Sharing Success
What events has your school organized and why were they successful?
We organize a monthly information session for all interested parties to come to the campus This is on our website and we then have the opportunity to see if people are interested in the higher ed and if they are qualified for the degree We take the time to build a rapport and keep a conversation open when they are not quite ready to join the program.
Every year we hold a student appreciation day where the faculty and staff hosts a picnic for our current students. Each current student is encouraged to bring in a friend or family member to shadow them at school for the day and then eat lunch with the students. This is a great recruitment and retention tool.
We have had several education fairs. The things that we do to ensure the success of the event are to notify everyone by either email or social media with plenty of time to prepare. The ones that respond are then added to a separate list and we will stay in contact with them leading up to the event. Afterwards we welcome any critiques to help make the future events better.
We have not organized any events, although I have suggested it multiple times. I am now armed with more information to take to my superiors to encourage this once again to improve enrollment & community relations.
We partnered with a community organization and hosted a back to school event!
We have quarterly career fairs that include interview sessions, presentations and networking opportunities. We host open houses monthly, student weeks, student lunches, client appreciation events, salutes to men, children, etc. We are always involved in community events any chance we get. They are successful because students enjoy it. They are well organized and we listen to what the students want.
Edwina, Great! It sounds like you are on the path to success, and helping students to find success!
Dr. Jean Norris
This was my first student appreciation week, but I must say the students seem happier if nothing else yet. I anticipate seeing results.
These are great events. I am curious about student appreciation week! What kind of successes have you seen from this event?
Dr. Jean Norris
We have organized blood drives, student appreciation weeks and of course graduation. I feel they were successful due to the advertising, delegating responsibilities to the person or team best appropriate to handle the task and effective communication.
Robert,
That sounds great! What will you do to ensure the webinars are successful?
Dr. Jean Norris
We are a small online school and have not yet organized and event. We are considering Webinars within the school's area of education.
There is an opportunity to learn from every experience but I don't want that to shadow that planning events such as an Alumni Dinner can have numerous positive outcomes. What were some of the positive outcomes of that event?
Dr. Jean Norris
We have an Alumni Dinner in which we worked as a team and with plenty of time in advance (1 year) and I believe this was key. The responsibilities were distributed according to the strengths of the team and the aim of the event was presented from the first meeting. Recognizing and anticipating the unexpected was also part of the plan, but some pieces were not considered. In particular I remember about not checking about the events that were taking place in the same venue. This did not help us as the simultaneous event flawed a bit of our activity. This was a learning point for us after the event.
David,
I really like your ideas! What specifically can you do to help your boss see the value in hosting an event?
Dr. Jean Norris
We have never hosted or created an event. Getting support from my boss to move forward with my event ideas has been lacking.
I have participated in a few events held by other organizations. From my experience, events that have a very general theme but are diverse in activities, content, and subjects draw the most people. For example, a health and wellness expo. You can have colleges/universities with medical programs, Dr. offices, fitness people, zumba....ha the options are endless.
If your event has too specific of a purpose then you will lose the population of people who are coming out of pure curiosity.
What a terrific idea! Hosting a community event targeting your common demographic helps to raise awareness about your school and brand ,and like you noted could lead to applications. Thank you for your post Michael.
We hosted a "Battle of the Bands" and it was very successful. The age and demographic were perfect for our school. We got good response from the crowd but even better from the bands. We received several applications from band members.
That's a great idea Mark! What kind of feedback have you received about the video?
