Western Carolina University
Program Assessment Plan
Undergraduate Admission
Assessment Plan for 2007-08
Alan Kines, Director of Undergraduate Admission
(828) 227-3162
akines@wcu.edu
Program Mission Statement
The Office of Undergraduate Admission is the University’s lead administrative unit responsible for
the identification, recruitment, assessment, and admission of prospective freshmen and transfer
students. To this end, the Office of Undergraduate Admission initiates and implements policies,
programs, and procedures to provide an ethical, fair, and inclusive methodology for the admission
of new students. The office assists the institution in meeting its objectives pertaining to diversity,
enrollment, and retention.
Statement on Alignment of Program Mission with University and Division Mission
The Office of Undergraduate Admission designs its recruitment programs to attract the prospective
students whose academic abilities best align with the level of instruction offered at the University
and the expectations of its faculty. The Office of Admission seeks to attract students who will most
benefit from the University’s co-curricular programs and support services. Furthermore, recruitment
programs support the University’s goals of cultural and social inclusiveness by historically underrepresented populations.
Program Goals and Objectives
1. The Office of Undergraduate Admission seeks to position the University in the minds of
prospective students, their families, guidance counselors and other secondary school educators, and members of the community at large as an institution of first choice for earning a
post-secondary degree.
2. By maintaining appropriate levels of academic criteria in the admission process, the office
will bolster the University’s strategy to improve student retention, specifically the retention
rate between the freshman and sophomore years.
3. Aggressively identifying and recruiting students from historically underrepresented populations will increase student diversity on campus and, ideally, lead to an enriched and more
inclusive learning and social environment.
4. The Office of Undergraduate Admission will develop a set of policies and procedures that
will continue to meet or exceed the standard of best practices and ethics in the profession
of post-secondary admission.
Intended Outcome
The University is repositioned in the
marketplace as a first-choice school
to which to be admitted for prospective students.
Course/Experience/Activity
The marketing plan and recruitment
programs will be recalibrated to appeal to academically talented students.
Freshman and transfer classes are
recruited by trained staff members in
pre-selected geomarkets determined
on the basis of data analysis.
In collaboration with Institutional Research and Planning, data will be
compiled to tier geomarkets according to recruitment potential.
Retention rates, especially the rate by
which freshmen return for the sophomore year, improves as the admit profile (grade point average, standardized test scores, et al.) improves.
A targeted search program will identify potential students by SAT band
and self-reported SAT. Scholarships
will be consolidated to better attract
valedictorians, salutatorians, and
other academically talented students.
A diversity plan is created and implemented by the Admission Office,
and includes recruitment programs
designed to increase the percentage
of students of color.
The student population becomes
more racially, ethnically, and culturally
diverse, enriching the academic and
social experience for WCU students.
Admission policies and procedures
reflect best practices as defined by
the National Association of College
Admission Counselors (NACAC), of
which the University is a member.
Admission personnel will receive
copies of the NACAC Statement of
Principles of Good Practice.
Method(s) of Assessment
The number of freshmen placing in
the top 25% of their graduating
high school class will increase as a
percentage of the applicant pool,
and the mean SAT composite
score will increase.
Expenditures per geomarket will
more closely align with measurable admission activity. Recruitment territories will yield increased
numbers of applicants overall.
Retention rates, specially the
freshman-to-sophomore rate, will
be monitored to determine the impact more rigorous admission
standards are having on student
success.
Populations of historically underrepresented students (i.e. African
Americans, Native Americas, Latinos) increase as percentages of
the incoming freshman and transfer classes.
Compliance with the NACAC
Statement of Principles of Good
Practice is used as a criterion for
satisfactory job performace.