Dr. Blake presented next. She reported that every prospective first-year student is assigned an admissions counselor (based on location/territory) who serves as their primary contact throughout the admission and onboarding process. First-year students receive a variety of communications, which includes personal emails, texts, phone calls, visits (coffee shop talks), and referrals to other offices for more in-depth assistance on financial aid, housing, etc. Newly admitted students also receive a phone call (or email if they do not answer the phone) from the Admissions processor on the day they are admitted, congratulating them on their admission and talking with them about next steps. Undergraduate admissions processing is a one-week turnaround. Consideration is also being given to modify the division of work in Financial Aid to create a caseload for each financial aid counselor, so students would always work with the same person rather than getting whoever happens to be available. Admissions is working to develop stronger handoffs with other units (Housing, Financial Aid, Academic Advising, etc.) to confirm that students are always in good hands. Transfer leads are notoriously difficult to generate. Transfer student recruitment begins with outreach, includes partnerships, and providing updated transfer specific information online and available 24/7. The Transfer Team does over 100 visits to the 34 Washington Community Colleges and has developed and maintained 55 transfer maps that have been built for the majors most frequently transferred in to. CWU hosts the annual Washington State Transfer Symposium. Increased communication and collaboration with campus recruitment partners is critical. An Admissions liaison is assigned to every college dean, with regular meetings and updates. Admissions hosts monthly meetings with the University Center Directors. Admissions hosts bi-monthly meetings with representatives from other CWU departments who have recruiting responsibilities (Athletics, ROTC, Veterans, TRIO, Music, Honors College, College in the High School/Running Start, Financial Aid, College Deans office, Marketing/Communication, etc.). These meetings are valuable in coordinating efforts and supporting each other’s work. Orientation and onboarding programming has become much more focused on the specific audience. New Student Orientation is now required of all Ellensburg freshmen and transfer students. Jump Start is now a year-long experience that is an extension of orientation. Ms. Haney presented on Financial Aid. She reported that financial considerations play a significant role in a student’s decision to pursue their education. When utilized accurately and consistently, financial aid can be effectively integrated into our strategies at every level to enhance enrollment and retention rates. For this fall’s financial aid and recruitment cycle, Financial Aid collaborated with Admissions, Marketing, and other key stakeholders to create a shared vision and goals (communication, aid offers, and scholarships). They began working together more efficiently to achieve shared enrollment goals through understanding, making quick adjustments, and committing to communication and flexibility. Financial Aid offered over 2300 awards for undergraduates, post baccalaureates and graduate students for 2024-2025. Almost $500K was awarded in Wildcat Promise Scholarships for 2024-2025, and another $1.1M in institutional and Foundation funds were awarded to students for 2024-2025. In addition to scholarships, CWU was able to spend all state and federal work study allocations ($787K) for 2023-2024. For 2024-2025, 4928 students were notified of their eligibility for work study, and so far, approximately $525K has been awarded.
8 Board of Trustees Minutes July 25-26, 2024
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