An Enrollment Management Working Group, led by leadership in UWG’s Student Affairs and Enrollment Management division, reviewed UWG’s current enrollment management strategies and examined issues, needs, and concerns related to UWG students returning to campus for the Fall 2020 term.

Based on this review and feedback from identified units, UWG will execute the following plans to support enrollment management when students return to campus for the Fall 2020 term.

Recruitment

Undergraduate Student Recruitment (USR)

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has taken several steps to ensure we are building a strong class of new students for Fall 2020. One strategy taken was to expand UWG’s virtual offerings. We have had some success already with this virtual offering expansion. We had 1,636 unique visitors to the virtual map on the Admissions website, 214 students attended virtual info sessions, and nearly 400 unique virtual chats to our enrollment management campus partners. We are also launching a virtual decision month with representatives from each of the academic colleges and schools, the Honors College, admissions, financial aid, housing, and orientation. We are also redesigning accepted events so they can also be hosted virtually to assist with yield.

Another shift we need to make in our recruitment strategy is that marketing messaging needs to be adjusted to address the anxiety and uncertainty of the time period. Admissions has adjusted toward focusing on personalized support and encouragement. As we get closer to August, we will need to pivot toward up-selling online and discouraging “waiting” until things “blow over.” Yield (pushing students to enroll after admission) will be a central strategy and require a stronger push than ever.

With regard to visitors to campus and campus tours, the majority of our visit offerings would continue to be virtual tours. We can explore campus tours with a very limited number of people in the group (single family with five or fewer members). We will be abiding by social distancing guidelines from governing and guiding agencies for UWG employees. We will recommend that our visitors wear/bring their own face coverings.

Graduate Student Recruitment (GSR)

Fall is the busiest time for the recruitment of graduate students. Colleges and Universities in the southeast hold graduate fairs on their campuses from September through early November. The Assistant Dean of the Graduate School attends the majority of these events. The Director of Graduate Student Services assists as needed.

Admissions Processing

Undergraduate Admissions Processing (UAP)

The Admissions Operations team operates in a fully digital and virtual format using Ellucian Recruit and Ellucian BDM/Xtender to view documents and make admissions decisions for applicants. Since UWG moved to admissions requirements being test optional during Spring 2020, the Operations team has processed more than 1,200 applications and made more than 989 decisions on electronic files from home. Based on the productivity and outcomes from the spring, remaining in a remote work setting may be more productive. Another online feature of the Operations team is the new student checklist. To improve the student experience of onboarding at UWG, we recently implemented the OneLogin platform to house many of the applications, links, and information a student needs to be successful at UWG.

Graduate Admissions Processing (GAP)

Graduate Admissions is responsible for the application process for all incoming graduate students’ applications. The entire process is online using Ellucian Recruit for the application and the communications plan. The processing team is able to work remotely to process applications. Completed applications are accessed electronically by program directors, and they are able to make decisions on their applicants. The processing team completes the final steps in processing and pushes all decisions to Banner. The application volume increased over 40 percent since the processing team has worked from home. All processors now have wired VPN access and can process documents easily.

The chat feature allows processors to interact with prospective students. The admissions team uses Google Chat to communicate with each other during the workday.

Orientation

Beginning in September 2019, UWG began planning orientation and Pack Premiere (similar to a week of welcome) for Summer and Fall 2020. When the institution transitioned online, the Orientation team in New Student Programs began establishing a new model for 2020 orientation. The three-phase model was approved by senior leadership quickly in March. The first phase is a pre- orientation in the Advantage Design platform. Students complete a series of 10 modules that prepare new students for being successful at UWG. After pre- orientation is complete, the student attends the virtual advising and advance schedule appointment with their Academic Advisor. The student also receives information on live and recorded upcoming webinars. The final step will be a virtual experience that will comply with social distancing measures. We will not execute any in-person programming until receiving guidelines from governing and guiding agencies.

Registration

Starting in Summer 2020, UWG moved to pre-made schedules and virtual advising appointments for new students. Continuing students began registering for Summer 2020 and Fall 2020 in early March prior to the move to online instruction. UWG has continuous open registration for our continuing students via the Ellucian Banweb student information system. For retention, Advising checks students for FAFSA completion, holds, or other barriers to completing registration for the upcoming semesters. Successful registration for new or continuing students would not require a transition back to campus.

Any students who are physically present at the Registrar’s Office or Enrollment Services Center will follow social distancing guidelines. Any students who do not wish to visit campus in person will be accommodated virtually or via telephone.

Student Academic Advising

The following practices will be implemented/continued to provide services for students.

1. Advising appointments can be scheduled with academic advisors Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. from from 1-4:30 p.m.
2. Students can either call the Advising Center or email to schedule an appointment with their academic advisor.
3. The appointment will be scheduled using Zoom, email, or phone in accordance with social distancing.

Center for Academic Success (CAS) - Instructional Support

The following practices will be implemented/continued to provide services for students.

1. All CAS appointments for Peer Academic Tutoring and Peer Academic Coaching can be made by calling or emailing the CAS.
2. Tutoring appointments are available Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in a face-to- face setting at the Tutoring Center located in the UCC following social distancing criteria.
3. Peer Coaching appointments are available Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. Appointments will be located in the UCC Coaching Center following social distancing criteria.
4. Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions are scheduled and advertised on the CAS website.
5. All Coaching and Tutoring appointments can also be scheduled and held virtually. SI sessions are offered in a hybrid format.

Physical modifications to the Center for Academic Success and Academic Advising will be coordinated to support proper social distancing when students return. Plexiglass barriers at the student check-in desk and having fewer tables available for tutoring appointments will support the required social distancing. CAS and Advising Staff will be responsible for sanitizing our areas during operating hours.

Financial Aid

UWG began in February 2020 reminding continuing students to complete a FAFSA for 2020-21. Outbound calls helped remind students to get the FAFSA completed in time for the July 1 priority deadline. The use of the Campus Logic software helped streamline the submission of documents to Financial Aid for processing. We are able to nudge, assist, and be proactive with students about missing Financial Aid documents.

UWG was also a recipient of CARES Act funding from the U. S. Department of Education (DOE). A two-phase model was created for distributing the CARES Act funds to UWG continuing students. We quickly had a model approved by the USG to distribute funds and have been able to make changes to that model based on guidance from the DOE. In accordance with guidance from the DOE, we have also developed a plan to strategically use Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) to assist students in this difficult financial time.

Any students who physically come to the Financial Aid Office or Enrollment Services Center will follow social distancing guidelines. Any students who do not wish to come to campus in person will be accommodated virtually or via phone.

Planned Changes to Use of Technology

UWG has implemented several new technology measures that will continue into the Fall 2020 term. Admissions, New Student Programs, Financial Aid, Advising, and the Center for Academic success have all utilized virtual platforms like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Google Meet to interface with prospective students, families, and current students. Offices are doing information sessions, virtual tours, advising, supplemental instruction, and troubleshooting with our students. Some offices have also obtained Google Voice phone numbers and softphones from Information Technology Services (ITS) to be able to connect with students via telephone.

Admissions has implemented Full Measure to connect with students via text and social media. The admitted students are sent information via text/email to their cell phones that redirects them to an electronic acceptance letter, social media filters, and a short survey to see if they have any questions UWG can answer.

Admissions has worked with some of our campus partners to make sure the students receive a response in 24-48 hours.

Admissions also helped implement LiveChat with several campus partners. Admissions and Housing and Residence Life were using LiveChat prior to transitioning to remote work in Spring 2020. The campus partners who implemented LiveChat were Financial Aid, Enrollment Services Center, International Student Admissions and Programs, Center for Adult Learners and Veterans, and Career Services. The students are showing interest in chatting with our offices rather than calling in or emailing. This LiveChat has a feature where the student can receive a response text if they have left the chat terminal. This allows UWG to keep the conversation going with a student.

New Student Programs has been able to fully overhaul its online orientation modules. Modules have been redefined, repurposed, and redesigned by the team to ensure that students have the most up-to-date and relevant information about transitioning to UWG.

UWG is investigating solutions to manage offices with waiting rooms and walk-in traffic in order to manage traffic going in and out of the office to maintain physical distancing. We have a scheduling product on campus (EAB Navigate), but others exist if Navigate cannot do the functions needed (QLess). Other sister institutions are using QLess in their one-stop shops and customer service offices.

Outcome Markers/Indicators

UWG continuously monitors its performance related to recruitment, retention, progression, and graduation. For our planned return to campus and our continuous evaluation of our enrollment strategies, UWG will use the following indicators to determine the success of our enrollment management services.

Admissions

• Inquiry to applicant rate (what percentage of inquiries apply)
• Applicant to enroll rate (what percentage of applicants enroll)
• Incomplete rate (what percentage did not turn in all admission documents)
• Yield rate (Accepted students who ultimately enrolled)
• Summer melt (Percentage of students who registered for orientation and did NOT enroll)

Orientation/Pack Premiere

• Orientation registrations (percentage of accepted students who register for Orientation)
• Orientation cancellations (percentage of students who register for Orientation but cancel before the Orientation session)
• Orientation registration no-shows (percentage of students who register for Orientation but do not check-in on their registered date)
• Orientation yield rate (percentage of students who attend Orientation and enroll in courses for that term)

Financial Aid

• Number of FAFSA (total number of FAFSA's)
• ISIR and on the drop list (number of students with ISIR's on the drop list)
• CampusLogic metrics (number of documents waiting to be processed and the length of time waiting)

Advising/Registration

• Number of schedules (the percentage of eligible students who complete schedules from one semester to the next consecutive semester.
• Percentage of new students scheduled prior to the start of the semester.
• Credit hours (audit for generation of 15 semester hours for all full-time students)
• IPEDS cohort registration (2019 and 2020) track students identified in the F19 cohort for schedule completion for F20

Center for Academic Success

• Percentage of eligible students who attend SI sessions
• Percentage of students with an academic alert who utilize CAS services
• GPA comparison of students using CAS services vs. those that do not
• Retention rate of students who attend Peer Tutoring appointments

Communication Plan

UWG will implement the following communication plan to support Enrollment Management’s return to campus for the fall 2020 term. Greater detail about this communication plan can be seen in the supplemental Communication Plan document submitted with this plan.