COLLEGE OF SCIENCES GRADUATE RECRUITMENT PLAN

COLLEGE OF SCIENCES GRADUATE RECRUITMENT PLAN
INTRODUCTION Recruitment of well-qualified graduate students to all programs in the College of Sciences is a major priority of the College. Building our graduate programs is an integral part of developing our research programs; neither will be successful without the other. There are currently many College Programs that utilize several of the recruitment features that are described in this plan. As one of the initial activities we need is to share specific information of effective techniques for recruiting. We will hold focus groups of Chairs, Graduate Program Directors and interested faculty to identify unique features of each Program that can be promoted during recruitment. We will then identify and review the resources that are currently utilized for graduate recruitment within the college and develop the most cost-efficient strategies for use of these resources. The overall Strategic Planning of the College of Sciences will determine if additional resources can be identified and reallocated towards graduate recruiting. However, this process is not expected to yield significant resources for recruiting in light of the current state of departmental budgets. We will have to find new resources to implement fully the proposed plan. Specific needs of individual Programs are expected to be identified during the next two months. A prominent part of our recruiting plan will be increasing efforts to attract minority and female students in underrepresented areas. Specifics of the minority-recruiting program will be developed over the next few months by an ad hoc College committee and will be included in the next update of the College's Plan. RECRUITING Program Posters: All Programs will be encouraged to develop and distribute posters (with tear-off cards) to appropriate institutions, especially those that do not have graduate programs of their own. Personnel in the Dean's Office will coordinate the design and production of the posters. College Brochure: Information about the College of Sciences, Old Dominion University and Hampton Roads area will be presented here. There does not appear to be any current University publication that can provide this information for potential graduate students. Interdisciplinary programs within the College and various Centers in the College will be described. Student and alumni testimonials will also appear in this publication. This brochure will contain web addresses for the College of Sciences Home Page, College Magazine (The Catalyst), all Departmental home pages, Old Dominion University and local information (http://www.HamptonRoads.com). Departmental Brochures: We will develop foldout brochures for each Program that highlights the unique aspects of the program and gives information on program requirements, facilities, research and faculty. All brochures will have a similar design with allowance for program differences. Student and alumni testimonials will be included in the recruitment materials. Web sites-departmental programs, research; Area/ODU/College: Since the Internet has become one of the most popular and effective tools of recruitment, we will maximize our efforts in this area. This is especially important since the recruitment pool for the Sciences is national and international in scope. We will coordinate maintenance and the types of information given on the departmental web sites. The similarity of home page designs should ensure that prospective students will be able to find similar information for different departments easily. Different departments involved in the same program (e.g., Biomedical Sciences Ph.D., Ecological Sciences Ph.D.) will have readily identifiable links to the other participating department sites. Well-maintained departmental web sites will aid in producing and updating printed materials. Each departmental site will also have web links to Hampton Roads sites and a link to the University Video. College of Sciences CD: Development of a mailer CD with PowerPoint presentations (see below) is being considered as an alternative to a full suite of printed materials. We are evaluating the effectiveness of using such a CD along with minimal printed matter, versus the inclusion of the same information on the department's web sites and development of printed brochures as described above for all programs. The CD would include PowerPoint Presentations of: University and Area College overview, programs; interdisciplinary programs Each department/program Copy of PowerPoint Presenter Personal contacts at four-year colleges: A very effective and proven recruiting tool is the establishment of personal contacts at four-year colleges. This could be especially successful for minority recruiting. However, this would require a significant amount of time for interaction between faculty at Old Dominion and target institutions. Personal visits of faculties of both institutions and visits of potential students are necessary. Notable new resources are needed if this component is to become significant. Whenever any of the College's faculty members are invited to give research seminars at other Universities or Colleges, they will take graduate program materials and conduct recruiting during their visit. It is likewise important that faculty members utilize colleagues in their own discipline to help recruit new graduate students. Moreover, savvy students consult faculty at their undergraduate institution for recommendations about where to apply for graduate school. Thus, faculty members will be encouraged to make contact with colleagues known for excellent graduate and undergraduate education in their area of expertise to refer prospective graduate students. One strategy suggested is for faculty members to send letters to colleagues in the fall of each academic year to describe current research activities and student opportunities within their graduate program. Recruitment Fairs: Whenever opportunities arise to distribute printed materials at graduate recruitment fairs we will do so. This method has not proven to be an effective one overall and will not receive a high priority. All faculty members that attend the Virginia Academy of Sciences will be asked to use this meeting as an opportunity for graduate recruitment by talking with their colleagues and distributing graduate program information. Peterson's Guides: This mode of advertisement has not proven to be worth the cost for most of the Programs. Use of the Peterson's services will be on a voluntary basis for the Programs although we will explore the possibility of a combined college listing. DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSES TO INQUIRIES: Initial Response: 1. A letter from the GPD and a personalized letter from a professor in the student's area of interest will be sent with each information packet in response to an inquiry. When specific interests are not mentioned in the inquiry, a general letter from the GPD will be sent. 2. An important strength of the College of Sciences is the growing interdepartmental alliances and these will be emphasized where appropriate. Examples include Biogeochemistry which includes research with faculty members from the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biological Sciences and Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; programs between Computer Sciences and Mathematics and Statistics; Mathematics and Statistics and Biomedical Sciences at EVMS. Follow Up: 1. After the initial materials are sent, an additional letter(s) from the faculty in the student's area of interest (or from the GPD) and a letter from the Department Chair will be sent within approximately three weeks, unless a response has been received. 2. Phone calls from faculty, grad students and alumni at this time will also be needed. Alumni living in the area of the prospect will be enlisted to make these phone calls. International phone calls will not normally be made, however, it will be done in cases of the very best prospects. Application Received: 1. After an application is received, letters of encouragement (Postal mail or e-mail) from faculty, GPDs and graduate students will have to be sent to the applicant. 2. Phone calls from faculty; graduate students and alumni will be made, especially to top prospects. Alumni living in the area of the prospect will also be enlisted. Applicant Admitted: Steps 1 and 2 above will be continued to provide personal contacts to encourage acceptance of offer by prospective student. NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION Each department will hold an orientation program for newly admitted graduate students. We will hold focus group meetings where faculty members from the programs that have successful graduate student orientations will share information with faculty from the programs that need to develop theirs. Programs that do not presently have such documents will need to produce Graduate Student Handbooks. Coordination between all GPDs will ensure that critical information (department/program policies, degree requirements, examination policies, etc.) is included in each Program's Handbook. ASSESSMENT Data collection of recruitment activities will need to be standardized across the Programs to the point that assessment of various strategies can be conducted for each program. Records will be maintained within each Program on (1) number of inquiries, (2) source of information generating inquiry, (3) number and types of responses sent to each inquiry, (4) number of applicants, (5) number accepted, (6) number and type of correspondence after acceptance, and (7) number enrolled. This information will be accumulated on a standardized spreadsheet and used to review and improve our recruitment

INTRODUCTION

Recruitment of well-qualified graduate students to all programs in the College of Sciences is a major priority of the College. Building our graduate programs is an integral part of developing our research programs; neither will be successful without the other. There are currently many College Programs that utilize several of the recruitment features that are described in this plan. As one of the initial activities we need is to share specific information of effective techniques for recruiting. We will hold focus groups of Chairs, Graduate Program Directors and interested faculty to identify unique features of each Program that can be promoted during recruitment.

We will then identify and review the resources that are currently utilized for graduate recruitment within the college and develop the most cost-efficient strategies for use of these resources. The overall Strategic Planning of the College of Sciences will determine if additional resources can be identified and reallocated towards graduate recruiting. However, this process is not expected to yield significant resources for recruiting in light of the current state of departmental budgets. We will have to find new resources to implement fully the proposed plan. Specific needs of individual Programs are expected to be identified during the next two months.

A prominent part of our recruiting plan will be increasing efforts to attract minority and female students in underrepresented areas. Specifics of the minority-recruiting program will be developed over the next few months by an ad hoc College committee and will be included in the next update of the College's Plan.

RECRUITING

Program Posters:

All Programs will be encouraged to develop and distribute posters (with tear-off cards) to appropriate institutions, especially those that do not have graduate programs of their own. Personnel in the Dean's Office will coordinate the design and production of the posters.

College Brochure:

Information about the College of Sciences, Old Dominion University and Hampton Roads area will be presented here. There does not appear to be any current University publication that can provide this information for potential graduate students. Interdisciplinary programs within the College and various Centers in the College will be described. Student and alumni testimonials will also appear in this publication. This brochure will contain web addresses for the College of Sciences Home Page, College Magazine (The Catalyst), all Departmental home pages, Old Dominion University and local information (http://www.HamptonRoads.com).

Departmental Brochures:

We will develop foldout brochures for each Program that highlights the unique aspects of the program and gives information on program requirements, facilities, research and faculty. All brochures will have a similar design with allowance for program differences. Student and alumni testimonials will be included in the recruitment materials.

Web sites-departmental programs, research; Area/ODU/College:

Since the Internet has become one of the most popular and effective tools of recruitment, we will maximize our efforts in this area. This is especially important since the recruitment pool for the Sciences is national and international in scope. We will coordinate maintenance and the types of information given on the departmental web sites. The similarity of home page designs should ensure that prospective students will be able to find similar information for different departments easily. Different departments involved in the same program (e.g., Biomedical Sciences Ph.D., Ecological Sciences Ph.D.) will have readily identifiable links to the other participating department sites. Well-maintained departmental web sites will aid in producing and updating printed materials. Each departmental site will also have web links to Hampton Roads sites and a link to the University Video.

College of Sciences CD:

Development of a mailer CD with PowerPoint presentations (see below) is being considered as an alternative to a full suite of printed materials. We are evaluating the effectiveness of using such a CD along with minimal printed matter, versus the inclusion of the same information on the department's web sites and development of printed brochures as described above for all programs. The CD would include PowerPoint Presentations of:

University and Area

College overview, programs; interdisciplinary programs

Each department/program

Copy of PowerPoint Presenter

Personal contacts at four-year colleges:

A very effective and proven recruiting tool is the establishment of personal contacts at four-year colleges. This could be especially successful for minority recruiting. However, this would require a significant amount of time for interaction between faculty at Old Dominion and target institutions. Personal visits of faculties of both institutions and visits of potential students are necessary. Notable new resources are needed if this component is to become significant.

Whenever any of the College's faculty members are invited to give research seminars at other Universities or Colleges, they will take graduate program materials and conduct recruiting during their visit.

It is likewise important that faculty members utilize colleagues in their own discipline to help recruit new graduate students. Moreover, savvy students consult faculty at their undergraduate institution for recommendations about where to apply for graduate school. Thus, faculty members will be encouraged to make contact with colleagues known for excellent graduate and undergraduate education in their area of expertise to refer prospective graduate students. One strategy suggested is for faculty members to send letters to colleagues in the fall of each academic year to describe current research activities and student opportunities within their graduate program.

Recruitment Fairs:

Whenever opportunities arise to distribute printed materials at graduate recruitment fairs we will do so. This method has not proven to be an effective one overall and will not receive a high priority. All faculty members that attend the Virginia Academy of Sciences will be asked to use this meeting as an opportunity for graduate recruitment by talking with their colleagues and distributing graduate program information.

Peterson's Guides:

This mode of advertisement has not proven to be worth the cost for most of the Programs. Use of the Peterson's services will be on a voluntary basis for the Programs although we will explore the possibility of a combined college listing.

DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSES TO INQUIRIES:

Initial Response:

1. A letter from the GPD and a personalized letter from a professor in the student's area of interest will be sent with each information packet in response to an inquiry. When specific interests are not mentioned in the inquiry, a general letter from the GPD will be sent.

2. An important strength of the College of Sciences is the growing interdepartmental alliances and these will be emphasized where appropriate. Examples include Biogeochemistry which includes research with faculty members from the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biological Sciences and Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; programs between Computer Sciences and Mathematics and Statistics; Mathematics and Statistics and Biomedical Sciences at EVMS.

Follow Up:

1. After the initial materials are sent, an additional letter(s) from the faculty in the student's area of interest (or from the GPD) and a letter from the Department Chair will be sent within approximately three weeks, unless a response has been received.

2. Phone calls from faculty, grad students and alumni at this time will also be needed. Alumni living in the area of the prospect will be enlisted to make these phone calls. International phone calls will not normally be made, however, it will be done in cases of the very best prospects.

Application Received:

1. After an application is received, letters of encouragement (Postal mail or e-mail) from faculty, GPDs and graduate students will have to be sent to the applicant.

2. Phone calls from faculty; graduate students and alumni will be made, especially to top prospects. Alumni living in the area of the prospect will also be enlisted.

Applicant Admitted:

Steps 1 and 2 above will be continued to provide personal contacts to encourage acceptance of offer by prospective student.

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION

Each department will hold an orientation program for newly admitted graduate students. We will hold focus group meetings where faculty members from the programs that have successful graduate student orientations will share information with faculty from the programs that need to develop theirs.

Programs that do not presently have such documents will need to produce Graduate Student Handbooks. Coordination between all GPDs will ensure that critical information (department/program policies, degree requirements, examination policies, etc.) is included in each Program's Handbook.

ASSESSMENT

Data collection of recruitment activities will need to be standardized across the Programs to the point that assessment of various strategies can be conducted for each program. Records will be maintained within each Program on (1) number of inquiries, (2) source of information generating inquiry, (3) number and types of responses sent to each inquiry, (4) number of applicants, (5) number accepted, (6) number and type of correspondence after acceptance, and (7) number enrolled. This information will be accumulated on a standardized spreadsheet and used to review and improve our recruitment