Cindy Kiefer

Photograph of Cindy Kiefer.

Assistant Dean of Student Affairs

www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-kiefer

Dr. Kiefer serves as the Director of Admission + Financial Aid at the University of Virginia School of Architecture. As a first-generation college student with a student-centered approach to support students in meeting their individual educational goals and career objectives, Dr. Kiefer is guided by the principles of transparency, authenticity, and equity, and celebrating the unique characteristics of the students she serves.

Capstone Project: The Enrollment Funnel: Why Prospective Graduate Students Stop at the Application Stage

A significant amount of research exists to illustrate the SEM issues facing undergraduate institutions and graduate programs, yet little information can be found on professional schools of architecture. Often decentralized within a larger university structure with limited recruitment resources, graduate architecture and design schools, as a niche market, face unique challenges attracting potential students. This study explored reasons for why prospective graduate students did not progress in the enrollment funnel to the application stage. Specific focus centered on the differences for not applying between students who had attended recruitment events and those who did not engage during the recruitment cycle.