Admissions recruitment effectiveness in private four-year colleges and universities.

Abstract

In the battle to maintain enrollment levels, institutions are confronting many questions about effectiveness, including those that address admissions recruitment. Admissions directors face the problem of factors and forces that influence the effectiveness of recruitment activities. This study focused on selected factors--institutional characteristics, administrative structure for admissions, admissions plans and goals, and recruitment activities--and their influence on perceptions of admissions recruitment effectiveness. Survey respondents included 643 presidents, supervisors of admissions directors, and admissions directors. The findings revealed that only a small number of significant relationships existed among the variables. Institutional characteristics such as Carnegie Classification, Enrollments, and Region were not linked to administrator perceptions of effectiveness of achieving admissions goals or admissions recruitment activities. One characteristic, Level of Selectivity, showed the highest number of significant relationships; it was related to eight of thirteen admissions goals. The existence of strategic, marketing, enrollment management, and admissions plans was related to perceptions of the effectiveness of achieving admissions goals in 21% of the cases. Establishment of a goal for recruitment activities made a significant difference in perceptions of effectiveness for a number of recruitment activities. Although significance was not demonstrated for relationships among many of the variables, it was interesting that high levels of activity were documented for admissions plans, market research, admissions goals, recruitment activities, and activity evaluation measures. Plans, goals, and recruitment activities did not come forward as influential factors in perceptions of effectiveness of recruitment activities, yet institutions used them heavily. Mean effectiveness ratings of recruitment activities were higher when plans, market research studies and goals for admissions recruitment activities existed. These findings have important implications for admissions directors. They can be used as a basis for designing or changing admissions programs. Plans and goals need to be formulated specifying the types of students the institution wants to attract given characteristics deemed important. Market research studies and evaluation measures should be used to identify and select admissions goals, determine which admissions recruitment activities work in specific situations, and make changes in recruitment activities based on this information.