Ad hoc Admission Committee Meeting
March 7, 2016
8:30-9:30 a.m., Bauman 210-C
Attending: Steve Shapiro, professor of physics, Michael Dutch, professor of business management, David Hildreth, professor of education studies, Kami Rowan, associate professor of music, Jeannine Harrell, student representative (traditional), Arlene Cash, vice president for enrollment management, Erin Kelly, director of admission, Cyndie Basinger, assistant to vice president for enrollment management
Steve opened the meeting with a moment of silence. Today’s meeting focus is on the National Science Foundation S-STEM Grant application, updates from Enrollment, and beginning steps to assist with creating a strategic enrollment plan.
Plans are to apply for a S-STEM grant for student scholarships to increase enrollment and participation in the natural sciences for underrepresented groups. STEM grants on average are $600,000 over a 5-year period ($120,000 per year). Steve is gathering information on amounts needed for scholarships and program support.
Questions discussed were how many students to bring into the program and what constitutes an attractive scholarship amount. Arlene said a handful of students (3-4) could be admitted with a yearly scholarship of $10,000 (up to four years) which would be appealing. Or, another model would be to look at community college transfer students who would only need 2-years of scholarship dollars. This model would allow us to build cohort numbers and cover program support. By partnering with community colleges, Guilford would be able to tap into a set of students with natural science aspirations and strengthen our relationship with these schools.
The current planning team Steve Shapiro, Holly Peterson and Christine Stracey Richard are also looking at successful student transition options, bridge programs, retention planning and post-graduation preparation.
We have seen an 8% increase in completed applications for traditional students for Fall 2016. Financial aid award letters were sent out and early indications are these award letters were well received. The next steps are for admission and financial aid counselors to contact students to answer any questions. We should start seeing deposit numbers increasing. We are hopeful for 340 incoming first year students this fall.
The next admission event is Junior Open House on March 25. As of this date, 103 students are registered. We will contact students to see who may want to stay for lunch to determine if faculty may need to meet informally during lunch time with interested juniors.
The first stage in creating a strategic enrollment plan is gathering information. Arlene will send an outline to the ad hoc committee she has used in designing an enrollment plan. Using similar indicators as the U.S. News and World Report, the committee is asked to envision what Guilford could look like in five years. Think idealistically but keep financial stability in mind. Please bring your “homework” to the next meeting.
The meeting was adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for March 28 at 8:30 a.m. in Bauman 210-C.