Maximizing People, Minimizing Costs: How Strategic Alignment Powers Graduate Recruitment and Retention

Please provide a one-paragraph overview of the session.‎ (200 words or less): Looking to maximize impact with a low budget and small staff? Learn how to combine staff efforts to simultaneously recruit prospective students and engage and retain current students in the process. This session will discuss how you can align the strategic goals and initiatives in different areas of your office (ie. admissions and student services) to create better outcomes.

We will walk you through how we did this at The University of Rochester by building a graduate ambassador program using a small cohort of graduate students in a variety of disciplines. This program has given prospective students the opportunity to benefit from authentic, peer-to-peer connections through phone call outreach, webinars, social media and campus tours. Current students have been able to gain community connections through a first-year squad program, orientation programming and social/academic events throughout the year. These efforts have dramatically increased our engagement with prospective and current students.

Programs like the Graduate Ambassador program take both time and money to run, so we will also discuss how to creatively advocate for funding from external partners across campus.

Attendees will leave with concrete strategies for building high-impact, low-lift, multi-purpose initiatives that can transform both the prospective and current student experience.

Session Agenda/Outline (200 words or less): -Introductions, Overview/Structure of the Graduate Education Office at The University of Rochester and session goals

-Aligning Strategic Goals Within the Office and the Greater Campus Community
Interactive Brainstorming Activity
What are some needs from both prospective and current students you know are not being fully met? What are the barriers you’re facing (ie. small staff, low budget)?

-Maximizing a Small Staff and Low Budget
What is a graduate ambassador program and how can it help you?
Who are potential partners (who else benefits from engaged graduate students)?

-High Impact on Prospective & Current Students
Impact on Prospective & Current Students
Effectiveness of peer to peer engagement with specific examples of programming we’ve had success with from orientation, to development of first-year squads, to a partnership with Alumni Relations and more.

Increased engagement throughout the admissions funnel and a more personalized experience for applicants.
Impact on our office and other campus partners across the University
Data sharing: how has this helped achieve strategic University goals in recruitment and retention?

-Discussion Activity, Questions & Takeaways
Reflecting on your goals, brainstorm together what you could try in your own office or institution? Who are the possible partners internal and external to your office?