At AACRAO's 18th Annual SEM Conference Midlands Technical College in SC offered a method for recruitment planning for community colleges called S.M.A.R.T. (Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Time-Oriented). To view the Power Point presentation click here.

Recruitment videos abound in the world of higher education. This video clip offers a look at how one community college (Lakeland in Ohio) promotes its strengths (transfer options, job-related careers, low tuition, hands-on, etc.) as part of its recruitment strategy; while this clip shows how a private university (University of Phoenix) plays to the needs of older first-generation students who are looking to broaden their horizons and create new career opportunities for themselves.

Illegal immigrants continue to be the subject of debate about whether or not they should be a source of recruitable students for colleges. This audio clip takes a look at how North Carolina continues to struggle publicly with the issue.

One of the more recent trends in college recruiting is in looking to untraditional countries for students. To read an article on how Vietnam is becoming a hot market of institutions of higher learning, click here. And this is just part of a larger trend. In a survey conducted by the American Association of Community Colleges, it was discovered that community colleges are bringing more of an international focus to their institutions than ever before. To read this article, click here.

A down economy drives more students back to school. In particular adult student enrollment is seeing an increase during these turbulent times. Eric Hoover, in this article discusses 8 strategies for recruiting this older population.

One of the impacts of technology on recruitment is through the implementation o f virtual worlds. In particular, this article discusses the ways in which virtual reality is changing the recruitment game.

Despite the power and impact of technology, Tim Copeland reminds us that social networking sites (as one example of technology) are only tools and not panaceas for enrollment woes. In the end, it is strategy, not technology that needs to drive which tools are most suitable to recruitment objectives. To read more, click here.

Strategic Web and E-Communications Forum. A one-day forum coming to three cities:

• Tampa, Florida: December 9, 2009
• Irvine, California: January 27, 2010
• Chicago, Illinois: April 22, 2010

National Conference on Student Recruitment, Marketing, and Retention. July 21-23, 2010 • Atlanta, Georgia

The retention of black men in college is one of the most difficult challenges faced by institutions of higher learning in the USA. This article discusses data and surveys that support this claim.

Another under-represented group in higher education is women in science. Brown University has tackled this problem head-on by recognizing these students' need for support if the are to be retained. To read more click here.

Retention rates for undergraduate students at the University of Alaska Anchorage typically hovers around 7.4%. For Alaska Native students, this rate drops to 3.5%. And ironically, this amount represents an increase over previous years when retention was fluctuating between 2.4% and 0.5%. This takes a look at some of the cultural challenges faced by these Native students.

At least four colleges got it right. This link discusses some effective retention strategies practiced by Gainsville College in Georgia, Parkland College in Illinois, St. Phillip's College in Texas, and Sinclair Community College in Ohio.

Enrolling a student is one thing, keeping them another. Given their open-door policy, most community colleges face serious retention challenges. In this article by Danette Brickman, she discusses eight programs that community colleges can implement to improve retention.

Research supports the fact that advising can be an institution's best defense where retention is concerned. Anthony Tricoli, the President of Georgia Perimeter College discusses how his institution has moved from “the traditional centralized service model to a hub and spokes model" of advising. To read more, click here.

This past fall college campuses across the USA saw a jump in the enrollment of Veterans. Whether this was due to a troublesome economy, or a function of the promise of a new and improved Montgomery Bill in the form of Chapter 33, is uncertain. And while few would contest that these Veterans have earned this financial support, the type and amount of social and emotional support they receive while enrolled may be more critical to their retention in higher education. To listen to a NPR broadcast on this subject, click here.

29th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience. February 12 – 16th, 2010, Denver, Colorado.

Strategies for Increasing Student Persistence and Retention Seminar. February 11 – 12th, 2010, Clearwater Beach, Florida

NISOD's 32nd Annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence May 30-June 2, 2010 in Austin, Texas

Learn why NISOD's annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence has been the largest conference for the past three years to focus on community colleges. The NISOD conference celebrates excellence and provides a unique professional development opportunity for faculty, staff, and administrators at colleges and universities to foster student success.