A panel discussion on what you need to know about graduate recruitment and enrollment management as a new graduate admissions professional. Presented by Sarah Petrakos, Assistant Dean of Admission and Recruitment for the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science, and Kathy Dilks, Director of Graduate Admissions at Sacred Heart University.

1. A Primer for New Graduate
Admissions Professionals
Presented By:
Sarah Petrakos, Assistant Dean, Admission and Recruitment,
Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Kathy Dilks, Director of Graduate Admissions,
Sacred Heart University

2. Introductions
• Who we are and what we do
• Your Turn!
– Name/Job Title/Institution
– # Years in Admission
– Are you a Centralized or Decentralized Admissions Office?

3. Overview
– Graduate School Fairs
– Marketing Collateral
– Campus Visits
– Social Networking
– Operation and Communication Plans
– Communications
– Politics
– Professional Development

4. A Quote To Consider
“The more you know, the more you realize how
much you don’t know;
The less you know, the more you think you
know.”
-David T. Freeman

5. Graduate School Fairs
• College Fairs – Are they Worth It?
– Maximizing their effectiveness
– Identifying the best ones to attend
– Evaluating a fair’s success

6. Simmons GSLIS Travel Report 2011
Name of Event:
Date/ Location/Time of Event:
Would you recommend that we do this event again?
Approximate number of prospective students you spoke with and their area of interest:
Name/department/contact information for anyone else you met with:
Was the amount of materials/number of give-aways sufficient?
What did you bring and approximately how many of each?
Were any of our competitors at the fair? (please list school and names of representatives if
possible)
Any comments/recommendations for next year:
Name of Representative Who Attended:

7. Marketing Collateral
• Collateral Pieces
– Traditional Travel Pieces
– Outside Designers vs. In-House Expertise
– Making a Case For Change

8. Campus Visits
• Open Houses/Information Sessions
• Informational Interviews
• Tours
• Class Visits and Meetings with Faculty

9. Social Networking
• Social Networking
– Opportunity for low-cost marketing
– FB, Blogs, Twitter, Zinch, Foursquare, etc.
– Aim for “genuineness”
– Consistency
– Google Analytics

10. Operation and Communication Plans
• Operations Plan
–Internal Audience
• Marketing/Communication Plan
–External Audience

11. Communications
• Email Blast Companies
– TargetX, Constant Contact
• Enrollment Management Systems (EMS)
– Hobsons, Intelliworks, etc
• Pros and Cons
• Keeping Website Current and
Interesting

12. “Politics”
• Admit to mistakes
• Work Email
• Positive Attitude
• Questioning Higher Ups
• Using Caution in Meetings
• “Bread and Butter”

13. Professional Development
• Moving Up the Ladder
• Different Kinds of Bosses
• Stay Current
• Networking and Professional Associations
– NAGAP, NEGAP, AACRAO, GAPSEMC, Specialty
Conferences (GMAC, etc)
• Continuing to Add to Your Expertise

14. Questions?

15. Contact Information
Sarah Petrakos
Assistant Dean, Admission and Recruitment
Simmons College GSLIS
sarah.petrakos@simmons.edu
617-521-2801
Kathy Dilks
Director of Graduate Admissions
Sacred Heart University
DilksK@sacredheart.edu
203-396-8259