By Becky Tankersley, Director of Communications, Enrollment Marketing and Communications at Georgia Tech, and Community & Content Facilitator, AACRAO
How can you transform your recruitment efforts by strategizing like a start-up company? This is the question Nicholas Rejebian, Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Cincinnati, sought to answer during his session, “Strategizing as a Start Up: Operationalizing Efficiency and Innovation in Recruitment Strategy” at the 110th AACRAO Annual Meeting.
Rejebian began by inviting attendees to describe their first thoughts when they think of a start-up company, ultimately encouraging everyone to think about data, stakeholder relationships, and problem solving.
The ‘Fail Fast’ Process
At the University of Cincinnati, Rejebian described how they took on a “fail fast” mentality, meaning they were willing to try new ideas quickly (rather than fear potential failure). In this process, they started to look at data differently; not only seeing the “big” data, but also diving into the smaller points and minutia that can make a difference in the analysis process.
While data often determined their decision points, they went a step further to identify what core principles would be used when making a decision. For example, would decisions and choices be determined by values, data, prior events, or the status quo? They ultimately found that increasing returns pave the way for long-term planning and decision making.
Increasing Returns
Quoting a combination of definitions from Morgan Stanley and Paul Pierson, increasing returns contain the following elements:
Multiple equilibria: a number of outcomes are generally possible.
Contingency: relatively small events happening at the right moment can have enduring consequences.
Role of timing and sequence: when an event occurs can be crucial, and those that happen early may matter the most.
Inertia (aka change management): increasing returns may lead to a single equilibrium resistant to change.
Case Studies on Recruitment
Rejebian gave examples of projects that focused on recruitment in new regions. One specific example focused on outreach to expand recruitment in the Appalachia region of Ohio.
In this example, the focus began with data, finding that while there are 32 counties in the Appalachian region of Ohio, nearly 81% of students came from only 31 high schools, and 71% came from one county alone. In this case, data pertaining to the top feeder high school was not helpful, as expansion had become necessary.
To increase recruitment, an Appalachia guidebook was created, admission visits were targeted at the county level, and admission staff adapted recruitment practices (for example, assessing whether the counties had internet access and pivoting accordingly). Additional efforts included creating summer programs for high-achieving students and embedding belonging into event programming, helping students see themselves at the college.
Relationships with Collaborators and Stakeholders
Rejebian concluded his session by noting the difference between collaborators and stakeholders and the importance of each. Collaborators work together to achieve a common goal, complete projects, and learn to trust each other throughout the process or at the conclusion of the project.
Stakeholders, on the other hand, are collaborators with vested interest. They work on processes and projects, and trust is fostered through work and ongoing relationships.
A stakeholder is not only someone who shows up, but who ultimately buys into the larger vision and mission. As we work with collaborators, it’s important to identify who can become a longer-term stakeholder and nurture those relationships over time.