The fast-approaching conclusion of another fiscal year seems to be an appropriate time for reflecting on what’s been done in marketing and enrollment management in the past 12 months.
And beyond reviewing what’s been done, it also offers an opportunity to check on whether these efforts are proving effective in helping the university reach its goal of 10,000 students by 2005.
Early on, many of these changes involved personnel, both hiring new ones and reassigning existing employees.
Last August, Rebecca Tolbert, then associate vice president for Academic Affairs, was tapped to take on the additional responsibilities of overseeing the Admissions, International Student Affairs and Records & Registration offices. Since then Admissions Counselor Bobby Hodum began to coordinate TTU’s campus visitation program and Alisa Frazier was hired as marketing director.
Other tactics employed in the past year to promote the university and contribute to reaching overall marketing and enrollment management goals have included advertising, campus and community relations activities and changes to TTU’s recruitment publications.
Television, print, radio and specialty advertising opportunities were all explored in fiscal year 2000-2001.
Last fall, TTU coordinated with Knoxville-based Shelton Communications Group and StagePost Productions in Nashville to produce its first promotional television commercial in nearly a decade. The spot ran on both cable and broadcast stations in Nashville, Chattanooga and the Upper Cumberland region and also aired during home football and basketball game telecasts on FOX Sports Net South.
“Response to the TV commercial has been very positive overall,” says Marketing Director Alisa Frazier. “And plans are in the works to purchase additional airtime in key markets.”
Print advertising also played a role in helping to create additional awareness about Tennessee Tech. Print ads were placed in two of The Tennessean’s tabloid inserts which also served as programs for two Nashville-area college fairs — the Metro Schools College Night and the NACAC College Fair in March. They also ran in tabloids produced by the Herald Citizen, in both the Tennessee and Virginia Higher Education Guides, and in several Upper Cumberland area high school yearbooks. And later this summer a full-page ad will run in the Tennessee Titans yearbook.
Radio advertising on WRVW, 107.5 FM ‘The River,’ was used to encourage Middle Tennessee teens to stop by TTU’s booth at the NACAC College Fair.
Specialty or promotional items as give-aways also helped to create awareness. Items imprinted with TTU’s new logo were provided to participants of Boys’ State, the Tennessee Geography Bee, the Leadership Putnam Youth Academy, a Josten’s conference for high school yearbook editors and TTU’s new ACE (African-American College & Career Enrichment) camp. “Additional promotional items are currently on bid,” notes Frazier. “We hope to distribute them to even more groups, both on and off campus, next year.”
While the mass awareness advertising generates is helpful, fostering successful relationships with various constituent groups such as community leaders, parents, guidance counselors and, of course, prospective students, may ultimately prove to be one of the elements most critical to the success of TTU’s marketing efforts.
In the past year, TTU has tried to do just that through partnering with the local Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, examining the flow of communications with prospective students and developing an outreach program for high school guidance counselors.
Growthchart, too, is part of this
relationship-building effort. It was developed as a means of
communicating the university’s marketing goals, strategies
and tactics with the campus community at large.
As for building relationships with prospective students, as
reported in previous issues of Growthchart, a new line of
recruiting publications is currently being developed that will
hopefully offer
greater insight into Tennessee Tech.
A review of the admissions process has also been conducted leading to the development of an Admissions communications flowchart.
And what sort of impact have these and other efforts had on Tennessee Tech’s enrollment figures?
The latest figures are encouraging. As of June 11, inquiries from new freshmen were up by 7.4 percent over the previous year, new freshmen applications were up by 2.4 percent, and acceptances showed a 5.8 percent increase.
The increase in the number of applications from transfer students was an impressive 22 percent. The number of campus visits increased 14 percent over last year.
“The numbers are up,” says Rebecca Tolbert. “Though, admittedly, they usually are at this time of year. However, we’re cautiously optimistic that we may see an increase in our enrollment this fall."
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