May 2006

Recruitment & Retention - May 2006 - Full Issue PDF
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Podcasts Replace Acceptance Letters
A few years ago, campuses began experimenting with notifying accepted students of the good news via e-mail and the Web instead of sending the traditional “thick envelope” alert. Now some campuses are moving beyond e-mail, too.

The Disappearing Class Rank
Over the past decade, fewer secondary schools are including class ranks on transcripts of postsecondary applicants. The impact that this has had on postsecondary admissions offices varies by college and university, according to the enrollment management officers Recruitment and Retention contacted recently.

Laptop Project Gets New Students Familiar with IT Early
If your campus distributes laptops or other computer equipment to new students in the fall, it might consider distributing the equipment as early as spring.

First-Year Housing: Should We Give Students What They Want, or What They Need?
Over the next few years, market forces might make traditional residence hall rooms less dominant at residential colleges, even though most chief housing officers agree that this housing type is best overall for first-year students.

Students Fear Involvement Will Hurt Grades
Getting students involved in cocurricular activities in their first year is key to their persistence, the retention literature says. However, some students are shunning such activities in fear of hurting their grades, two studies suggest.

Q&A: Trends in Community College Retention
What are the retention challenges currently facing community and technical colleges, and what are some innovative ways that institutions are addressing them? Recruitment and Retention recently spoke with a community college vice president for learner success about these and other questions.

Updates
New England anticipates decrease in high school graduates; Student interest grows in basic human health degrees; California community college enrollment decreases; more