1. CHALLENGE
CONVENTIONS, SPEAK
TO THE STUDENTS
How establishing an internal community could help
our school

2. Today’s Presentation
• Official Social Media Presence of Clark U
• Clark University Admission Departement and Facebook
• The Unofficial internal community
• Case study: the change in policy from need bling to need
aware

3. Various use of Social Media Tools

4. Admissions
Most effective Groundswell use
• Facebook Engagement
• Listen to the questions of
perspective students
• Talk back to these students
• It is a TWO WAY form of
communication

5. From
current
students to
perspective
ones

6. From
perspectives
to current and
other
perspectives

7. Unofficial Clark Community
Facebook
• Over 20 different groups
• Academic, Special Interest, class
connections

8. Conversations over Facebook
• Publicity for events

9. Looking to buy/sell?
Clark Craiglist
F**k the Bookstore

10. Starting a buisness

11. Complaining about Clark

12. Organizing Events

13. Case study: Change in policy
• Past policy:
Mostly need blind
• Current policy:
Clark will continue to admit the vast majority of students on
a need-blind basis, and all applications for admission will
be read and evaluated without regard to family financial
circumstances. At the end of the admissions decision-
making process, after determining that we are reaching the
limit of our financial aid budget, we will offer the opportunity
to enroll at Clark to a small number of additional students
on a need-aware basis.

14. • February 17, 2014
To the Clark Community,
I write regarding Clark University’s policies and practices for undergraduate admissions, tuition costs, and financial aid.
Undergraduate education is one of the largest and most important investments students and their families make in their
own lives, and in our collective futures. In this context, we have a shared responsibility to ensure that Clark is accessible
and affordable, and that we provide an exceptional, life-changing, educational experience for all Clark students. Clark’s
commitment to these values is longstanding and will not change. Delivering on these values requires us to balance
cost, accessibility, financial aid, and student debt, with the depth and quality of academic and co-curricular experiences
available to students. Our policies seek to get this intrinsic balance right in the context of external economic circumstances
that are changing locally and globally, as well as the financial pressures facing so many students and families.
• Accessibility, affordability, and excellence are three critical goals. First, we must strive to ensure that Clark is accessible to
students from diverse economic backgrounds. This commitment is foundational to America’s promise that education is a
pathway to opportunity for all. Second, we must seek to ensure that a Clark education is affordable to those students who
do enroll, and that the combination of cost containment and provision of financial aid is such that students can graduate
without an excessive burden of debt. Third, we must be sure that Clark has sufficient resources to deliver an exceptional
educational experience for our students, one that is true to our mission and what we stand for in the world. This requires
that we invest in programs, in people, and in facilities not just for students today, but for generations of future Clark
students.
• Clark’s approach to meeting these goals is very careful stewardship of resources, along with generous support from
alumni and friends whose gifts to Clark have enabled us to keep the cost of education lower than it would otherwise be.
The third pillar of our strategy is a very large and ever-growing commitment to financial aid. Approximately 91% of Clark
undergraduate students receive financial aid, and Clark’s total undergraduate aid budget is $39.9 million. Over the
decades, the combination of cost containment, philanthropic support from generous alumni and other donors, and a large
financial aid budget have allowed us to balance, as best we can, our commitments to accessibility, affordability, and
excellence. But this balance is now under great stress—not just at Clark, but across the majority of colleges and
universities in this country. Since 2010, our expenditures on undergraduate financial aid have grown by $9 million (a 29%
increase), putting added pressure on all other aspects of Clark’s budget, including our desire to be responsive to such
concerns as high levels of student debt.

15. • How does our admissions policy factor into this? Historically Clark has been largely need blind in
admissions and has strived to meet the financial need of admitted students. If the financial need of
all the students who decide to enroll at Clark is higher in any given year, we have simply increased
the total financial aid budget and found a way to balance the remainder of our institutional budgets.
Literally we do not know until students arrive in the fall what our financial aid budget will be. Some
years we end up making painful cuts in services as a result. With the continuing dislocation in the
economy at large, this approach has become unsustainable. Unless we make some changes in how
we approach admissions and financial aid, we would face a variety of negative choices, ranging
from large tuition increases to cuts in critical programs to decreases in financial aid for enrolling
students. In the face of these unacceptable alternatives, in consultation with the Clark University
Board of Trustees, the Faculty Admissions & Financial Aid Committee, and our admissions team, I
have made the decision that Clark will become slightly more need aware as final admissions
decisions are made.
• Clark will continue to admit the vast majority of students on a need-blind basis, and all applications
for admission will be read and evaluated without regard to family financial circumstances. At the end
of the admissions decision-making process, after determining that we are reaching the limit of our
financial aid budget, we will offer the opportunity to enroll at Clark to a small number of additional
students on a need-aware basis. The primary criteria for admitting these last students will remain
that of academic ability and fit with Clark. The effort will be carefully monitored by the Faculty
Admissions & Financial Aid Committee and by the Board of Trustees. Through this initiative, we will
strengthen our capacity to meet the financial aid needs of students who do enroll at Clark.
Lest there be any doubt, we have no interest in changing the Clark University experience or the
diversity of our student body. We are privileged to enroll an amazing group of caring and talented
Clarkies from diverse backgrounds and experiences—this is our great strength and something from
which we will never waiver. We have scheduled a forum at 2 p.m. on Thursday, February 20, in
Lurie Conference Room, for members of the Clark community to discuss any questions or concerns
you may have.

16. Student Reaction
• Facebook , petitions
• Protests
• Virtual News
• Anger

17. Facebook
• NEGATIVE
• Cries of
• « Clark being elitist »
• Clark becoming too selective
• Clark will not be as diverse as it is currently

18. Protests

19. Virtual News Feeds/Buzz

20. Our News Feed - The Scarlet

22. Response from the administration
NOTHING

23. Risk and Opportunitites of communication
status quo
• Alienating current students- who will be alums
• Study shows that the earlier you get alums to donate, the longer
they are to donate to the school
• « Challenge convention » irony
• SHOUT not a conversation
• No real say in how the school should run
• Feedback is not taken into consideration- no action done.
• Opportunities for change is already present
• Use the outlets that the administration already has in place- social
media and youtube
• Conversation– explain on the facebook threads of the complaining
students why this policy is « necessary » or « better »