Office of Admissions and covered by the College of Engineering
We experienced growth out-of-state, especially in the states where we actively
recruited, as reflected in the enrollment funnel synopsis data. Our territory managers
were more strategic this year by identifying specific schools and regions in their in and
out-of-state territories that would likely yield student enrollment at the University of
Utah.
*Excludes Utah and travel states
We also participated in two Utah Higher Education Day (UHED) tours this year,
visiting a total of 136 high schools during fall and spring. The fall tour was focused on
seniors and the spring tour was focused on juniors. Our call to action for both groups
was to apply and visit campus. Our additional message to the juniors was more so
focused on preparing for admissions (i.e., complete college entrance exams, take
challenging courses, etc.) rather than applying and to apply by our priority admissions
date in the coming fall semester. The UHED tour allowed us to expand our
recruitment footprint in Utah by extending our reach into areas where we do not
traditionally enroll students from. The following graphic illustrates a firm estimate of
leads we acquired during the fall senior and spring junior UHED tours.
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In addition to the Utah Higher Education Day Tour, we conducted high school
counselor welcome back visits and participated in the Utah College Application Week
at tier 1 and tier 2 high schools throughout Utah. We conducted outreach class visits to
high school along the Wasatch front that had programs designed specifically for
underrepresented student populations (i.e., AVID, GearUp, Latinos in Action, People
of the Pacific, TRIO/Upward Bound, etc.). We were intentional about the frequency of
our visits specifically in more competitive in-state schools to create greater brand
awareness and position the U as an affordable top academic institution in the state.
Increased presence in-state also allowed us to strengthen our relationship with key
stakeholders (i.e., counselors, college access advisors, teachers, etc.) in the high schools
to help create a seamless admissions process for the students they work with.
Goal #3: To better engage, utilize and increase alumni/parent participation in
recruitment efforts within existing market areas, as well as expanding and activating
alumni in areas where we do not have a presence.
Outcome 3a: Increase the number of students that demonstrate interest in, apply to
and enroll in the University of Utah.
Assessment for Goal #3:
The alumni and parent volunteer program is undergoing some changes and we are
revamping the program. We maintained some involvement with our alumni partners
by way of an admitted reception hosted by our alumni chapter in Chicago, IL and
participation in college fairs in Las Vegas, NV and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Our parent volunteers were engaged the admitted student parent reception during the
spring.
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
Fall 2017 Tour Spring 2018 Tour
~4029
~5394Utah Higher Education Day Tour Leads
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Moving forward, we are working to designate an alumni and parent volunteer
coordinator who will revamp the program and increase our engagement with these
various chapters.
Goal #4: To strengthen and increase communication with groups across campus to
send college and/or department specific communications to prospective students.
Outcome 4a: Creation of consistent and mutually reinforced messaging about
admissions, departmental and/or college processes and offerings.
Outcome 4b: Earlier and increased connectivity between prospective students and
college and/or department.
Assessment for Goal #4:
Communications: The Office of Admissions works with 25 colleges and
departments across campus to send communications out to prospective students and
key influencers. This represents an increase in 6 new campus partners. The new
partners this year include the Academic Advising Center, Asian American Student
Association, Women’s Resource Center, Undergraduate Studies, College of Health,
Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Architecture + Planning, and Fraternity
and Sorority Life. We also increased our social media presence this year with
additional Facebook and Instagram Live events, student-ambassador social
takeovers and real-time Facebook messaging.
25 Colleges/Departments
Served
7,594 Social Media Followers
Current Partnerships 2017-18:
Academic Advising Center
American Indian Resource Center
Asian American Student Association
College of Engineering
College of Social & Behavioral Science
Business Scholars
College of Science
Honors Housing and Residential Education
Financial Aid & Scholarships
New Student and Family Programs
College of Law — Passageways to Law
Black Student Union
College of Mines and Earth Science
Child Care and Family Resources
Women’s Enrollment Initiative
College of Fine Arts
UOnline
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New U Scholars—includes multiple cohorts
Women’s Resource Center
Undergraduate Studies
College of Health
Medical Laboratory Science
College of Architecture + Planning
Fraternity and Sorority Life
Recruitment: Our recruitment team collaborates with multiple departments on
campus to recruit students who indicate interest in specific academic programs. One
of our key partnerships is with the Office for Student Equity and Diversity (SED).
We support their Pacific Islander Student Association, Asian American Association,
Black Student Union, and Movimiento Chicana/o de Aztlan (MeChA) high school
conferences. We partner with these organizations to send communications to students
and counselors. Admissions also provides admission presentations, tabling sessions
and acquire leads for recruitment purposes. We participate in the planning and
execution of the Expect the Great Annual Conference hosted at Westminster College.
In addition to these events, we collaborated with other campus partners at the
following on and off-campus events and recruited students by means of admissions
presentations, tabling sessions and workshops.
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Class Visits
Business Scholars Open House
College Education Workshop
Department of Chemistry Admissions Workshop
Expect the Great
Junior Science Day
KJZZ High School Football Games
Latino Medical Student Association Conference
Latinos in Action Conference
SLCC Refugee Conference
SLCC Transfer Day
Student Equity & Diversity SLCC Application Day
Snow College Networking Nights
U Marching Band High School Preview Day
School of Music High School Auditions
Women’s Resource Center GoGirlz Program
University Neighborhood Partners in the Park Glendale Event
Utah College Advising Corps Decision Days
Recruitment participates in the Campus Recruitment Committee (CRC) to strengthen
our partnerships and collaborate with academic and student programs across campus.
The committee meets once a month to discuss recruitment tactics, marketing and
communications campaigns, yield events, and updates. Campus partners share
recruitment updates and new developments in their respective programs. CRC has
increased communication and between our offices and has increased opportunities for
our recruitment team to relay departmental specific information to prospective
students.
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Goal #5: To produce dynamic, innovative and engaging recruitment and yield
programs, and campus tours and visits so that prospective students can imagine
themselves at the University of Utah.
Outcome 5a: Attendees will demonstrate interest in, apply to and enroll in the
University of Utah.
Outcome 5b: Increase participation in on-campus recruitment events, and campus
visits and tours. - Yield by program type
Assessment for Goal #5:
Campus Visits: This year we saw a record number of students and guests visiting
campus with over 10,000 attending daily visits and 4,500 on our group visits. We
also conducted 150 group tours, and 50 VIP visits.
The Yield effect of Campus Visits is measured by students attending a campus visit
at any point over their high school career that expressed an interest in attending for
Spring 2017, Fall 2017, or Fall 2018. Of the 4,105 students who visited at some point
during their high school career, and expressed an interest in starting in a 2018 term,
2,628 (64%) submitted an application for admission. We admitted 88% of the
students who submitted applications and enrolled 1,046 (45%) of those who were
admitted.
640 Transfer students visited and expressed an interest in attending for Spring 2017,
Fall 2017, or Fall 2018. Of those 640, 494 (77%) submitted an application for
admission. We admitted 73% of applicants, and enrolled 237 students (65%) of those
who were admitted.
Connecting U Days (CUD): We hosted six Saturday events in fall 2017. Capacity
for each event was 300 students and guests. We were at capacity at almost every
event with a total of 793 total students attending and 1,721 total attendees.
Attendees reported high satisfaction with the Connecting U Program and Campus
Tours, Financial Aid and Scholarships, and Honors were the most attended sessions.
99% of students who completed the program evaluation said they were more likely to
attend the U after participating in a Connecting U program.
REGISTERED ACTUAL
Total Reach for Admissions Campus Visits
Students Parents/Guests Totals
Daily Campus Visit 2017-2018 4,236 5,836 10,072
Group Visits 2017-2018 4,500 0 4500
VIP Visits 2017-2018 50 50
Total Campus Visits Reach 2017-2018 8,786 5,836 14,622
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DATE STUDENTS GUESTS Total
Registered
STUDENTS GUESTS ATTENDED
Sept. 23 185 226 411 131 159 290
Sept. 30 186 217 403 160 165 325
Oct. 14 196 215 411 145 161 306
Oct. 28 163 201 364 117 130 247
Nov. 4 174 238 412 129 162 291
Nov. 18 170 240 410 111 151 262
1074 1337 2411 793 928 1721
The Yield effect of Connecting U Day is measured by students attending a CUD at
any point over their high school career that expressed an interest in attending for
Spring 2017, Fall 2017, or Fall 2018. Of the 627 students who attended Connecting U
at some point during their high school career and expressed an interest in starting in a
2018 term, 574 (91%) applied for admission. We admitted 91% of the students who
submitted applications and enrolled 290 (55%) of those who were admitted.
87 Transfer students attended a Connecting U Day program and expressed an interest
in attending for Spring 2017, Fall 2017, or Fall 2018. Of those , 40 (46%) submitted
an application for admission. We admitted 72% of applicants, and enrolled 19
students (66%) of those who were admitted.
Fall Bringing the U to You (BTUTY): We hosted 11 BTUTY programs in 7 states
during fall 2017. Capacity for each event was 60 including guests. Total student
attendance was 197 students and 197 guests for a grand total of 394 attendees.
REGISTERED ACTUAL TOTAL
EVENT STUDENTS GUESTS STUDENTS GUESTS ATTENDED
Denver 35 37 22 26 48
Houston 8 5 8 5 13
Dallas 11 14 9 12 21
Elk Grove 6 7 3 3 6
San Mateo 23 21 17 16 33
Anaheim 45 58 26 30 56
Escondido 26 29 18 20 38
Chicago 19 23 12 15 27
Bellevue 23 20 12 12 24
Boise 64 63 45 34 79
Tempe 49 55 25 24 49
309 332 197 197 394
The Yield effect of Bringing the U to You is measured by students attending a
BTUTY at any point over their high school career that expressed an interest in
attending for Spring 2017, Fall 2017, or Fall 2018. Of the 313 students who attended
BTUTY at some point during their high school career and expressed an interest in
starting in a 2018 term, 218 (69%) applied for admission. We admitted 92% of the
students who submitted applications and enrolled 108 (54%) of those who were
admitted.
Spring Bringing the U to You Receptions (BTUTY): We implemented 10 new
spring receptions for both interested HS juniors and admitted HS seniors. We hosted
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out of state receptions in Dallas, San Jose, and Anaheim and in-state receptions in
Lehi and Layton. Capacity for each event was 60 including guests. Total student
attendance for admitted seniors was 90 and 136 guests for a grand total of 225
attendees. Total student attendance for juniors was 74 students and 99 guests for a
grand total of 173 attendees.
U to You Senior Receptions: REGISTERED ACTUAL TOTAL
EVENT STUDENTS GUESTS STUDENTS GUESTS ATTENDED
San Jose-Senior 32 45 25 34 59
Dallas- Senior 13 19 7 10 17
Anaheim-Senior 33 58 25 44 68
Lehi-Senior 27 36 16 25 41
Layton-Senior 28 38 17 23 40
133 196 90 136 225
U to You Junior Receptions REGISTERED ACTUAL TOTAL
EVENT STUDENTS GUESTS STUDENTS GUESTS ATTENDED
San Jose-Junior 13 17 5 6 11
Dallas- Junior 18 25 13 18 31
Anaheim-Junior 29 46 18 27 45
Lehi-Junior 21 27 16 20 36
Layton-Junior 28 36 22 28 50
109 151 74 99 173
Red White & U (RWU): We had a total of 847 students attend this year’s RWU
event, which is a slight increase over the 2017 RWU attendance. This year we
implemented two additional events on Friday evening, a parent reception, and a
student mixer. Both events well exceeded our expectations with over 100 parents
attended the reception, and 150 students attended the mixer.
Of those who attended this year, 77% (650) enrolled at the U in either summer or fall
2018.
Scholarship Reception: We added an additional Scholarship Reception for 2018
based on recommendations from Scholarships and Financial Aid. The reception on
April 18 was held at Rice Eccles Stadium and focused on the Utah Academic
Scholarship recipients. The reception on April 24 was at the University Guest House
and was focused on Trustees Scholarship recipients.
April 18th- 898 students were invited to the Utah Academic Scholarship
Reception. 113 students pre-registered with 182 guests for a total of 295 pre-
registrants. 78 pre-registered students attended with 4 students walked-in. 82
students & 135 guests attended the reception for a total of 217.
April 24th- 1,153 students were invited to the Trustees Scholarship Reception.
116 students pre-registered with 178 guests for a total of 294 pre-registrants.
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85 pre-registered students attended with 2 walk-ins. 87 students and 129
guests attended the reception for a total of 216.
Of those who attended this year, 78% enrolled at the U in either summer or fall 2018.
Goal #6: To implement new technologies (ex: document management workflow
solution) that enhance admissions operations, functions and data.
Outcome 6a: Gained efficiencies in preparation and evaluation of files, thus
decreasing inquires and providing a faster turnaround time on applicant decisions to
students and departments.
Outcome 6b: Increased communication with prospective students at key points in the
application process will lessen response time to students regarding application status.
Outcome 6c: Departments will have timely and accurate admissions information to
make data-informed decision.
Assessment for Goal #6: Process Changes to Promote Efficiency: The implementation of OnBase was key to
increasing our processing speed for all areas of the office. Thanks to this
implementation, applications now only route to evaluators if a file is complete with
all transcripts and test scores. Additionally, the document imaging team can now
scan/upload transcripts the day they were received which pushes complete files to
review faster. Because of the visible worklists in OnBase, we are better able to
evaluate the productivity of team members, and team members are able to view their
own workload more effectively.
Our processing teams made great strides in efficiency by collaborating to compare
processes and improve efficiencies in credential review. We created resources,
training materials and outlines to improve the training process for new employees,
and revised email templates in ApplyYourself and OnBase to improve
communication to students. The international team increased their response time for
volume of emails to the International Admissions inbox by providing additional
training to the admissions assistants, creating a common email response template, and
adding a FAQ section to the website. Additional efficiencies included inputting and
updating foreign high school names in PeopleSoft to assist applicants, creating new
navigator views and organizing source code/contact attributes in Hobsons for
efficiency in territory management. We also began posting transfer credit/concurrent
enrollment credit during evaluation of the file rather than making it a separate
process. This allowed the student to receive a transfer summary in order to see which
credits transferred into our institution so they could weigh their decision and also
plan their schedules at the time of admission rather than waiting up to six weeks.
Finally, all evaluators were trained on processing all admit types instead of separating
the work by individual and admit type. This allowed the team to move through
evaluations oldest to most recently submitted first, rather than by admit types.
Deferments
Fall 2017- 525 Deferments Granted
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Spring 2018- 9 Deferments Granted Summer 2018- 5 Deferments Granted Total = 539 Deferments granted from July 1st 2017-June 30th 2018
HB 144 Non-Resident Tuition Waiver
Fall 2017 = 39 Students approved for HB 144 tuition waiver
Spring 2018 = 8 Students approved for HB 144 tuition waiver
Total = 47 students granted HB 144 tuition waiver from July 1st 2017-
June 30th 2018
Admission Appeals
Fall 2017 = 170 Appeals Submitted
Fall 2017 = 130 Appeals Approved Spring 2018 = 18 Appeals Submitted Spring 2018 = 15 Appeals Approved Summer 2018 = 1 Appeal Submitted Summer 2018 = 1 Appeal Approved Total = 146 Appeals approved from July 1st, 2017-June 30th 2018
Goal #7: Provide on-going training for full-time and part-time staff that enhances
area knowledge, strengthen technical skills, and promote communication and
collaboration.
Outcome 7a: Utilization of data and best practices in decision-making processes.
Outcome 7b: Increased level of competent and professional service to customers and
colleagues.
Assessment for Goal #7:
Manual and Document Maintenance: Evaluation and Processing manuals were
maintained through the year to document all changes to processes and to streamline
the training of new evaluators. Manuals are reviewed monthly by the leadership of
the processing teams to ensure the most accurate information is available to
evaluators.
Recruitment trainings: The recruitment team participated in specific recruitment
trainings to help refine and strengthen their territory management skills and to
expand their knowledgebase as admissions counselors. The recruitment trainings
focused on the following topics:
Enrollment Goals
Budget & Finances
Hobsons Training
International Admissions
People Soft
Recruitment Plan and Territory Management
Recruitment Travel and Risk Management
Part I: Annual Report | 16
Residency Training
Departmental trainings: The recruitment team completed the departmental trainings
listed below. The trainings focused on academic programs, admissions requirements,
main selling points, student support services, student narratives, faculty endeavors,
scholarships, internships, graduation rates, employment outcomes, etc. The trainings
refreshed and enhanced the knowledge base among our admissions counselors who
will be more effective in communicating and articulating our academic programs to
prospective students.
College of Architecture & Planning
College of Education
College of Engineering
College of Fine Arts
College of Health
College of Humanities
College of Mines and Earth Sciences
College of Nursing
College of Science
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
College of Social Work
Honors College
Office of Undergraduate Studies
Pre-professional Advising Programs
School of Business
School of Cultural & Social Change
University Program trainings: University program trainings were designed for the
recruitment team to expand their knowledge of the various support services,
academic and research opportunities, campus involvement opportunities, and
financial support for undergraduate students. Our recruitment team participated in
information sessions and discussion panels with the following programs:
Academic Advising Center
Air Force ROTC
American Indian Resource Center
ASUU
Beacon Scholars/Dream Center
Bennion Center
Block U
Career Services
Center for Disability Services
Center for Learning Abroad
Greek Council
Hinckley Institute of Politics
Housing & Residential Education
Income Accounting
Lassonde Studios
Learning Abroad
LEAP
LGBT Resource Center
Marriott Library
Money Management
Center
New University Scholars
Program
Office of Student Equity
and Diversity
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Office of Global
Engagement
Student Success Advocates
Program
The MUSE Project
TRIO Services
Undergraduate Research
Opportunities Program
Scholarships and Financial
Aid
Union Programming Council
Utah Asia Campus
Utah College Advising
Corps
Veteran Support Center
Women’s Resource Center
Domestic Graduate Trainings: During the last year, the domestic graduate team
continued our trainings with graduate departments. The Assistant Director Chelsea
Wells and Supervisor Courtney Young went to every college on campus and did
individualized trainings with representatives from every department. These
representatives included department chairs, directors of graduate admissions, and
department staff working with the ApplyYourself system. We also had
representatives from the graduate area attend multiple question and answer sessions
that were presented by our systems specialist, Cindy Hottes. We have continued to
keep our website updated with training materials for departments to use as well. Residency Trainings: The Residency Officer, Taylor Adams and Assistant
Supervisor Hollie Sheets continued outreach to the campus community, presenting to
the following groups of people regarding residency policy and procedures:
17 times at New Freshman Orientation during the summer
School of Business Scholars freshman scholars
Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
This group also had a table set up to speak to out-of-state students about residency at
each of the following events:
Physical Therapy Interview Day
Occupational Therapy Interview Day
Law School Orientation
International Trainings: During the fall, the international admissions team joined the domestic graduate
admissions team to attend trainings with graduate departments. Assistant Director
Chelsea Wells and Supervisor Courtney Young traveled to every college on campus
to provide individualized training opportunities with representatives from every
department. These representatives included department chairs, directors of graduate
admissions, and departmental staff working with the Apply Yourself system.
Information summarizing the discussions, as well as training materials were provided
to departments at the completion of the trainings.
During the summer, international admissions participated in the Summer Training
schedule for Admissions Counselors. Two trainings were presented in June regarding
the basics of international admissions, including required documentation for
application and I-20, as well as how to troubleshoot frequent applicant issues and
questions.
Part I: Annual Report | 18
Training Dates:
Graduate Roundtable Training: MBA Group- October 20, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Pharmacy- October 24, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: School of Business- October 26, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Humanities- October 30, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Social & Behavioral Sciences-
November 2, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Education- November 7, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Medicine- November 9, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Nursing- November 13, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Health- November 15, 2017 Recruitment Presentation to Chinese Coaches Program- December 10, 2017 Recruitment Presentation to English Language Institute- February 15, 2018
Recruitment Presentation to English Language Institute- March 6, 2018 Additional activities with our campus partners to increase invisibility and welcome
students to campus:
Participated in the International Student Orientation held by International Student
& Scholar Services to assist in answering student questions, as well as collect
required official documentation for immigration purposes.
Attended UAC Welcome Reception for students transitioning to Main campus.
Socialized with UAC staff and transitioning students, and answered questions
about campus life and resources available on campus.
Attended the International Student & Scholar Services Welcome BBQ on the
Union Patio to welcome students and represent the international admissions area.
ii. Utilization Data
1. Total number of students served: 138,208, which include all inquiries through
enrolled students. This number increases to 560,345 when including names
purchased for communications.
2. Total number of individuals served: This is difficult to calculate as we work
with/serve multiple people across campus to help with their recruitment efforts,
and we also work with parents, counselors, off-campus entities, etc. We don’t
currently track this data. An estimated number would be another 5,000 people.
3. Demographics collected and used: Everything on the admissions application.
II. Plan for the future
a. Anticipated Challenges
i. With enrollment of international students through Shorelight partnerships, our
international processing team will need to manage the demands of main campus, UAC
and Shorelight processing.
ii. Many of the office goals rely on strong partnership and collaboration with University
departments, colleges, and offices within the Division of Enrollment Management. We
will need a strong focus on coordination with these campus offices to create a consistent,
Part I: Annual Report | 19
branded message and avoid melt. As these partnerships and collaborations flourish, we
anticipate the operations workload will increase.
iii. With our partnership with Common App, we do expect the number of applications to
increase. As such, we are anticipating that our reading load for holistic reviews will
increase for each admissions counselor.
b. Anticipated Opportunities
i. We look forward to the work being done in international recruitment with the Shorelight
partnership. While also a challenge, this partnership gives us the opportunity to see a
variety of new international applicants.
ii. We view new improvements to our processes and procedures with OnBase as an exciting
opportunity as we streamline and improve processing of applications and materials.
iii. Our partnerships with Shorelight, EAB, and Common App will help to generate an
increase in both domestic and international student enrollment. Our continued partnership
with EAB and the addition of Common App are opportunities to increase applications for
the 18-19 year as well as help us increase our Sophomore and Junior inquiries for future
years.
iv. The addition of a Regional Admissions Counselor in Southern California creates an
opportunity for us to have an ongoing presence in that key market and we anticipate that
it will increase applications and brand awareness. This new position also allows us to
restructure our existing territories to allow for Texas to now have two admissions
counselors working in the state rather than one. Furthermore, we are able to pull one
admissions counselor out of an out-of-state territory to focus on our transfer recruitment
efforts.
v. The addition of an Associate Director for Marketing and Communication increases the
overall bandwidth of the MarComm team and allows for a more focused attention to this
area. As a result, we anticipate to see an increase in our marketing efforts to prospective
students.
c. Any grants or contacts you have received and it how compares to the previous year. None.
d. Any gifts/new revenue. None.
III. Staff Excellence
a. Awards and Recognitions
Part I: Annual Report | 20
Castillo, Elizabeth Management Essentials Certificate
Ward, Carly TESOL Certificate
Copeland, Ryan Master of Public Administration, University of Utah
Mateo Remsburg UACRAO Presidential Award for Distinguished and
Exemplary Service
b. Committee Memberships
Clawson, Teri Utah Association of Collegiate Registrars and
Admissions Officers, President Elect
University of Utah Credits and Admissions Committee,
Ex-Officio
NACAC 2018 LAC Member
Jones, Patrick Utah Association of Collegiate Registrars and
Admissions Officers, Professional Development Track
Chair
Remsburg, Mateo Rocky Mountain Association for College Admissions
Counseling Utah College Fair Planning Committee,
Member
U of U Student Commission Committee
Utah Association of Collegiate Registrars and
Admissions Officers, Vice President Recruitment
2018 NACAC Annual Conference Local Advisory
Committee, Co-Chair
Taylor, Todd University College Suspension/Dismissal Committee,
Member
Wells, Chelsea Utah Board of International Educators
c. Presentations and Publications
Remsburg, M., Clawson, T. (2017, October) Bringing in the Class: Balancing the needs
of the Institution with the Colleges/Departments. Presentation at the AACRAO SEM
Conference, Phoenix, AZ.
Halatoa, S., Morris, E. (2018, June). Utah Higher Education Day Tour. Presentation at
the UACRAO Conference, Logan, UT.
Clawson, T., Remsburg, M. (2018, July) From Enrollment Services to Enrollment
Management. Presentation at the ACT Enrollment Management Summit, Denver, CO.
d. Faculty Appointments
None
e. Additional Information
i. Professionalism
Office of Admissions staff participated in regional, national and local conferences,
seminars and colloquia. These opportunities helped to enhance the breadth and depth of
technical skills of the office leadership, which in turn will advance and ignite more
innovation across the entire office.
Part I: Annual Report | 21
September 2017 NACAC Boston, Associate Directors, Assistant Director,
October 2017 AACRAO SEM Conference, Sr. Associate Director, Associate
Director
December 2017 U of U Student Affairs Exempt/Non-Exempt Retreats, All Staff
February 2018 HEUG Alliance Conference, Database Analysts
March 2018 TechQuest by Hyland, Database Analysts
March 2018 Utah ACT State, Assistant Director
April 2018 AACRAO Annual Meeting, Executive Director, Sr. Associate
Director, Associate Director
April 2018 UBIE Conference, International Admissions Staff
April 2018 RMACAC Conference, Executive Director, Associate Director
April 2018 Ruffalo Noel Levitz Conference New Orleans, Admissions
Counselor
June 2018 UACRAO, members of Operations and Admissions Counselors
June 2018 CIVSA Conference, Associate Director
July 2018 ACT Enrollment Management Summit, Executive Director, Sr.
Associate Director, Associate Director
ii. Recruitment and retention of highly qualified staff
This past year, we had opportunities to promote outstanding talent within our office. The
following employees accepted promotions within our office this past year: Cindy Hottes,
Taylor Adams, Holli Sheets, Keith Garner.
iii. Retirements, new hires, and accomplishments
New Hires (Full-time employees hired in the last fiscal year)
Philip Lee
Elliott Morris
Connor Edgar
Micah Rollins
Sharon Vasquez
Quynh Killpack
Sarah Mourra
Keith Barnes
Jessie Brown
Significant Office Accomplishments
This year, our office brought in the largest ever freshman class to the University of Utah
with an increase in student diversity and academic quality.
This cycle brought a significant increase in applications at the time of our December 1st
deadline. With the implementation of OnBase, our domestic undergraduate processing
team was still able to complete evaluation processing prior to winter break, giving our
office significant time to clean up files before the January 15th drop date. Even with
Part I: Annual Report | 22
staffing challenges, our admissions counselors were able to have all holistic files read by
early January ensuring our ability to meet our deadline and release decisions on time.
We began accepting applications through the Utah Global pathway programs for fall
2018 and received 17 Utah Global students for fall 2018.
Domestic Graduate Admissions and International Admissions were combined and the
team now processes international undergraduate, international graduate, and domestic
graduate applications, as well as issues I-20 Certificate of Eligibility immigration
documentation to all new applicants.