Designing
Communication Plans
for Increased
Enrollment
Brent Rudin
Dean of Enrollment Management
Cornerstone University
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Quick Overview of
Cornerstone
• Private, religious institution
• Enrollment
– Total enrollment – 2,600
– Traditional undergraduate –
1,250
• Located in Grand Rapids,
Michigan
How We Use
Connect
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Connect
VIP pages
Telecenter
Apply
For all Prospect AND
Applicant tracking and
communication (except
financial aid and class
registration)
Our Enrollment
Challenges
• Fall 2006 – 2nd highest
freshman class
• Fall 2007 – clearly not the
2nd highest class
• Tuition dependent
• Must at a minimum
maintain enrollment
Our Communication
Challenges
• Datatel transition, training
and implementation
• Lack of flexibility in
reporting
• Inability to engage our
audience
• Difficulty to communicate
beyond seniors
Higher Education
Communication
Challenges
• Is your Web site ever
really “good enough?”
• Secret shoppers
• Stealth applicants
• Static electronic
communication
• Failure to act on known
information
Nellie, The Wonder Dog
Communication
Plans
• What do you want to
say?
• How do you want to say
it?
• To what audience(s)?
• At what point in time?
• To accomplish what
goal/response?
What is an Ideal
Communication
Plan?
• It’s an overview – may not
have all details for all
situations
• Proactive – not reactive
• Engaging – not static
• Purposeful – not pointless
Lots of Plans!
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Suspects
Prospects
Applied
Accepted
Deposited
Transfers
Parents
Case Study
• Problem:
– Why are students starting,
but not finishing application?
• Solution:
– Develop communication plan
to address this
– Get more completed apps…
– In a shorter timeframe…
– Or find out why not
Case Study
• Who?
– Those who started but not
completed app
• When?
– Series of communication
methods
– Weekly reminders via email to
complete
– Surveys to explain why not
– Multiple opportunities to
complete
– Incorporate phone call from
counselor
Build Your
Communication Plan
Around…
• “Regular” communication
– Prospects
– Applicants
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Campus visits
VIP Page visits
Telecenter calls
Academic messages
Communication Plans
Include…
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Emails
Letters
Phone calls
Surveys
Events
Publications
Combinations of each
To What
Audience(s)?
• Your filters are so
important
– Who is receiving this?
– Who is NOT receiving this?
• Spent a lot of time
learning how to master
the skill of filter-writing
Evaluating Results
• Review the results of emails
– Who opened?
– Who responded?
• Hyperlinks
– What are being followed?
– Not too many links
• Survey results
– Respond accordingly
– May trigger more
communication
Success Stories
• Much better
communication with
students
• More informed counselors
• More predictable
enrollment…?
• Provide leadership more
accurate information
Questions?
Brent Rudin
Dean of Enrollment
Management
Cornerstone University
brudin@cornerstone.edu
616-222-1426