February 23, 2004

Art to SLIS: Departments Begin Graduate Student Recruitment Initiative

Left to right: Dr. Ron Rogers, Dr. Carolyn J. Cassady, Dr. Stan Jones, Dr. Judy Bonner, Dr. Tanya Gille

Among the many faculty and administrators in various departments and offices working on the Graduate Student Recruitment Initiative are (left to right): Dr. Ron Rogers, dean of the graduate school; Dr. Carolyn J. Cassady, associate professor of chemistry and chair of the graduate student recruiting committee in the department; Dr. Stan Jones, chair of the department of physics and astronomy; Dr. Judy Bonner, provost and vice president for academic affairs; and Dr. Tanya Gille, director of the School of Music. (Photo: Rickey Yanaura)

by Joanna C. Hutt

As part of a significant effort to increase enrollment by 2007, departments in UA's colleges and schools have committed to a formalized initiative to recruit graduate students. UA President Robert E. Witt and Provost Judy Bonner have offered financial help and support for the effort, and the Graduate School is chipping in time and activities that departments might need.

"It has been a number of years since money has been available centrally to assist departments with graduate recruitment activities," said Bonner. "I am extremely pleased that departments have enrollment goals for increasing graduate enrollment. And I am pleased that we have some funding available to assist departments with aggressive recruitment plans."

Every school and department has an enrollment goal for 2007 as part of a fiveyear strategic plan, which is a plan for growth based on the reality of decreasing state funding. What is new in this initiative is departmental focus on graduate students. The funding levels will require creativity, and departments are coming up with ideas of how to market their programs and the University to these important students.

"Departments are starting to go on the road to recruit," said Dr. Ron Rogers, dean of the graduate school. "The Graduate School is here to help the whole team."

As for creativity, "our faculty knows what to do. All that was needed was some resources and support," said Rogers.

A Variety of Recruitment Efforts

The initiatives are as varied as the departments. From art to chemistry to the School of Library and Information Sciences, chairs and graduate student enrollment committees are looking at the best approaches within funding limits.

"Recruiting a sufficient number of quality graduate students has always been a high priority for chemistry," says Dr. Joe Thrasher, chair of the department of chemistry, "and this priority has only gotten higher with our recent growth." He recalls a similar effort in 1997. "Chemistry competed well back then when I was graduate student recruiting director in the department. Now the department supports more graduate students from grant and contract monies than any program or department on campus," he said.

Chemistry will shortly move to the new Shelby Hall, an interdisciplinary, state-of-the-art sciences building that is also across the street from the Eric and Sarah Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering. This move will boost recruitment. In addition, chemistry's plan calls for expanding the department's Advanced Instrumental Techniques Colloquium (AITC), which provides prospective students an opportunity to see the facilities and on-going research.

Despite strong research in specific areas, Dr. Stan Jones, chair of the department of physics and astronomy, says that their department is not as well known as it could be. They needed to find the best ways to get the word out.

"The most important way for us to recruit students is for them to find out about us," says Jones. "These days, the primary means for communicating with students is through the Internet. Web pages convey a great deal of information, and are heavily used by students looking for a graduate school. We have a good website right now, but it could be jazzed up and made more efficient with a little professional help."

Other departments, including art, criminal justice and music, have targeted the Web as a place to start a marketing effort.

The School of Music will use its extraordinary talent to draw graduate students. "We want to get our soloists and other musicians out into the communities," says Dr. Tanya Gille, director of the School of Music. "We can take music to schools, nursing homes, even the Legislature." These kinds of day trips can serve several of the School of Music's goals, including recruitment, outreach, and showcasing talent, according to Gille.

Feeder Schools

Departments also have plans for developing strong relationships with state undergraduate colleges and universities, with regional institutions, and with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). These relationships will be built through day trips, longer visits, presentations, direct contact with students, and other means. UA's department of criminal justice, for example, will concentrate on psychology, sociology, political science, social work and criminal justice undergraduates in the state's nearby schools such as UAB, Alabama State University and Judson College.

UA's MINT Center will expand already established collaborations with HBCUs, making contacts through summer students' workshops, faculty workshops, and direct contacts. The physics and astronomy department has targeted regional small liberal arts colleges, such as Davidson College, Emory University, and Tulane University.

UA's School of Library and Information Studies has identified deans of libraries or head librarians at targeted southeastern colleges and universities. These contacts can help by distributing SLIS materials and meeting students. In addition to HBCUs, SLIS will contact institutions that do not have American Library Association accredited programs.

"Alabama State University and Alabama A&M students in the sciences have been leaving the state and going to graduate schools in the Big Ten and northeastern schools. Schools like Ohio State have been coming down here for years recruiting our students. Now we're ready to compete," said Rogers.

For more information or ideas, contact the graduate school at 348-8280.

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