Dive Brief:
- Muhlenberg College is featured in Fox Business for its innovative approach to recruiting physics students, which includes a day-long immersion program in which students meet with faculty, alumni and college officials.
- President John Williams says the program provides a unique chance for top students interested in a competitive major to discover the college in a unique way.
- The model is being piloted specifically in the physics program, and closely resembles recruiting visits commonly used by college coaches for student athletes.
Dive Insight:
Direct engagement with students in specific majors is the ideal way to show students with multiple college options that a particular school can be a direct fit for their academic and social objectives. For academic executives at smaller institutions, hiring new graduates or school-specific recruiters may seem to be a high cost, but it is one that will yield sizable returns in tuition revenue and retention metrics.
Many schools use the silo-based model for recruitment and development, and programs like these are standard execution for reaching out to current students, alumni and donors to build lasting relationships that can produce millions in support.