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Reaching out to prospective students

In the wake of declining enrollment at Sacramento State over the past few years, Sacramento State’s office of Outreach, Admissions and Records is focused on the challenge at hand: convincing new students to make Sacramento State their university of choice.

Outreach is working to meet that challenge by using web-based technology and strategic planning. The goal is not only to encourage attendance at Sac State, but to also make the application process as streamlined and user-friendly as possible.

“Our full-time enrolled students, or FTEs, are what drives the funding for the campus,” explains Emiliano Diaz, director of Outreach, Admissions and Records. “Therefore, student recruiting is an important part of meeting the enrollment goals of the University. Our enrollment declined concurrent with the budget cuts a few years ago, so we’ve had to increase our promotion efforts to get the message out to prospective students that Sacramento State is the place they want to be.”

A vital part of reaching out to prospective students and their parents is the Internet, and Outreach has been enhancing the look and interactive features of their website. A student message board and blog are in the works and are due to be available on line in mid-October. The blog, which is short for “web log,” will chronicle the day-to-day experiences of six university students as they navigate their way through classes as well as life outside the classroom at Sacramento State. Each blog which will include photos of the bloggers and will be updated every two weeks to encapsulate various student experiences on campus as they happen.

Additional Internet help comes via a postcard from Admissions that directs students who have turned in applications to the “What’s Next” website. The site provides step-by-step instructions on what to do after the student’s application has been turned in, as well as the status of an individual’s application.

The Internet is not the only way Admissions makes contact with students. “It’s critical to have an Internet presence and utilize that technology to connect with and bring students to the campus,” says Diaz, “but we also need one-on-one contact and printed materials when we speak to counselors, prospective students and parents.” Representatives from Outreach, Admissions and Records make several visits to the top 100 high schools and 20 community colleges that supply students to Sacramento State. “While the majority of our students come from the surrounding counties, we are currently expanding our recruitment efforts to other parts of California,” explains Diaz.

“We also try to get a feel for what the students are looking for in a campus during our visits,” Diaz says. “Through these interactions, students and parents learn things about Sacramento State that can mean the difference in their college choice.”

And, for the first time, Outreach taking its message to the airwaves, through a series of radio ads. “We’re using the ads to gain better access to prospective students and spark interest in the University. The ads will encourage future students to visit our website and learn more about Sacramento State—both how to apply and information about the University in general,” says Diaz. The ads will run in the beginning of October through November.

Diaz emphasizes that the Destination 2010 campaign has helped to highlight the message that Sacramento State is a destination campus. “We’re the seventh largest campus in the state,” he says, “and are looking forward to increasing the options for students to live on or near the campus. We are becoming a university of choice for students near and far.”

Sacramento State did see growth in new student enrollment this semester. “We won’t have the final numbers until the census report is released in a month,” Diaz says, “but the data indicates we will see an 8 percent growth in student enrollment, and perhaps even as much as 10 percent.”