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Part I: Annual Report | 1

Office of Admissions

2017-2018 Annual Report

Departmental Core Objectives and Staff Excellence

October 2018


MISSION STATEMENT

The Office of Admissions recruits students to the University of Utah in the hopes of building an incoming

class that is pluralistic, academically astute, and engaged. We strive to attract a student body that reflects

both the state of Utah, and the greater global community. As the flagship institution for Utah, we take

onus to accurately represent university programs and policies while evaluating a student candidacy for

admission and residency. Applications are reviewed holistically, confidentially, and securely by trained

admission professionals. This is done to ensure fairness and to maximize access for all applicants.

Our mission is accomplished by:

Representing the University through aggressive recruitment and outreach plans both

off campus and in communities throughout Utah and the world as well as through

innovative and welcoming campus visit programs.

Formulating relationships with high school counselors and other educators as well as

key stakeholders to meet the goals of the University’s Strategic Enrollment

Management plan.

Partnering with other University programs and offices to do outreach and ensure

access to all communities of the state of Utah and to bring in a diverse and talent

student body that can be retained and will graduate from the University.

Holistically reviewing admission applications in a fair and consistent matter as

approved and guided by the Credit and Admissions committee.

Evaluating transcripts and processing all graduate applications.

Notifying all applicants of their admission status in an efficient and timely manner.

Determining students’ residency status for tuition purposes.

Evaluating, articulating and posting transfer credit from other institutions in a concise

and transparent manner.

Evaluating and posting credit by examination (e.g. AP, IB, CLEP, Challenge,

language and other special credit).

I. Departmental Core Objectives

a. Alignment with Student Affairs Strategic Objectives

Brand Awareness: Due to the office’s role in working with prospective students and families,

schools, as well as community organizations, we strive for consistent and centralized messaging

that upholds the branding standards set forth by the University, while strategically expanding the

University’s footprint to areas where our brand is not as strong or has not been established.

Class Shaping: The Office of Admissions invests a significant amount of financial resources

towards the recruitment of diverse and talented students. These efforts are designed to ensure

access, increase the academic profile of entering students as well as ensure economic

sustainability. These efforts include but are not limited to in-state and out-of-state recruitment

activities, campus programs, and marketing and communication.

Campus Experience: As the "front door" to the University, the office strives to make sure that

every interaction is at a standard that makes an excellent impression on those that interact with


the University. The office provides opportunities for campus visitors to have a first-rate

experience that showcases the numerous opportunities available to prospective students and

families and demonstrates to them why they should consider the University of Utah.

Seamless Navigation: The office continues to review and update its processes as a way to

eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy and strive toward clear and concise instructions and

expectations for important admissions related processes (admissions application, scholarship

consideration, Honors selection, residency classification, etc.)

Our office’s core objectives aid us meeting the following Student Affairs Strategic Objectives:

(3) Engage the University of Utah to develop a strategic enrollment management process that

supports student success, promotes institutional vitality and fulfills the institutional mission; (4)

promote diversity and inclusion to fulfill our commitment to all students, staff and faculty; (6) use

assessment and research to inform decision-making and best practices that serve the needs of, and

engage, students to promote holistic student success.

b. Supporting Programs, Services, and Initiatives

i. Goals and Outcomes

Below represents seven overarching office-wide goals that encompass the expressed core

objectives: brand awareness; class shaping; campus experience; and seamless navigation.

Goal 1: To develop and implement a robust and segmented communications plan

targeting key student populations (Ex: high school students, grades 9-12, high

achieving, diversity, women, international, transfer, veterans and returning students).

Outcome 1a: Increase the number of students that demonstrate interest in, apply to

and enroll in the University of Utah.

Assessment for Goal #1:

Communications: All audiences received a variety of communications through

email, print, web and social media. Fall communications to prospective students

focused heavily on the December 1 priority application date and included viewbooks,

freshman and transfer travel brochures, Facebook posts, on and off campus events

invitations (e.g. Bringing the U to You and Connecting U events) and reminder

emails. Spring communications focused on the value proposition of the University

and the next steps after admissions and our “yield” events. These communications

included our admission packet, welcome letter from the UOSFA, welcome letter from

each college dean, welcome letter from the Office of Student Equity & Diversity,

welcome letter from the Women’s Enrollment Initiative, and our yield books.

We also produced a campus visit mail piece to encourage summer campus visits and a

junior brochure sent to rising seniors.

Audiences: Communications were sent to prospective students, high school

counselors, and alumni and parent volunteers. Our main audience included the


following four groups of high school seniors: high-achieving, diversity, women and

general populations.

High school counselors received monthly newsletters from September to May, as well

as a postcard and emails regarding our annual Counselor Conference and NACAC

Counselors reception.

Results: Between July 1, 2016 and August 30, 2017 approximately 660 unique emails

were sent (up 234 or 55% over last year). Our open rates ranged from 25% to 65% for

freshmen and 40% to 90% for transfers (well above national averages for e-mail

communications).

Recruitment: Calling campaigns and chat events were conducted to move students

through the admissions funnel. Multiple calling campaigns and chat events were

developed to target: (1) freshman applicants who were missing application

credentials prior to December 1, February 1, April 1 and the late application period;

(2) admitted freshman and transfer students who had not confirmed and/or deposited

by May 1; (3) admitted freshman awarded scholarships who had not accepted

scholarships, confirmed intent to enroll and/or paid enrollment deposit by May 1; (4)

admitted freshman who had questions about their next steps towards enrollment; (5)

registration and reminder campaign for students to attend on and off-campus

programs; (6) college and departmental calling campaigns to recruit students to

specific programs and majors.

Each calling campaign was designed to create a “call to action” for the target

audience such as to complete an admissions application, confirm intent to enroll, pay

the enrollment deposit, enroll in a departmental program, or participate in an

admissions program/event. Various University staff were involved in the calling

campaigns, including admissions staff, University ambassadors, departmental staff,

departmental ambassadors, alumni and parent volunteers. The following table

outlines the calling campaigns and chat events conducted throughout the 2017-2018

admissions cycle, the target population and outcome data from these communication

activities. Note that “success” in each of the campaigns means that the caller spoke

with either the student or a parent.

Calling Campaign Target Audience Call to Action Total

Contacts

Total

Contacts

Called

Completed

Calls Success

December 1 freshman

incomplete application

campaign

Incomplete freshman applying

by Dec. 1 for summer/fall

2018 with test scores on file

and are missing an application

fee and/or transcript.

Pay application fee

and/or submit

missing transcript for

complete application

by Dec. 1.

1519 518 207 194

February 1 freshman

incomplete application

campaign

Incomplete freshman applying

by Feb. 1 for summer/fall

2018 who are missing

transcript(s) and/or test scores.

Submit missing

transcript(s) and/or

test scores for

1618 1544 508 463


complete application

by Feb. 1.

Diversity Incomplete

Application Female

Outreach

Female students of color with

incomplete applications

Complete application

for summer/fall 2018

by March 1, 2018.

1181 1177 270 191

Diversity Incomplete

Application Male

Outreach

Male students of color with

incomplete applications Complete application

for summer/fall 2018

by March 1, 2018

956 878 261 207

Transfer Incomplete

Application Campaign

Transfer students who

completed application for fall

2018 and paid fee but are

missing transcripts and/or test

scores.

Submit missing

transcripts and/or test

scores by May 1,

2018.

591 508 181 151

Women’s Enrollment

Initiative Outreach

Women of color admitted by

Dec. 1 to remind them to

confirm and deposit.

Confirm intent to

enroll and pay

enrollment deposit by

May 1, 2018.

904 904 148 119

Students of Color w/

Scholarships Campaign

Students of color offered

scholarships but have not

confirmed and deposited.

Accept scholarship

and confirm and

deposit by May 1,

2018.

942 941 250 186

Admitted freshman yield

campaign

Admitted freshman who

accepted scholarship and/or

applied for housing but have

not confirmed and deposited.

Complete confirm

intent to enroll and

pay enrollment

deposit.

608 605 182 124


campaign

Admitted Freshman who

confirmed but have not

deposited.

Complete enrollment

deposit and register

for orientation.

93 91 23 68


campaign

Admitted freshman who have

confirmed but have not

deposited

Complete enrollment

deposit and register

for orientation.

81 81 24 14

Admitted freshman in

Utah scholarship

campaign

Admitted freshman in Utah

who have not accepted the

Presidential or Academic

Recognition Scholarships

Accept scholarship

and confirm, deposit

and register for

orientation.

719 718 207 80

Transfer Deposit

campaign

Admitted transfer for

summer/fall 2018 students

who have not confirmed and

deposited.

Complete confirm

intent to enroll and

pay enrollment

deposit.

506 421 121 61

Freshman New Student

Orientation Reminder*

Admitted freshman who have

confirmed and deposited but

have not registered for

orientation.

Register for new

student orientation. 991 724 233 207

Dallas, Texas U to You

Event Reminder

Admitted freshman in

Dallas/Fort Worth region

Attend the U to You

event in Dallas, TX

on March 17, 2018

91 91 25 19

Utah County U to You

Event Reminder

Admitted freshman in Utah

County

Attend the U to You

event in Lehi, UT on

March 10, 2018

1187 19 1 1

San Jose, CA U to You

Event Reminder

Prospective Juniors and

Admitted freshman in Bay

Area

Attend U to You

Event in San Jose,

CA on March 10,

2018

632 402 57 39


Admitted freshman Utah

Flagship Scholarship

campaign*

Utah Flagship Scholarship

recipients who have not

accepted

Accept scholarship

and confirm and

deposit by May 1,

2018.

783 783 240 144

Admitted freshman out-

of-state scholarship

campaign*

Admitted freshman out-of-

state who have not accepted

scholarships

Accept scholarship

and confirm, deposit

and register for

orientation.

1440 1437 255 34

Trustees Scholarship

campaign*

Admitted freshman awarded

the Trustee’s scholarship.

Accept Trustee’s

Scholarship by May

1, confirm, deposit

and attend

scholarship reception

1067 895 193 52

School of Architecture &

Planning RW&U Event

Reminder*

Admitted freshman with

architecture & planning pre-

major

Register for RW&U

and attend

architecture &

planning session

188 185 64 49

College of Science

RW&U Event

Reminder*


science pre-major

Confirm, deposit, and

register for

orientation. Attend

RW&U College of

Science session.

991 716 175 150

College of Engineering

yield campaign*


engineering pre-major

Confirm, deposit and

register for

orientation.

363 351 12 5

Business Scholars

campaign*

Admitted freshmen with

business pre-major.

Apply for business

scholars' program 689 460 101 80

Totals 18,140 14,449 3,738 2,638

*Calling campaign conducted by a campus partner as indicated under the name of each calling campaign

Multiple chat nights were hosted to help admitted freshman and transfer students navigate

their next steps. The chat room moderators included staff members from the Office of

Admissions, University Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid, and Housing &

Residential Education. The chat nights provided a forum for admitted students to login

and ask questions and/or to speak one-on-one with any one of the moderators. The chat

night call to action was for freshman and transfer students to confirm their intent to

enroll, pay the enrollment deposit, complete the FAFSA process, complete the housing

application, and/or complete orientation. The following table illustrates the number of

participants for each chat night.

Chat Night Dates Participants

February 1 58

March 8 46

April 12 54

Goal #2: To strategically increase our recruitment footprint by identifying and

engaging new market areas domestically and internationally.





Recruitment: Recruitment travel was conducted during fall and spring in the

following states. The strategy during out-of-state travel was to increase the footprint

within key markets (e.g., cities) in these states that aligned with name purchases,

quantitative recruitment data and qualitative market indicators. Intentional

recruitment travel in these key markets allowed us to focus on areas where we were

more likely to increase interest and move students through the application process

and enrollment in the University of Utah. Recruitment travel consisted of high school

visits, coffee chats, college fairs and recruitment programs. Admissions counselors

maintained participation in annual college fairs and high school visits where they

were likely to attract students or generate interest. They also, participated in new

college fairs and school visits as a way to saturate and expand our recruitment

footprint in these key markets. The table below highlights new fairs and/or

recruitment visits we engaged in during the year.

Recruitment Travel States

New College Fairs

State College Fairs

California DeAnza Foothill College International College Fair, Silicon Valley

NACAC STEM fair*

Colorado Castleview High School, Ponderosa High School

Illinois District 211 at Palatine High School, College of DuPage, Joliet Junior

College, College of Lake County

Nevada Rancho High School, Faith Lutheran High School

Texas Houston NACAC STEM fair* *College fair registration fee covered by the Office of Admissions and covered by the College of Engineering

We experienced growth out-of-state, especially in the states where we actively

recruited, as reflected in the enrollment funnel synopsis data. Our territory managers

were more strategic this year by identifying specific schools and regions in their in and

out-of-state territories that would likely yield student enrollment at the University of

Utah.

*Excludes Utah and travel states

We also participated in two Utah Higher Education Day (UHED) tours this year,

visiting a total of 136 high schools during fall and spring. The fall tour was focused on

seniors and the spring tour was focused on juniors. Our call to action for both groups

was to apply and visit campus. Our additional message to the juniors was more so

focused on preparing for admissions (i.e., complete college entrance exams, take

challenging courses, etc.) rather than applying and to apply by our priority admissions

date in the coming fall semester. The UHED tour allowed us to expand our

recruitment footprint in Utah by extending our reach into areas where we do not

traditionally enroll students from. The following graphic illustrates a firm estimate of

leads we acquired during the fall senior and spring junior UHED tours.


In addition to the Utah Higher Education Day Tour, we conducted high school

counselor welcome back visits and participated in the Utah College Application Week

at tier 1 and tier 2 high schools throughout Utah. We conducted outreach class visits to

high school along the Wasatch front that had programs designed specifically for

underrepresented student populations (i.e., AVID, GearUp, Latinos in Action, People

of the Pacific, TRIO/Upward Bound, etc.). We were intentional about the frequency of

our visits specifically in more competitive in-state schools to create greater brand

awareness and position the U as an affordable top academic institution in the state.

Increased presence in-state also allowed us to strengthen our relationship with key

stakeholders (i.e., counselors, college access advisors, teachers, etc.) in the high schools

to help create a seamless admissions process for the students they work with.

Goal #3: To better engage, utilize and increase alumni/parent participation in

recruitment efforts within existing market areas, as well as expanding and activating

alumni in areas where we do not have a presence.




The alumni and parent volunteer program is undergoing some changes and we are

revamping the program. We maintained some involvement with our alumni partners

by way of an admitted reception hosted by our alumni chapter in Chicago, IL and

participation in college fairs in Las Vegas, NV and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Our parent volunteers were engaged the admitted student parent reception during the

spring.

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Fall 2017 Tour Spring 2018 Tour

~4029

~5394Utah Higher Education Day Tour Leads


Moving forward, we are working to designate an alumni and parent volunteer

coordinator who will revamp the program and increase our engagement with these

various chapters.

Goal #4: To strengthen and increase communication with groups across campus to

send college and/or department specific communications to prospective students.

Outcome 4a: Creation of consistent and mutually reinforced messaging about

admissions, departmental and/or college processes and offerings.

Outcome 4b: Earlier and increased connectivity between prospective students and

college and/or department.


Communications: The Office of Admissions works with 25 colleges and

departments across campus to send communications out to prospective students and

key influencers. This represents an increase in 6 new campus partners. The new

partners this year include the Academic Advising Center, Asian American Student

Association, Women’s Resource Center, Undergraduate Studies, College of Health,

Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Architecture + Planning, and Fraternity

and Sorority Life. We also increased our social media presence this year with

additional Facebook and Instagram Live events, student-ambassador social

takeovers and real-time Facebook messaging.

25 Colleges/Departments

Served

7,594 Social Media Followers

Current Partnerships 2017-18:

Academic Advising Center

American Indian Resource Center

Asian American Student Association


College of Social & Behavioral Science

Business Scholars

College of Science

Honors Housing and Residential Education

Financial Aid & Scholarships

New Student and Family Programs

College of Law — Passageways to Law

Black Student Union

College of Mines and Earth Science

Child Care and Family Resources

Women’s Enrollment Initiative

College of Fine Arts

UOnline


New U Scholars—includes multiple cohorts

Women’s Resource Center

Undergraduate Studies

College of Health

Medical Laboratory Science

College of Architecture + Planning

Fraternity and Sorority Life

Recruitment: Our recruitment team collaborates with multiple departments on

campus to recruit students who indicate interest in specific academic programs. One

of our key partnerships is with the Office for Student Equity and Diversity (SED).

We support their Pacific Islander Student Association, Asian American Association,

Black Student Union, and Movimiento Chicana/o de Aztlan (MeChA) high school

conferences. We partner with these organizations to send communications to students

and counselors. Admissions also provides admission presentations, tabling sessions

and acquire leads for recruitment purposes. We participate in the planning and

execution of the Expect the Great Annual Conference hosted at Westminster College.

In addition to these events, we collaborated with other campus partners at the

following on and off-campus events and recruited students by means of admissions

presentations, tabling sessions and workshops.

Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Class Visits

Business Scholars Open House

College Education Workshop

Department of Chemistry Admissions Workshop

Expect the Great

Junior Science Day

KJZZ High School Football Games

Latino Medical Student Association Conference

Latinos in Action Conference

SLCC Refugee Conference

SLCC Transfer Day

Student Equity & Diversity SLCC Application Day

Snow College Networking Nights

U Marching Band High School Preview Day

School of Music High School Auditions

Women’s Resource Center GoGirlz Program

University Neighborhood Partners in the Park Glendale Event

Utah College Advising Corps Decision Days

Recruitment participates in the Campus Recruitment Committee (CRC) to strengthen

our partnerships and collaborate with academic and student programs across campus.

The committee meets once a month to discuss recruitment tactics, marketing and

communications campaigns, yield events, and updates. Campus partners share

recruitment updates and new developments in their respective programs. CRC has

increased communication and between our offices and has increased opportunities for

our recruitment team to relay departmental specific information to prospective

students.


Goal #5: To produce dynamic, innovative and engaging recruitment and yield

programs, and campus tours and visits so that prospective students can imagine

themselves at the University of Utah.

Outcome 5a: Attendees will demonstrate interest in, apply to and enroll in the

University of Utah.

Outcome 5b: Increase participation in on-campus recruitment events, and campus

visits and tours. - Yield by program type


Campus Visits: This year we saw a record number of students and guests visiting

campus with over 10,000 attending daily visits and 4,500 on our group visits. We

also conducted 150 group tours, and 50 VIP visits.

The Yield effect of Campus Visits is measured by students attending a campus visit

at any point over their high school career that expressed an interest in attending for

Spring 2017, Fall 2017, or Fall 2018. Of the 4,105 students who visited at some point

during their high school career, and expressed an interest in starting in a 2018 term,

2,628 (64%) submitted an application for admission. We admitted 88% of the

students who submitted applications and enrolled 1,046 (45%) of those who were

admitted.

640 Transfer students visited and expressed an interest in attending for Spring 2017,

Fall 2017, or Fall 2018. Of those 640, 494 (77%) submitted an application for

admission. We admitted 73% of applicants, and enrolled 237 students (65%) of those

who were admitted.

Connecting U Days (CUD): We hosted six Saturday events in fall 2017. Capacity

for each event was 300 students and guests. We were at capacity at almost every

event with a total of 793 total students attending and 1,721 total attendees.

Attendees reported high satisfaction with the Connecting U Program and Campus

Tours, Financial Aid and Scholarships, and Honors were the most attended sessions.

99% of students who completed the program evaluation said they were more likely to

attend the U after participating in a Connecting U program.

REGISTERED ACTUAL

Total Reach for Admissions Campus Visits

Students Parents/Guests Totals

Daily Campus Visit 2017-2018 4,236 5,836 10,072

Group Visits 2017-2018 4,500 0 4500

VIP Visits 2017-2018 50 50

Total Campus Visits Reach 2017-2018 8,786 5,836 14,622


DATE STUDENTS GUESTS Total

Registered

STUDENTS GUESTS ATTENDED

Sept. 23 185 226 411 131 159 290

Sept. 30 186 217 403 160 165 325

Oct. 14 196 215 411 145 161 306

Oct. 28 163 201 364 117 130 247

Nov. 4 174 238 412 129 162 291

Nov. 18 170 240 410 111 151 262

1074 1337 2411 793 928 1721

The Yield effect of Connecting U Day is measured by students attending a CUD at

any point over their high school career that expressed an interest in attending for

Spring 2017, Fall 2017, or Fall 2018. Of the 627 students who attended Connecting U

at some point during their high school career and expressed an interest in starting in a

2018 term, 574 (91%) applied for admission. We admitted 91% of the students who

submitted applications and enrolled 290 (55%) of those who were admitted.

87 Transfer students attended a Connecting U Day program and expressed an interest

in attending for Spring 2017, Fall 2017, or Fall 2018. Of those , 40 (46%) submitted

an application for admission. We admitted 72% of applicants, and enrolled 19

students (66%) of those who were admitted.

Fall Bringing the U to You (BTUTY): We hosted 11 BTUTY programs in 7 states

during fall 2017. Capacity for each event was 60 including guests. Total student

attendance was 197 students and 197 guests for a grand total of 394 attendees.

REGISTERED ACTUAL TOTAL

EVENT STUDENTS GUESTS STUDENTS GUESTS ATTENDED

Denver 35 37 22 26 48

Houston 8 5 8 5 13

Dallas 11 14 9 12 21

Elk Grove 6 7 3 3 6

San Mateo 23 21 17 16 33

Anaheim 45 58 26 30 56

Escondido 26 29 18 20 38

Chicago 19 23 12 15 27

Bellevue 23 20 12 12 24

Boise 64 63 45 34 79

Tempe 49 55 25 24 49

309 332 197 197 394

The Yield effect of Bringing the U to You is measured by students attending a

BTUTY at any point over their high school career that expressed an interest in

attending for Spring 2017, Fall 2017, or Fall 2018. Of the 313 students who attended

BTUTY at some point during their high school career and expressed an interest in

starting in a 2018 term, 218 (69%) applied for admission. We admitted 92% of the

students who submitted applications and enrolled 108 (54%) of those who were

admitted.

Spring Bringing the U to You Receptions (BTUTY): We implemented 10 new

spring receptions for both interested HS juniors and admitted HS seniors. We hosted


out of state receptions in Dallas, San Jose, and Anaheim and in-state receptions in

Lehi and Layton. Capacity for each event was 60 including guests. Total student

attendance for admitted seniors was 90 and 136 guests for a grand total of 225

attendees. Total student attendance for juniors was 74 students and 99 guests for a

grand total of 173 attendees.

U to You Senior Receptions: REGISTERED ACTUAL TOTAL


San Jose-Senior 32 45 25 34 59

Dallas- Senior 13 19 7 10 17

Anaheim-Senior 33 58 25 44 68

Lehi-Senior 27 36 16 25 41

Layton-Senior 28 38 17 23 40

133 196 90 136 225

U to You Junior Receptions REGISTERED ACTUAL TOTAL


San Jose-Junior 13 17 5 6 11

Dallas- Junior 18 25 13 18 31

Anaheim-Junior 29 46 18 27 45

Lehi-Junior 21 27 16 20 36

Layton-Junior 28 36 22 28 50

109 151 74 99 173

Red White & U (RWU): We had a total of 847 students attend this year’s RWU

event, which is a slight increase over the 2017 RWU attendance. This year we

implemented two additional events on Friday evening, a parent reception, and a

student mixer. Both events well exceeded our expectations with over 100 parents

attended the reception, and 150 students attended the mixer.

Of those who attended this year, 77% (650) enrolled at the U in either summer or fall

2018.

Scholarship Reception: We added an additional Scholarship Reception for 2018

based on recommendations from Scholarships and Financial Aid. The reception on

April 18 was held at Rice Eccles Stadium and focused on the Utah Academic

Scholarship recipients. The reception on April 24 was at the University Guest House

and was focused on Trustees Scholarship recipients.

April 18th- 898 students were invited to the Utah Academic Scholarship

Reception. 113 students pre-registered with 182 guests for a total of 295 pre-

registrants. 78 pre-registered students attended with 4 students walked-in. 82

students & 135 guests attended the reception for a total of 217.

April 24th- 1,153 students were invited to the Trustees Scholarship Reception.

116 students pre-registered with 178 guests for a total of 294 pre-registrants.


85 pre-registered students attended with 2 walk-ins. 87 students and 129

guests attended the reception for a total of 216.

Of those who attended this year, 78% enrolled at the U in either summer or fall 2018.

Goal #6: To implement new technologies (ex: document management workflow

solution) that enhance admissions operations, functions and data.

Outcome 6a: Gained efficiencies in preparation and evaluation of files, thus

decreasing inquires and providing a faster turnaround time on applicant decisions to

students and departments.

Outcome 6b: Increased communication with prospective students at key points in the

application process will lessen response time to students regarding application status.

Outcome 6c: Departments will have timely and accurate admissions information to

make data-informed decision.

Assessment for Goal #6: Process Changes to Promote Efficiency: The implementation of OnBase was key to

increasing our processing speed for all areas of the office. Thanks to this

implementation, applications now only route to evaluators if a file is complete with

all transcripts and test scores. Additionally, the document imaging team can now

scan/upload transcripts the day they were received which pushes complete files to

review faster. Because of the visible worklists in OnBase, we are better able to

evaluate the productivity of team members, and team members are able to view their

own workload more effectively.

Our processing teams made great strides in efficiency by collaborating to compare

processes and improve efficiencies in credential review. We created resources,

training materials and outlines to improve the training process for new employees,

and revised email templates in ApplyYourself and OnBase to improve

communication to students. The international team increased their response time for

volume of emails to the International Admissions inbox by providing additional

training to the admissions assistants, creating a common email response template, and

adding a FAQ section to the website. Additional efficiencies included inputting and

updating foreign high school names in PeopleSoft to assist applicants, creating new

navigator views and organizing source code/contact attributes in Hobsons for

efficiency in territory management. We also began posting transfer credit/concurrent

enrollment credit during evaluation of the file rather than making it a separate

process. This allowed the student to receive a transfer summary in order to see which

credits transferred into our institution so they could weigh their decision and also

plan their schedules at the time of admission rather than waiting up to six weeks.

Finally, all evaluators were trained on processing all admit types instead of separating

the work by individual and admit type. This allowed the team to move through

evaluations oldest to most recently submitted first, rather than by admit types.

Deferments

Fall 2017- 525 Deferments Granted


Spring 2018- 9 Deferments Granted Summer 2018- 5 Deferments Granted Total = 539 Deferments granted from July 1st 2017-June 30th 2018

HB 144 Non-Resident Tuition Waiver

Fall 2017 = 39 Students approved for HB 144 tuition waiver

Spring 2018 = 8 Students approved for HB 144 tuition waiver

Total = 47 students granted HB 144 tuition waiver from July 1st 2017-

June 30th 2018

Admission Appeals

Fall 2017 = 170 Appeals Submitted

Fall 2017 = 130 Appeals Approved Spring 2018 = 18 Appeals Submitted Spring 2018 = 15 Appeals Approved Summer 2018 = 1 Appeal Submitted Summer 2018 = 1 Appeal Approved Total = 146 Appeals approved from July 1st, 2017-June 30th 2018

Goal #7: Provide on-going training for full-time and part-time staff that enhances

area knowledge, strengthen technical skills, and promote communication and

collaboration.

Outcome 7a: Utilization of data and best practices in decision-making processes.

Outcome 7b: Increased level of competent and professional service to customers and

colleagues.


Manual and Document Maintenance: Evaluation and Processing manuals were

maintained through the year to document all changes to processes and to streamline

the training of new evaluators. Manuals are reviewed monthly by the leadership of

the processing teams to ensure the most accurate information is available to

evaluators.

Recruitment trainings: The recruitment team participated in specific recruitment

trainings to help refine and strengthen their territory management skills and to

expand their knowledgebase as admissions counselors. The recruitment trainings

focused on the following topics:

Enrollment Goals

Budget & Finances

Hobsons Training

International Admissions

People Soft

Recruitment Plan and Territory Management

Recruitment Travel and Risk Management


Residency Training

Departmental trainings: The recruitment team completed the departmental trainings

listed below. The trainings focused on academic programs, admissions requirements,

main selling points, student support services, student narratives, faculty endeavors,

scholarships, internships, graduation rates, employment outcomes, etc. The trainings

refreshed and enhanced the knowledge base among our admissions counselors who

will be more effective in communicating and articulating our academic programs to

prospective students.

College of Architecture & Planning

College of Education


College of Fine Arts

College of Health

College of Humanities

College of Mines and Earth Sciences

College of Nursing

College of Science

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

College of Social Work

Honors College

Office of Undergraduate Studies

Pre-professional Advising Programs

School of Business

School of Cultural & Social Change

University Program trainings: University program trainings were designed for the

recruitment team to expand their knowledge of the various support services,

academic and research opportunities, campus involvement opportunities, and

financial support for undergraduate students. Our recruitment team participated in

information sessions and discussion panels with the following programs:

Academic Advising Center

Air Force ROTC

American Indian Resource Center

ASUU

Beacon Scholars/Dream Center

Bennion Center

Block U

Career Services

Center for Disability Services

Center for Learning Abroad

Greek Council

Hinckley Institute of Politics

Housing & Residential Education

Income Accounting

Lassonde Studios

Learning Abroad

LEAP

LGBT Resource Center

Marriott Library

Money Management

Center

New University Scholars

Program

Office of Student Equity

and Diversity


Office of Global

Engagement

Student Success Advocates

Program

The MUSE Project

TRIO Services

Undergraduate Research

Opportunities Program

Scholarships and Financial

Aid

Union Programming Council

Utah Asia Campus

Utah College Advising

Corps

Veteran Support Center

Women’s Resource Center

Domestic Graduate Trainings: During the last year, the domestic graduate team

continued our trainings with graduate departments. The Assistant Director Chelsea

Wells and Supervisor Courtney Young went to every college on campus and did

individualized trainings with representatives from every department. These

representatives included department chairs, directors of graduate admissions, and

department staff working with the ApplyYourself system. We also had

representatives from the graduate area attend multiple question and answer sessions

that were presented by our systems specialist, Cindy Hottes. We have continued to

keep our website updated with training materials for departments to use as well. Residency Trainings: The Residency Officer, Taylor Adams and Assistant

Supervisor Hollie Sheets continued outreach to the campus community, presenting to

the following groups of people regarding residency policy and procedures:

17 times at New Freshman Orientation during the summer

School of Business Scholars freshman scholars

Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships

This group also had a table set up to speak to out-of-state students about residency at

each of the following events:

Physical Therapy Interview Day

Occupational Therapy Interview Day

Law School Orientation

International Trainings: During the fall, the international admissions team joined the domestic graduate

admissions team to attend trainings with graduate departments. Assistant Director

Chelsea Wells and Supervisor Courtney Young traveled to every college on campus

to provide individualized training opportunities with representatives from every

department. These representatives included department chairs, directors of graduate

admissions, and departmental staff working with the Apply Yourself system.

Information summarizing the discussions, as well as training materials were provided

to departments at the completion of the trainings.

During the summer, international admissions participated in the Summer Training

schedule for Admissions Counselors. Two trainings were presented in June regarding

the basics of international admissions, including required documentation for

application and I-20, as well as how to troubleshoot frequent applicant issues and

questions.


Training Dates:

Graduate Roundtable Training: MBA Group- October 20, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Pharmacy- October 24, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: School of Business- October 26, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Humanities- October 30, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Social & Behavioral Sciences-

November 2, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Education- November 7, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Medicine- November 9, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Nursing- November 13, 2017 Graduate Roundtable Training: College of Health- November 15, 2017 Recruitment Presentation to Chinese Coaches Program- December 10, 2017 Recruitment Presentation to English Language Institute- February 15, 2018

Recruitment Presentation to English Language Institute- March 6, 2018 Additional activities with our campus partners to increase invisibility and welcome

students to campus:

Participated in the International Student Orientation held by International Student

& Scholar Services to assist in answering student questions, as well as collect

required official documentation for immigration purposes.

Attended UAC Welcome Reception for students transitioning to Main campus.

Socialized with UAC staff and transitioning students, and answered questions

about campus life and resources available on campus.

Attended the International Student & Scholar Services Welcome BBQ on the

Union Patio to welcome students and represent the international admissions area.

ii. Utilization Data

1. Total number of students served: 138,208, which include all inquiries through

enrolled students. This number increases to 560,345 when including names

purchased for communications.

2. Total number of individuals served: This is difficult to calculate as we work

with/serve multiple people across campus to help with their recruitment efforts,

and we also work with parents, counselors, off-campus entities, etc. We don’t

currently track this data. An estimated number would be another 5,000 people.

3. Demographics collected and used: Everything on the admissions application.

II. Plan for the future

a. Anticipated Challenges

i. With enrollment of international students through Shorelight partnerships, our

international processing team will need to manage the demands of main campus, UAC

and Shorelight processing.

ii. Many of the office goals rely on strong partnership and collaboration with University

departments, colleges, and offices within the Division of Enrollment Management. We

will need a strong focus on coordination with these campus offices to create a consistent,


branded message and avoid melt. As these partnerships and collaborations flourish, we

anticipate the operations workload will increase.

iii. With our partnership with Common App, we do expect the number of applications to

increase. As such, we are anticipating that our reading load for holistic reviews will

increase for each admissions counselor.

b. Anticipated Opportunities

i. We look forward to the work being done in international recruitment with the Shorelight

partnership. While also a challenge, this partnership gives us the opportunity to see a

variety of new international applicants.

ii. We view new improvements to our processes and procedures with OnBase as an exciting

opportunity as we streamline and improve processing of applications and materials.

iii. Our partnerships with Shorelight, EAB, and Common App will help to generate an

increase in both domestic and international student enrollment. Our continued partnership

with EAB and the addition of Common App are opportunities to increase applications for

the 18-19 year as well as help us increase our Sophomore and Junior inquiries for future

years.

iv. The addition of a Regional Admissions Counselor in Southern California creates an

opportunity for us to have an ongoing presence in that key market and we anticipate that

it will increase applications and brand awareness. This new position also allows us to

restructure our existing territories to allow for Texas to now have two admissions

counselors working in the state rather than one. Furthermore, we are able to pull one

admissions counselor out of an out-of-state territory to focus on our transfer recruitment

efforts.

v. The addition of an Associate Director for Marketing and Communication increases the

overall bandwidth of the MarComm team and allows for a more focused attention to this

area. As a result, we anticipate to see an increase in our marketing efforts to prospective

students.

c. Any grants or contacts you have received and it how compares to the previous year. None.

d. Any gifts/new revenue. None.

III. Staff Excellence

a. Awards and Recognitions


Castillo, Elizabeth Management Essentials Certificate

Ward, Carly TESOL Certificate

Copeland, Ryan Master of Public Administration, University of Utah

Mateo Remsburg UACRAO Presidential Award for Distinguished and

Exemplary Service

b. Committee Memberships

Clawson, Teri Utah Association of Collegiate Registrars and

Admissions Officers, President Elect

University of Utah Credits and Admissions Committee,

Ex-Officio

NACAC 2018 LAC Member

Jones, Patrick Utah Association of Collegiate Registrars and

Admissions Officers, Professional Development Track

Chair

Remsburg, Mateo Rocky Mountain Association for College Admissions

Counseling Utah College Fair Planning Committee,

Member

U of U Student Commission Committee

Utah Association of Collegiate Registrars and

Admissions Officers, Vice President Recruitment

2018 NACAC Annual Conference Local Advisory

Committee, Co-Chair

Taylor, Todd University College Suspension/Dismissal Committee,

Member

Wells, Chelsea Utah Board of International Educators

c. Presentations and Publications

Remsburg, M., Clawson, T. (2017, October) Bringing in the Class: Balancing the needs

of the Institution with the Colleges/Departments. Presentation at the AACRAO SEM

Conference, Phoenix, AZ.

Halatoa, S., Morris, E. (2018, June). Utah Higher Education Day Tour. Presentation at

the UACRAO Conference, Logan, UT.

Clawson, T., Remsburg, M. (2018, July) From Enrollment Services to Enrollment

Management. Presentation at the ACT Enrollment Management Summit, Denver, CO.

d. Faculty Appointments

None

e. Additional Information

i. Professionalism

Office of Admissions staff participated in regional, national and local conferences,

seminars and colloquia. These opportunities helped to enhance the breadth and depth of

technical skills of the office leadership, which in turn will advance and ignite more

innovation across the entire office.


September 2017 NACAC Boston, Associate Directors, Assistant Director,

October 2017 AACRAO SEM Conference, Sr. Associate Director, Associate

Director

December 2017 U of U Student Affairs Exempt/Non-Exempt Retreats, All Staff

February 2018 HEUG Alliance Conference, Database Analysts

March 2018 TechQuest by Hyland, Database Analysts

March 2018 Utah ACT State, Assistant Director

April 2018 AACRAO Annual Meeting, Executive Director, Sr. Associate

Director, Associate Director

April 2018 UBIE Conference, International Admissions Staff

April 2018 RMACAC Conference, Executive Director, Associate Director

April 2018 Ruffalo Noel Levitz Conference New Orleans, Admissions

Counselor

June 2018 UACRAO, members of Operations and Admissions Counselors

June 2018 CIVSA Conference, Associate Director

July 2018 ACT Enrollment Management Summit, Executive Director, Sr.

Associate Director, Associate Director

ii. Recruitment and retention of highly qualified staff

This past year, we had opportunities to promote outstanding talent within our office. The

following employees accepted promotions within our office this past year: Cindy Hottes,

Taylor Adams, Holli Sheets, Keith Garner.

iii. Retirements, new hires, and accomplishments

New Hires (Full-time employees hired in the last fiscal year)

Philip Lee

Elliott Morris

Connor Edgar

Micah Rollins

Sharon Vasquez

Quynh Killpack

Sarah Mourra

Keith Barnes

Jessie Brown

Significant Office Accomplishments

This year, our office brought in the largest ever freshman class to the University of Utah

with an increase in student diversity and academic quality.

This cycle brought a significant increase in applications at the time of our December 1st

deadline. With the implementation of OnBase, our domestic undergraduate processing

team was still able to complete evaluation processing prior to winter break, giving our

office significant time to clean up files before the January 15th drop date. Even with


staffing challenges, our admissions counselors were able to have all holistic files read by

early January ensuring our ability to meet our deadline and release decisions on time.

We began accepting applications through the Utah Global pathway programs for fall

2018 and received 17 Utah Global students for fall 2018.

Domestic Graduate Admissions and International Admissions were combined and the

team now processes international undergraduate, international graduate, and domestic

graduate applications, as well as issues I-20 Certificate of Eligibility immigration

documentation to all new applicants.

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