What’s Going on With Admissions?

Photo Courtesy of Christopher Ziemnowicz

With the impending West Virginia University (WVU) acquisition of the old Mountain State University campus, a lot of people are wondering what Concord University’s Office of Admissions is doing to prepare for the impending competition.

“It’s going to be several years before they’re established and set up. I’m not even thinking about WVU. Concord needs to think about Concord right now,” said Jacqueline Nottingham, Chief Enrollment Management Officer at Concord.

“I oversee all admissions and financial aid, and this is my second year,” Nottingham said. In this time she's noticed a few things that she is trying to improve on.

“One thing I’ve observed is that about 1/3 of our applicants don’t send in the rest of the material so we can make a decision. If you take all of the tests and do well and turn in all of your materials you’ll be accepted to Concord,” Nottingham explained.

Prospective students too often fail to send in all of that material. “They usually leave out the pieces of the puzzle. The pieces of the puzzle are the application itself, their high school transcript, test scores, and the application fee or waiver’” said Nottingham.

This has led to a push in streamlining the application process for prospective students. “We’ve been following up with students and encouraging them to fill out the FAFSA, and we have updated the scholarship information on the website,” Nottingham said.

“It's a big waiting game, trying to get out there and get applications completed,” she adds.

Although the much larger university will soon be spreading into Concord territory, the situation is not as bleak as some people seem to think. “We’ve seen an increase in applications over the last two years. We’re up in applications 27.5% since last year, and up 4.25% in two years as of January 26^th. We are up about 350% over last year and 70% in two years in offers of admission. We’re trying different strategies and reaching different market,” Nottingham explained.

The Office of Admissions is focusing more attention on our state, in addition to out of state markets. “We sent a Concord experience package to all guidance councilors in the state of West Virginia. We’ve done special mailings to band directors in West Virginia and nearby states, and we’re about to do a mailing to schools in our border counties about tuition reduction rates. Each gets a message tailored to them,” Nottingham continued.

For the out of state markets, the Office of Admissions is highlighting the tuition reduction program we have for the counties surrounding Concord.

Although Admissions is working tirelessly to aid the university, student help is still always appreciated. “One of the first things we’ve done is a call out for students to get pictures taken for admissions. And we want students to go back to their perspective high schools and talk about Concord in a good light. And maybe have students call prospective students to talk to them about Concord,” Nottingham said.

“Another thing that students can do is live on campus. There are so many advantages to living on campus. They get involved, get better grades, and [have] better access to things like the library,” Nottingham continued. Living on campus helps show prospective students the campus and college life as well, as they are more likely to see students out and about on campus.

Nottingham and her admissions team are open to suggestions for new ways to tackle admissions. “If students have ideas or an impression we made on them, or they know of something that we haven’t thought of, I’d love to know,” Nottingham said.

Admissions affects more than just enrollment though. “A large portion of our revenue comes from tuition and fees and state funding,” said Chuck Becker, Vice President for Business and Finance.

“It's not so much what I'm doing, it's what Jacqueline and her team are doing. Admissions and recruiting students has turned into an even more strategic operation. Social media has changed things,” Becker said. “Jacqueline and her team has moved us much further down the road in making a more data centered process. We're slow to change and we’ll have to speed up that process if we want to thrive.”

One of the problems facing colleges and universities in the state is the number of students who are planning to enroll in higher education. “West Virginia has a very low participation across the board in higher education. There's a lot involved in educating people and getting them to know the value of a two or four year degree,” Becker said.

Students can play a vital role in this process if they want to help. “Even with all the social media and electric communication, we need to do a better job here of getting students to go out and share things about Concord and get new students to Concord. Students I think can do a lot if they maintain a positive outlook, and it's our job to make sure they have it,” Becker said.

“I think we have some challenges ahead, but at the same time we've got some opportunities. There's a place for the higher education that students get here, a more personal touch. I think there's no question that to participate in the economy it requires some higher level skills. I think it's important for students to give themselves all the skills they need,” said Becker.

To contact Jacqueline Nottingham about ideas for admissions, call 304-384-6305 or email ntnghm@concord.edu.