At Cal Poly Humboldt, we prefer not to leave things to chance. That’s especially true of important priorities like student enrollment. And similar to many things on a campus, there is more to it than what is seen, and not just anyone can do it.
If one does not work on a campus, it is relatively easy to understand the role of the faculty. Some faculty can teach physics or forestry. Others are artists and musicians. Still others teach business. Surrounding those who primarily teach, conduct research, and provide service for the greater university are many others who operate the university and the thousands of activities that occur daily. Just because someone can teach biology does not mean they can also teach journalism. They are different. Similarly, enrolling students is different. And there is a science to it.
Our campus has experienced periods of enrollment growth and decline over the years. These changes are felt directly in the community, where the arrival and departure of our students affects everything from store hours to traffic to the types of events that are available. Planned and consistent enrollment is preferred, as it allows for better planning and doesn’t create budget reductions.
Today, we’re reversing a trend of multi-year enrollment declines. Prospective students are showing much stronger interest in Humboldt — locally, throughout California, and even in many other states. We are feeling confident that our enrollment drop has “bottomed out,” with fall 2022 currently showing 103% of our projected enrollment. Growth should increase even more as we add more academic programs in fall 2023.
Student enrollment is a constant focus for universities. Our focus is especially strong compared to most campuses in California because our region’s small population means that we have to recruit effectively outside the area.
Unplanned declines in enrollment can be perceived in a number of ways in the community and on campus. Cal Poly Humboldt’s Enrollment Management work over the last few years has become much more scientific in nature. Today, we have a greater presence and investment in area high schools to enhance recruitment efficiencies and improve yield (“yield” = students who actually enroll). For example, leveraging the percentage and number of majors at each school in terms of applicants, admits, and yielded students can help our admissions team partner with academic deans to guide where to send faculty to recruit. Disaggregating data by majors among yielded students and tracking interests throughout the admissions funnel is important to improve yield, organize recruitment decisions, enhance cost-effectiveness, and prioritize communications that express the value proposition.
Yeah, makes a lot of sense, right? It is a different language, but to those in enrollment, it makes perfect sense.
North Coast high school counselors consistently express a desire for more connection to faculty during the recruitment cycle. Thus, we create opportunities for faculty to engage prospective students and participate in high school visits.
In 2019, as an alternative to traditional marketing approaches, HSU launched a different marketing and digital strategy. We implemented a geo-fencing campaign via social media by digitally targeting students through channels like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, and Twitter. Anyone in the target audience and the relevant zip codes see the promotions on their mobile devices and active social media applications. With one click, the messages lead to admission and registration pages.
We have also set up a geo-fence with a 10-mile radius around campus during the registration cycle. Digital messaging targets current students with academic success and retention messaging. Enrollment Management and Marketing & Communications collaborate to measure website hits, click rates, and behavioral change among students based on when they register. We have seen more students register earlier than before due to this increased communication.
Cal Poly Humboldt has focused on promoting clear degree paths for transfer students. As a result, we have seen our new student classes grow to nearly half transfer, and we expect that transfers will soon be the majority of our new students. Transfer students graduate from HSU at a rate of 72%, which is higher than our traditional student rate. Transfers students from our top feeder college, College of the Redwoods, graduate at 84%. Our pre-admission advising is complemented by targeted messages to provide prospective transfers with the best possible information about our campus. This has been strengthened by creating a reverse transfer partnership with CR, a process that allows transfer students to count Cal Poly courses, if needed, toward completion of the Associate’s Degree at CR.
There is so much more behind the technology, the targeting, the outreach, and the marketing of programs. Hopefully, you now understand some of the picture.
Be well.
Dr. Tom Jackson Jr. is the president of Cal Poly Humboldt. Dr. Jason Meriwether is vice president for enrollment management at Cal Poly Humboldt.
