Strategic Plan - Strategic Enrollment Management

students in the Academic Quad

 
 

Implementation Goals & Accomplishments

Lead Unit: Human Resources/Government Relations

FY21 Update

  • State budget includes additional funds due to increasing base funding/FTE. 
  • State budget includes additional funding for Stockton based on outcomes-based performance (I.e., funding rationale). 
    • State budget includes an additional $35 million for TAG that will increase the maximum awards for Stockton and other State colleges.

Lead Unit: Executive Vice President

FY22 Update

  • Promoted Transfer Pathways Partnership agreements with county colleges through news releases, University website and social media platforms.
  • Enhanced communications, planning and ad spending for Graduate Studies; Promoted new scholarships and degrees for graduate students on stockton.edu and social media platforms.
  • Increased frequency of posting to LinkedIn to an average of 4x/week. Also enhanced posts with paid boosts.
  • edu continues to meet and exceed WCAG 2.0 guidelines
  • Updated CSS for more intuitive display of responsive tables that exceed the viewport on mobile devices.

Lead Unit: Athletics

FY21 Update

  • Identified cohort of “at risk” students for additional support efforts.
  • Worked with Faculty and Student Affairs to:
    • Intervene early and often – notified faculty of concerns
    • Scheduled academic meetings for “at risk” athletes with their head coach
    • Had early conversations with “at risk” athletes about Add/Drop options and NCAA eligibility
    • Follow-up emails to instructors with signs of academic difficulty
    • Required all first semester freshmen to take two on-line workshops: Time Management and Effective Note-Taking

FY22 Update

  • Continued strategies from FY22.

FY23 Update

  • Hired Associate Director for Athletic Compliance and Student-Athlete Success to support student-athlete education regarding academic compliance and student support on campus.

Lead Unit: Enrollment Management

FY21 Update

  • Reorganized undergraduate and graduate admissions staffing and management with a renewed commitment to recruiting students of color.
  • Implemented the Stockton Promise Grant as a new financial initiative that covers tuition and fees to qualifying families whose adjusted gross income is below $65,000 a year.  This grant guarantees 100% of the cost of tuition and fees covered for both first-year and transfer students.
  • Provided Economic Relief to DACA/DREAMER Students Impacted by Covid-19 that could not receive Federal Stimulus Funds. 
  • Provided Economic Relief to Students Impacted by Covid-19.  The Division of Enrollment Management was able to provide Federal Higher Education Relief Funding by utilizing financial aid data, 3,176 of the neediest students were prioritized when issuing these payments to offset monetary losses experienced from the start of the pandemic. 
  • Implementation of meet your Admission Counselor Series demystifying the application and financial aid process.
  • Admission information sessions held for Spanish speaking parents/guardians.
  • Providing the opportunity for incoming students to schedule both an in-person or virtual appointment an Admissions Representative.
  • Incorporated Financial Aid “call to actions” emails and text messaging regarding deadline to receive State aid.
  • Eligible to enroll postcards, text messages and phone calls to students that had yet registered for courses.
  • In collaboration with The Office of Development and Alumni Affairs, the Enrollment Team is now able to award new, incoming graduate students with scholarship opportunities. This began spring 2021 and will continue for Fall 2021 and beyond.

  • The Enrollment Team used programmatic themes to plan events. Some of the programs were academic in nature, i.e. targeted graduate programs, and others were themed based on funnel stage or topical. 

FY22 Update

  • Expanded Targeted High School Visits, College Fair participation, and on-campus Special Group Visits.
  • Enhanced utilization of social media by providing application assistance, financial aid assistance and highlighting student testimonials.
  • Promoted one-to-one personal counseling for first-year, transfer, and international students available in-person and virtually.
  • Divisional collaboration across all EM departments including but not limited to Discover Stockton Events (Open House), Experience Stockton Events (Admitted Students Day), parent mailings, email outreach, and phone calls regarding financial aid packaging.
  • “Financing your Education” presentations were made available to families regarding affordability.
  • We utilized FAFSA information in identifying students that applied with no FAFSA data and vice versa. Students with zero EFC were targeted with information regarding Stockton Promise and Garden State Guarantee.
  • Collaborated with GOALS / GEAR UP by providing presentations and application assistance to scholars.
  • Implemented Virtual Instant Decision Days (IDD) for international students.

FY23 Update

  • Utilization at Niche and Common App Direct Admissions Pilot Program
  • Restructuring territories counties within New Jersey based on historical application volume due to being fully staffed with counselors / recruiters.
  • Increased number of Onsite Instant Decision Day at targeted high schools / counties
  • Enhanced Social Media presence utilizing Ambassadors “A Day in the life of a student” In-person event posting
  • Summer Instant Decision Day for GOALS scholars
  • Districtwide Programming: Greater Egg Day for neighboring school districts including Admissions and Financial Aid Overview.
  • Targeted population programs: “What in the EOF” Financing your Education, DACA/DREAMER Presentation, International Student Recruitment initiatives
  • Creation of Instant Decision Day for student athletes (June 2023)
  • Meet your Counselor Series
  • The Office of Financial Aid assisted Atlantic City High School with a FAFSA completion workshop, as well as a financial aid presentation later in the year.
  • The Office of Financial Aid successfully implemented and identified eligible students for the new Summer TAG program.
  • The Office of Financial Aid successfully implemented the Garden State Guarantee program.

Lead Unit: Executive Vice President

FY21 Update

  • Majority of programming plans impacted by COVID, due to the in-person nature of many networking and relationship-building events.
  • Continued to work with Career Education and Development for opportunities to showcase alumni achievement.
  • Enhanced OspreyConnect, the online networking platform for alumni and friends. Launched new monthly newsletter, solicited alumni mentors, marketed the platform to new graduates.
  • Planning in place to launch Corporate Club program in FY22.  

Lead Unit: Enrollment Management

FY21 Update

  • The creation, collaboration and implementation of Nest Fest Overnight orientation programming.  Key offices included New Student and Family Programs, Housing as well as Academic Affairs.
  • Experience Stockton & Discover Stockton Day programs for prospective students and families.
  • Hosted virtual recruitment events such a Diversi-TEA Series and the Virtual Vision Board Series mentorship program aimed at re-affirming Stockton’s commitment to diversity by hosting topic-specific panel discussions with students, faculty and staff regarding issues on race, ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and political perspectives. 

Lead Unit: Student Affairs

 

Lead Unit: Enrollment Management

FY21 Update

  • Automated Bursar Account Receivable Reporting to track point in time comparisons daily.
  • Automated Bursar reporting to track student accounts that have a higher chance for default to offer payment options.
  • Redesigned Bursar website with more straightforward navigation for website visitors..
  • Developed a Strategic Communication Plan that maps the Bursar billing cycle to several modes of communications to mediate outstanding Account Receivables. 

Lead Unit: Enrollment Management

FY21 Update

  • Developed recruitment strategies to assist with targeted student recruitment and retention including using Gear-Up/Goals program to create a summer academy as a pipeline for incoming first-year students; Established a mentor program with Stockton alumni; and worked with academic programs to create information sessions aimed at diversifying students in STEM and Health Sciences.
  • Developed strategies for closing the financial gap between financial aid and college cost using Stockton Grant in Aid (institutional need- based funds).
  • Creation and implementation of freshman and transfer communication plan that provides students with next steps from application to enrollment by ways of email and text
  • Implementation of online enrollment deposit form as well online Educational Opportunity Fund Program supplemental application
  • Created instructional videos about applying for financial aid and the FAFSA process for first-generation and minority students.
  • Developed and implemented a structured, electronic Federal Work-Study job description form that requires employers to enter all necessary components of a written job description to strengthen Title IV compliance.
  • Reviewed and enhanced our University’s annual consumer information webpage and email notification to strengthen Title IV compliance.
  • Developed automatic, customized triggers that require documentation from FAFSA applicants who identify as being in a legal guardianship, an orphan or ward of the court, or homeless to strengthen Title IV compliance. 

Lead Unit: Enrollment Management

 

Lead Unit: Enrollment Management

FY21 Update

  • In collaboration with URM, the Enrollment Team used data analytics to make marketing and advertising decisions, including Google AdWords, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
  • In conjunction with ITS and Video Productions, the Enrollment Team is now live-streaming in-person events so maximize audience reach. This will enhance our programming to meet prospective students, especially adults, where they are located. The Team also leverages social media to live-stream when appropriate.
  • The Enrollment Team expanded the use of communication tools to reach various populations. These tools are tracked to monitor open rates in order to make data-driven decisions for future campaigns.
  • The Enrollment Management team is now utilizing Microsoft Planner and Tasks to monitor on-going projects and initiatives.
  • Packaged and sent offer notifications to admitted Fall 2021 students four months earlier than last year.
  • Packaged and sent offer notifications to returning Fall 2021 students three weeks earlier than last year.
  • Developed a report that provides the Office of Admissions a list of prospective students that indicated Stockton University as a school choice on their FAFSA but did not begin an admissions application.

Lead Unit: Executive Vice President

FY21 Update

  • Revamped the Choose campaign to emphasize “Choose Stockton.” This was our most diverse campaign, with 3 males and 3 females, including 2 Black, 1 Latinx, 1 Asian and 1 veteran student(s) . The two 30-second spots have reached 150K on YouTube alone.
  • Created a virtual tour series for Admissions to reach prospective students unable to visit campus due to the pandemic. Launched the series with four tour stops: Campus Center, Academic Spine, Freshman Housing, Lake Fred. 

Lead Unit: Planning & Research

 

Enrollment Reports

The University maintains a comprehensive set of enrollment reports that are provided to University faculty, staff, and administrators on a regular basis. To request access to these materials, please email IR@stockton.edu.

Stockton has an obligation to support students who arrive in their first year, those who transfer later in their academic career, as well as those who return to school as adult learners.

The University has begun the important work of evaluating its recruitment goals and strategies, updating its institutional aid programs, and developing a formal and structured student retention process. This work will continue to be refined over the next five years to ensure that enrollment, persistence, and graduation goals are aligned with institutional capacity. Strategic enrollment management also has an important role in recruiting students that adds to the diversity of the institution.

Since its last strategic plan, Stockton has grown in many respects—physically, geographically, demographically, and academically. Consequently, the University has been developing a comprehensive enrollment management plan that responds to our responsibility as a public institution, our role as an anchor institution, and our financial realities. In support of these objectives, Stockton will take a considered and measured approach to establishing enrollment goals in the context of inclusive student success.

Enrollment objectives should be considered at the institutional, school, and program level to ensure goals are realistic and are both manageable and sustainable through our support structures.

We will do this by developing strategies and tactics that:

  • Develop enrollment and retention strategies at the institutional, school and program level that account for our mission, market demand, cost, and capacity.
  • Continue to strengthen the University’s data analytics efforts regarding recruitment, persistence, and graduation, as well as enrollment, placement testing, housing, and financial aid projections.
  • Recognize and support the inherent value and contributions of faculty in their courses (program, at-some-distance, general studies, service, and curricular subscripts), as well as activities outside of the classroom, such as preceptorial advising and internship supervision.
  • Strengthen partnerships with high schools and community colleges through programs such as our Dual-Credit and Transfer Pathways programs.