Involving High School Guidance Counselors is Key to Increasing Community College Enrollment

Madison, Wis.—January 17, 2008— Most community colleges acknowledge the importance of having good relationships with high school guidance counselors, especially in helping with recruitment and enrollment. However, only 15 percent of the institutions attending the online seminar “High School Counselors: Allies in Increasing College Enrollment” said in an informal poll that their institutions actually survey high school guidance counselors to assess their perceptions about community colleges.

Evaluation of counselors’ awareness and perceptions is key in determining what you need to do to demonstrate to them and their students the value of community colleges, said Tracy Harris, dean of enrollment services for Prince George’s Community College, who led the hour-long January 16 seminar.

Evaluation strategies include:
• holding retreats with counselors
• inviting counselors to sit on college planning or strategy teams
• inviting counselors to sit in on classes to see firsthand your institution’s academic rigor
• surveying counselors before and after your admissions presentations to gauge where you need to strengthen the presentation

“If you want them to be open to your institution, you need to consider their comments and perceptions,” Harris said.

The seminar also explored:
• strategies that promote greater counselor-parent collaboration in the student college-going process
• recommendations and strategies on how guidance counselors can directly assist to increase community college enrollment, graduation, and transfer rates
• evaluative strategies to assess the relationship and knowledge guidance counselors have regarding the institutional value of community colleges to their students

If you missed the live program and would like to purchase the seminar in transcript or CD format, visit our online catalog.

Magna Publications is a leading publisher of newsletters and other information products in the higher education segment. Magna also manages onsite and online conferences on topics of interest to higher education.

For more information please contact David Burns, Publisher, Magna Publications, Inc., at 608-227-8109, or dburns@magnapubs.com.