Memo

Date: To: From: Subject:

October 24, 2012 Dr. Steven Edmond, Dean of the School of Business and Technology Deon Howard, Business Student Progress Report for Recruiting Business Students

Purpose This is a progress report of my research on student recruitment processes for HustonTillotson University School of Business and Technology. Summary I have been researching the various processes of student recruitment to identify any opportunities that would improve the quality of students that are accepted into the school of business and technology. I have performed secondary research and complied data from student surveys to identify our options for addressing the current problem that we have with the quality of students at our institution. Some vital parts of my research have been delayed and therefore the timeline for this research project will be extended by 2 weeks. Introduction On October 15, I received approval from Dr. Steven Edmond to conduct research on current student recruitment processes in order to identify opportunities for enrolling a greater pool of quality students at this institution. This proposal was based on concerns forproblematic students and their behavior. The results from this research project will be completed and turnedinto Dr. Steven Edmond, Dean of the School of Business and Technology by December 21. The school of business at Huston-Tillotson is the most popular field of study at the university based on an article from College Ranking and Reviews. However, faculty and students have casually voiced their concerns of the conduct many business students engage in. These concerns include factors such as disrupting the classroom and learning process of other students; disrespecting professors; high absenteeism and tardiness; and academic dishonesty. These growing concerns are decreasing student and faculty moral and making learning uncomfortable and ineffective. In response, Dr. Steven Edmond has asked me to research the problem to identify what type of actions we should or shouldnt take in effort of structuring a solid recruitment process. Results of Research First I will discuss the tasks that have been completed: Tasks 2-4. Then I will discuss my future work: Tasks 1,5 and 6.

Completed Work Task 2. Identify best practices of other institutions. I conducted phone interviews with the admission departments of St. Edwards University in Austin, TX. The representative from St. Edwards says that they do consider the GPA and test scores of students interested in attending their institution, but these factors do not guarantee that a student will make a good fit. The most vital parts of their recruitment process is the ability to sit down with the student and get to know them. Questions that they usually ask are as followed: Do you seek a challenging academic environment that emphasizes engaged learning, collaboration and an international point of view? Does diversity of every kind bring out the best in you?; and How eager are you to discover new worlds, do your part to make a difference and be changed in the process? The ability of the university to evaluate potential students through an interview process guarantees that quality students will be selected. Task 3. Secondary research I conducted secondary research to identify standard recruitment practices of colleges and universities. As stated earlier in task 2, GPAs and test scores are always considered in the decision making process of recruiting prospective students. Secondly, most colleges and universities do use an interview process to make a final decision. In addition, I found a scholarly journal entitled The Challenge of Recruiting. According to this article, one of the primary challenges of recruiting quality students is the competition of other schools in the area who have high branding due to factors such as: the popularity of the school in general; sports; clubs and organizations offered; and student retention and graduation rates. If college and university recruiters desire to induct quality students, the school must be desirable and highly ranked amongst other institutions in several ways in addition to the standard test score and interview procedures. Task 4. Student surveys/evaluations I conducted business student surveys to get their opinions of the quality of students that the school of business possesses and their overall experience thus far. On a scale from 1 to 10, one being the worst and ten being the best, the average rating for each survey question is as follows: 1. Class learning experience Average rating: 5 2. Overall quality of business students Average rating: 5 In the additional comments section of the survey, students really stressed how horrible the class room experience really is. Their ability to understand the lecture and to maintain complete focus during the duration of the class is at a minimum due to the distraction of other students.

Future Work The following tasks will be completed at a later time than scheduled due to certain circumstances. Task 1. Observe the current procedures of new student recruitment. I was unable to get approval from Dr. Sherrance Russell, Dean of Enrollment Management to observe the current recruitment processes of the university. In response, I have resubmitted my request to Dr. Russell with detailed information on the importance that this observation plays in this research project. Being that this information is the foundation of my research on new student recruitment, the timeline for this project will be extended by 2 weeks. Task 5. Faculty interviews The faculty interviews that I scheduled were unexpectedly cancelled due to a off the cuff staff meeting called by Dr. Steven Edmond, Dean of the School of Business and Technology. Being that a prior task has already been delayed, I have restructured how these staff interviews will be conducted in order to complete my research within a reasonable time. The interviews will be conducted by an online survey that I have composed using www.surveymonkey.com. Task 6. Completion Report Finally, a completion report will be prepared to identify problems within our student recruitment process, along with my research from the tasks listed above. The report will include the current state of student recruitment, and the recommendations made from research, students, and faculty members.

Updated Schedule Below is an updated schedule of the tasks that have been completed, and the tasks that will be completed in the near future.
22-Oct11-Nov 1-Dec 21-Dec Observations of Best Practices of Secondary Student Surveys Faculty Interviews Completion Report

Conclusion I have successfully completed Tasks 2-4 and will begin on Task 1, 5, and 6. Again, we are behind schedule due to the delays of Tasks 1 and 5. However, I expect the entire project to be completed by December 21, 2012.

References US News Education Colleges. Retrieved October 14, 2012, from http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/huston-tillotson-3577 St. Edwards University admissions department. Phone interview with AlexisSpight, Director of Admissions: http://www.stedwards.edu/admission/newfreshmen/requirements The Challenge of Recruiting. http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/facstaff/practices/recruiting.html