“But You’ve Gotta’ Know the Territory!”“But You’ve Gotta’ Know the Territory!”

Kelly RawlingsKelly RawlingsAssociate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Virginia Tech

Sam McNairAssociate Dean of Admissions for Operations, Sewanee: The University of the South (TN)

Steve GraffDirector & Senior Consultant, Recruitment & Admissions Data Services, The College Board

Southern Regional ForumAtlanta, GA

February, 2011

What’s your territory?

• Is there a scheme behind the assignment or is it merely what wasn’t currently assigned?

• If there’s a scheme, how was it developed; on what is it based?

A th i di id l t it l ? D th t • Are there individual territory goals? Does the manager get input into setting them?

• Are recruitment strategies, activities, messages differentiated g , , gby territory?

• Do you make the admission decisions for students from your territory?

• Do you calculate an ROI by territory?

Source: WICHE/The College Board

• Do you calculate an ROI by territory?

What do you know about your territory?

• What does the student population look like? Where do the students you’re looking for fit in that population? What’s the outlook for enrollments down the road?

•Is your territory homogeneous? If not do you know how the Is your territory homogeneous? If not, do you know how the various subsets differ?

• Is there good history available on the territory?

• What are the high schools like in your territory? Do you expect to deal with a variety or are there only certain types of schools that fit your goals?schools that fit your goals?

• Who’s your competition within your territory? Is it a different set of institutions from your basic competition list?

What do you know about your territory?

A h i l k i hi i ?• Are there potential new markets within your territory?

• How do you keep up with what’s happening in your territory?

• Are you doing anything with alumni in your territory?• Are you doing anything with alumni in your territory?

• Do you have Regional Representatives? How do you help them learn a territory?

“But You’ve Gotta’ Know the Territory!”

Kelly RawlingsAssociate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Virginia Tech

Sam McNairAssociate Dean of Admissions for Operations Sewanee: The University of the South (TN)Associate Dean of Admissions for Operations, Sewanee: The University of the South (TN)

Steve GraffDirector & Senior Consultant, Recruitment & Admissions Data Services, The College Board

Territory Management Overview

• Our Institution

• Enrollment Goals• Enrollment Goals

• Resources Available

• The Process 

• The Execution

• The Results

The InstitutionThe University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn.

• One of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, with 36 majors, 27 minors, and 15 special programs, along with pre‐medicine, pre‐nursing, pre‐law, and pre‐business

• Founded in 1857, the only university in the nation owned and governed by dioceses* of the Episcopal Ch h (*28 th t ifi ll )Church (*28 southeastern, specifically)

• 13,000‐acre campus situated atop the Cumberland Plateau between Nashville and ChattanoogaPlateau between Nashville and Chattanooga

Enrollment Goals

Specifically quantified goals:

• Number of applications• Number of applications

• Acceptance rate

• Freshman enrollment

• Percentage of multicultural students

• Average SAT midpoint

• Freshman retention rate• Freshman retention rate

Enrollment Goals (cont.)

Other goals:

• Number of admits (derived)• Number of admits (derived)

• Yield rate (derived)

• Average high school GPA

• % in the tenth decile

• % from outside the southeast, international

• Freshman discount rate• Freshman discount rate

• Others…?

Resources Available

• Adequate staffing in recruitment, operations and financial aidand financial aid

• Well‐developed faculty, student and alumni volunteers programsvolunteers programs

• Adequate recruitment/operating funds

• Adequate desktop computing resources and support

• Well‐maintained admission web‐hosted CRMand ten years historic data

The Territory Management Process

• Driven by enrollment goals, esp. freshman enrollment and number of applicationsenrollment and number of applications

• Based on historic data

I f d b i t t ti f t t d• Informed by interpretation of current trendsand professional judgment

• Transparent – not “black box”

• Participative – all stakeholders contribute

• Iterative – not “plug and play”

The Execution

• Determine the overall target (# apps goal)

• Analyze historic share data: LY 2 3 and 4• Analyze historic share data: LY, 2‐, 3‐, and 4‐year averages

All t l /t it i• Allocate across counselors/territories

• Counselors allocate across, states, GeoMarkets, schools – this is why, “You’ve gotta’ know the territory!”

• Lather, rinse, repeat

• Lock it down, and make it soLock it down, and make it so

The Execution (cont.)

Key indicators

• Prospects #

Cross‐tabs

• By entry term (year)Prospects #

• Applicants #

• Conversion rate %

• Share of total

• Actual vs. goalConversion rate %

• Admits #

• Admit rate %

• Variance

• % complete

• By counselor (region)• Admit rate %

• Enrolled #

• Yield rate %

• By counselor (region)

• By state

• By GeoMarkets• Yield rate % By GeoMarkets

• By metro areas

The Results

• The B.H.A.G. (big hairy audacious goal) doesn’t seem quite so big, hairy or audacious

• Sharing a common framework for analysis stimulates exchange of ideas and market intelligence, and reduces the risk of outliers and false assumptions

• Counselors understand what’s expected, and have some sense of where it will come from – essential in travel planning

All k h ld k h d i• All stakeholders know where we stand at any given time

Virginia Tech Undergraduate AdmissionsVirginia Tech Undergraduate Admissions

Territory Management ProcessesTerritory Management ProcessesKelly M. Rawlings, Associate Director

February 25, 2011

Snapshot : PoolSnapshot : Pool

• Number of freshman applicants:Number of freshman applicants: 20,083 

• Average Application GPA: 3.81Average Application GPA: 3.81• Number offered admission: 13,412 • Number accepting the offers ofNumber accepting the offers of admission: 5,378

• Percentage of the Class of 2014 gaccepting under the Early Decision Plan: 22% 

16

Snapshot : Offer StatsSnapshot : Offer Stats

• Average Offered High School GPA:Average Offered High School GPA: 3.96; the middle 50% of students had GPAs ranging from 3 71 tohad GPAs ranging from 3.71 to 4.17. 

• Average SAT Reasoning Test score• Average SAT Reasoning Test score (critical reading + math): 1250

17

Snapshot : AcademicsSnapshot : Academics

Most popular majors for incoming freshmen:Most popular majors for incoming freshmen: #1 General Engineering #2 University Studies (undecided)#3 Biological Sciences#3 Biological Sciences #4 Business#5 Human Nutrition, Foods, & Exercise #6 Psychology#6 Psychology #7 Animal & Poultry Sciences#8 Communication#9 Political Science#9 Political Science #10 Architecture 

18

Snapshot: DemographicsSnapshot: DemographicsTop 5 home states of incoming freshmen: #1 state – Virginia (70%)

l#2 state ‐Maryland #3 state ‐ Pennsylvania #4 state ‐ New Jersey#4 state  New Jersey #5 state ‐ North Carolina Number of states represented: 47 Countries represented: 40 Number of international freshmen: 104Gender: 58 4% male; 41 6% femaleGender: 58.4% male; 41.6% female Race: American Indian: 1%, Black: 4%, Native 

Hawaiian: <1%, White: 78%, Asian: 11%, Hispanic: 5% U k /Oth 1%5%, Unknown/Other: 1% 

19

Snapshot: StaffSnapshot: Staff• 12 full‐time Assistant Directors through the Director all of whom travel and review files

• 3‐5 temporary Admissions Advisors who complete extensive travel  and precruitment (including almost all OOS travel) but have limited involvement in the review

20

How travel decisions are made:

• Travel Coordinator, Associate Director, PR Coordinator

• Historical data (Google Docs)Historical data (Google Docs)

• Current trends

B d t• Budget

• Convenience (proximity to other fairs, etc.)

• When complete, travel assignments are distributed.

21

“The Merger” on Google DocsThe Merger  on Google Docs

https://www google com/accounts/Servihttps://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLoginAuth

• Primarily used to help schedule high school visits.

22

Resources for the HS VisitResources for the HS Visit

• Database includes visit historyDatabase includes visit history with notes.

• State folders include DEA state• State folders include DEA state information.

EPS S h l R• EPS School Reports

• AOA History on Google Docs

23

Territory Assignments*Territory AssignmentsAssigned to 12 full‐time staff considering:

• Number of applications expected

• Proximity to personal contacts

• Level of interest

• Knowledge base of the area schools

• Additional responsibilities in office

• Personality

*Think review, not recruitment.,

24

Territory Assignments

• No quotas or targets

• No performance evaluation based on territory numbersy

• Generating applications or accepts not a major focusaccepts not a major focus

• More important to know the schools profiles universityschools, profiles, university needs, to make good decisions in reviewin review

25

Knowing Your TerritoryKnowing Your TerritoryWhen presenting at committee know:

• School profile 

• Apps, Offers, Accepts historyApps, Offers, Accepts history

• Decision history

G hi t d• Geographic trends

• Scholarship influences

26

Targeted Recruitment ‐ EPSTargeted Recruitment  EPS

• Departmental Targetsp g

• Some want to grow, some don’t.  We don’t want to vary admission requirements from one major to the next so we focus recruitment on areas of 

thgrowth.

• EPS Interactive Reports

27

Using EPS to Target RecruitsUsing EPS to Target Recruits

• Performing Arts wants to grow

• Built search to include:• 20 states 

• mobile 

• large public university (10,000+)

• 2‐4 years of music in HS

• B+ or higher GPA

1000 hi h SAT• 1000 or higher SAT

• first choice major in the arts 

***Resulted in 12% increase this yearResulted in 12% increase this year

28

Using EPS to Target RecruitsUs g S to a get ec u ts• Foreign Languages wants to grow

B ilt h t i l d• Built search to include:• 16 states, exclude VA

• mobile• mobile

• large public university

• 2+ years of language in HS2+ years of language in HS

• B+ or higher GPA

• 1000 or higher SAT

• First choice major = language

***Resulted in 20% increase

29

“B Y ’ G ’ K h T i !”“But You’ve Gotta’ Know the Territory!”

Southern Regional ForumAtlanta, GA

February, 2011