LI BR A R Y Michigan State University This is to certify that the thesis entitled INFORMATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL HOPE COLLEGE FRESHMEN AS A GUIDE FOR DEVELOPING RECRUITING TE RIAL presented y THOMAS DONALD LA BAUGH has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Ph, D. degree in Nation , Administration Major professor Date November 10, 1977 0-7639 INFORMATION mus ASSBSHINT O! POTENTIAL HOPE COLLEGE FRESHMEN AS A GUIDE FOR ”MPH“; RECRUITING HARRIAL By Thoma D. Lansing!) A DISSERTATION Sub-11:136. to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of NONE O? PHILCBOPHY College of Education 1977 GIOBOW3 ABSTRACT INFORMATION NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL HOPE COLLEGE FRESHMEN AS A GUIDE FOR IEVELOPING RECRUITING MATERIAL By moans D. LaBaugh The general purpose of the study was to define the items that prospective Hope College students would like to know when selecting a college. The results nay serve as a guide in developing a better con- nunication progra- with prospective students with the hcpe of inproving freshnen enrollnents in light of a shrinking applicant pool. Responses from two groups were analyzed. i.e.. those students who inquired about Nope College but did not enroll (inquired) and those who inquired and lads application for adnission (applied). no study pursued answers to the conunication formula of who says what to when. when and how. as it applied to high school seniors selecting a college. he pepulations for the survey consisted of 10611} inquired stu- dents and 101“ applied students for a total of 11628. Sanple sizes nunbered 631 for the inquired and 502 for applied for a total sanple sins of 1133. he confidence interval was ninety-five percent with an error rate of five percent. me survey instrunent was nailed with a followup nailing to non-respondents three weeks after the initial nail- ing and a rounder postcard two weeks after that. Infornation was i Tho-as D. LaBaugh processed on a Xerox Sig-a 6 computer utilizing the program Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Generally the findings showed that students have definitive in- fornation needs. 0f thirty-nine items listed. respondents clearly identified their inforsation needs by selecting those they preferred. Over two-thirds of the students began asking plans for college between the niddle of their junior year and early in their senior year and ninety-five percent of the students finalised their plans during their senior year in high school. The college catalog was the its: which nost attracted their attention and was the most used piece in review- ing inforlation about a college. A brochure fron current students and other student-to-student contact. in terns of letters. phone calls and postcards. dominated other choices. The data suggested that Hope College was adequately nesting stu- dent infornation needs and positively influenced student decisions to apply and enroll. There were statistically significant differences in the infor- nation preferences of sen and wonen. and between the groups bound for Hope College. other four-year colleges. and the junior college. Over eighty-two percent of the students surveyed found Hope Col- lege naterials superior or good when conpered with that of other col- leges and when the respondents voting "average" were added the number Junped to 96.1%. Parents were the najor influence in college decision asking for 53.9% of the respondents. i.e.. other than the students then- selves. and friends were the next najor influence. Thomas D. LaBaugh Ninety percent of the students surveyed had a grade point aver- age of C+ or better and over ninety percent of the respondents were college bound. . These two facts reinforced the validity of the mailing list as a valuable tool which contained good prospects for enrollment as these were the types of students Hope wanted to attract. The positive influences of Hope material fro: the responses suggested that drastic changes should not be made in the Hope informa- tion program. however. the nodifications indicated by the study should be made. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A nunber of people have had a major influence on the author's becoming a doctoral candidate and moving through the various stages of conpletion to the final conclusion which is the dissertation. A very sincere "thank you" is extended to: A concerned and professional connittee consisting of: Dr. Richard Featherstons. chair-an. whose gentle nudges and concern for the author kept him on the read to completion; Dr. Hillian Sweetland whose inspiration as a teacher and caring as a friend sakes him deeply missed; Dr. Howard Hickey whose professional manner gave sound direction and support to the author yet allowed roon for a personal friendship; Dr. Van Johnson who generously Joined the comnittee during the preliminary developnent of the dissertation as a sani- festation of his generosity in helping others; and Dr. Jases McKee who offered time and counsel in pursuing the cognate area of Sociology. The inquired and applied students with when the author corre- sponded to receive the results of the survey; without theirv positive response and support this study would not have been possible. 11 Diane VanderLaan for her many long hours of tedious typing and astute observations of needed changes in the layout of the study. Dr. Ronald Mulder and Dr. David Myers of the Hope College fac- ulty who were supportive in giving direction to the development of the survey instrunent and its processing through the com- puter. To my mother and father who provided the inspiration to pursue higher education and the drive and activation to continue at the labor until the job was done. To my wife Sally. and sons Todd and Kent, who gave up many evenings with their husband and father and sat through nany lonely weekends yet naintained a high morale and supportive spirit through the duration. 111 TABLE OF CON'EN'B Chapter I.IN'I'ROIIJCTION.......o.............. 1 Problems in Anerican Higher Education . . . . . . . i Enrollments.................. 2 The Value of Private Higher Education . . . . . 10 StatementoftheProblen.............. 11 StatementofPurpose................15 Object1WS...................16 De318110fth¢3tmi¥.........‘....... 18 Rushdimm. ... .... ... ... ... . 19 ScopeandLinitations............... 21 Definitionoflbrls................2‘6 Assumptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Hypotheses........‘.............25 PlanofPreeentation................ 26 II.RELA'BDLI'ERA'NRB...................28 FMOCOOIOOIOOIIOIOOOOOOOO 28 'me Inpact of Declining Enrollment . . . . . . . '28 litres Perspectives on the Need for BeturInforlstion................. 30 Admissions Perspective-«Student Recruitment . . 30 iv Student Perspective--Better College 80180 tion 0 O C O I O O O O O I O O I I O I O I 33 Expert Perspective--Not Good Enough . . . . . . 36 HistoryandGrowthofAdmiesions.......... 37 Thenarly‘lears................37 AdsiseionsintheU.S. ........... 39 Admissionsafter1900 ............. “1 The Modern Admissions Office . . . . . . . . . . 43 M30108...................M TheAdmissionsDirector 1&5 Marketing...................1‘8 MMike‘tillsvsSales...............51 ’meIssueofEthice.............. 52 Related Studies on Student Information Needs- . . . . 55 Conperative Date . . . . . . . . . . . . s . s . 57 TheCuessingGane...............58 what Others Think a Student Needs to Know . . . 59 Research on Student Information Needs . . . . . 60 III. rmmcunconwcmcmsmm 6? Population...................67 inelastrusent................. 68 Procedure...................75 Hailing....................-?6 thurvoyS.................78 HethodologyandAnalysisofthemta...... 8b IV. ANALYSISG'BIEDATA....... Hypothese3.......... Hypothesisi....... HypothesisZ....... HypothesisB....... Hypothesis“....... Hypothesis5....... Hypothesis6....... Hypothesis7....... HYPOthOQI-saaeseess Generalll'indinsfi. . . . . . . Timing . . . . . . . . . . Other Infcrsation . . . . Information Pieces . . . . Specific Information Needs Follow-up Prom- . . . 0 PART III Concoaitant Findings . . . . . Grade Point Average. . . . College-Bound Students . . Overall Appraisal . . . . vi 35 35 101 108 121 127 132 13? 139 1&1 1&1 142 “2 1&3 1&3 1m m we we V. SUMMARY , CONCLUSIONS. IMPLICATIONS AND mommnofls I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1&8 Sum-ary......................1‘58 ‘meNeed....................1&8 TheS‘hidy...................15° Relatediork..................15“ Conclusions....................15‘t Implications....................158 R.cmndat1°n8 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 161 nmrocmm 163 mnm I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 172 vii n.5, n.5, LIST 0? TABLE Experience of Private Colleges and Universities in the Recruitment and Admission of Undergraduate Studentap 1969-70 through 1975-76 s s s o e e e s a Total Freshman Applications for Member Schools of the Great Lakes Colleges Association . . . . . . . . . . Hope College Freshmen Applications and Enrollments . . TesttheSurveyInstrument.............. Responses to Survey Instrument from Holland High School. Holland. Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . Responses to Survey Instrument from Heat Ottawa High School.Holland.Michigan ....... ...... Responses to Survey Instrument from East Grand Rapids High School. East Grand Rapids. Michigan . . . . . . Response to Survey Instrument from Grandville High School. Grandville. Michigan . . . . . . . . . . . . ResponsestotheSurvey............... what Students Want to Know About a College--Combined InquiredandApplied................ When Prospective Hope College Students Begin Making 0011.89 Plans I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I When Prospective Hops College Students Finalise 6011.80 le I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I From Whom Prospective Hope Students Hant to Hear and by What Means--Combinsd Inquired and Applied . . . . From Whom Prospective Hope Students Want to Hear and bythIInI--Iflu1fldonly. e e s I e s e s s s s viii Ur Ema 82 33 88 91 92 Table l.- 70 h- 9. “-10. “-11 . “-12. 4-13. u-1u. “-15. “-16. h-17. “-18. “-19. u-zo. u-21. From Whom Prospective Hope Students Want to Hear and hythQanB'-App11°don1y assesses-sea. Mail Attracting Attention of Prospective Hope College S ta. nu I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Materials Prospective Hope College Students Hould Reviewto Learn More AboutaCollege . . . . . . . . . Influence of Hope College Information on Application forAdmission .................... Influence of Hope College Information on Enrollment inHopeCollege . Hope College Information Offerings Compared to Student InformationNeeds............ From Hhom Prospective Hope Students Want to Hear and by What Means, Both Inquired and Applied Compared With Hope College Information Provided . . Comparison of Male and Female Infomtion Needs . . . . Comparison of Information Needs of Students Bound For: Hope College, Other Four-Year Institutions and JuniorCollege.............. Comparison of Mail Received from Hope College Attracted Attention-dials and Female . . . Comparison of Mail Received from Hops College That That Attracted Attention--Hope College Bound. Other Four- Year College Bound and Junior College Bound Comparison of Male and Female Responses of How Students Want Information and From Whom . . . . . . Comparison of Hope College Bound, Other Four-Year College Bound and Junior College Bound Student Responses of How Students Want Infornation and From who. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Conparison of Applied and Inquired Information Needs . . Conparison of Mail Received from Hope College Attraoted Attention--Applied and Inquired That 98 102 103 10“ 106 109 112 11“ 116 117 119 122 12“ Table ”-22 . h-23. u-zt. u-25. “-26. “-27. “-28. u-29. “-300 t-31. “-32. Comparison of Applied and Inquired Responses of How Students Hant Information and From Hhom . . . . . . Hope College Material Compared with Material of Other Colleges--Responses of Applied. Inquired and Com- bin Hope College Material Compared with Material of Other Colleges--Male and Female Responses . . . . . . . . Hope College Material Compared with Material of Other Colleges--Responses of Students Bound for Hope Col- lege. Other Four-Year Colleges and Junior College . The Most Influential Person in Planning Future-- Responses of Applied. Inquired and Combined . . . . The Most Influential Person in Planning Future-- Responses of Male and Female . . . . . . . . . . . . The Most Influential Person in Planning Future-- Responses of Students Bound for Hope College. Other Four-Year Colleges, and Junior College . . . . . . . Influence of Hope College Information on Application for Am8310n I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Influence of Hope College Infornation on Enrollment in no” call,“ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Grade Point Averages of Applied. Inquired and Com- bined I I I I I I I I I I I I l I I I I I I I I I I Intentions of Students After High School . . . . . . . 125 128 129 131 133 13“ 135 138 1&0 1u5 1t? Appendix LIST OF APPENDICES National Association of College Adnissions Counselors Statement of Principles of Good meticegeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee John Minter's Taxonomy of Student Infornation ”a“. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Eduard Brogly'e Taxonomy of Student Infornation Need‘I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Mary Kinnick'e Taxonony of Student Infornation no“: I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Sm, Imment I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I xi 172 175 179 18” 199 CHAPEBI INTRONCTION Problens in Aserican Rigger Education As higher education closes its books on 1975-76 and opens then again for a new chapter in its history, the 1976-7? soadenic year re- veals a miad of probless. These difficulties transcend the con- cerns of the late 60s of student unrest and faculty unions to a new. sore serious cosbination of difficulties which threaten the very sur- vival of sany institutions. Inflation, a proqu for all of Aserica. has not spared higher education, in fact. Bay-end Finn tells us that “higher education is one of the hardest-hit victins of inflation."1 A recent edition of The Chronicle of Higher Education also reports " . . . sassive evidence of widespread retrenchnent in higher education under the ispacte, during the past three years. of the extrordinary combination of soaring inflation with deep recession in the national 2 In fact ”The Aserican Council on Education estisates that economy.” thirty-four percent of our nation's colleges and universities operated in the red in the past fiscal year."3 But the proqu has been more 1"The Coming Shakeout in fiigher Education.” Forbes. Septes- ber 15. 197“, CXIV, lo. 6, p. #0. 2Jack Magarrell. "Colleges in the Red." 11.. Chronicle of Higher negation, x1, No. 15 (Decesber 22. 1975). p. u. 322' cit" Hagar-roll, ”Colleges in the Red.” 1). 5. 1 severe for private institutions than it has for the public. In another article, The Chronicle of Higher Education states that "A report of the financial health of private colleges and universities has found sore than a fourth of them in serious distress with their survival in doubt.”~ In all fairness other related evidence reveals that " . . . pri- vate higher education as a whole is described as in basically good con- dition -- a little leaner and perhaps even a little stronger as a result of recent hard tines."5 Thus. even though the financial con- cerns are not so foreboding as to imply inninent docs for scat of higher education it is no secret that this cosbination of high inflation and deep recession is a difficult probies for colleges. They are concerned about finances. particularly revenues, which for seat colleges, are equated to student enrollments. These can account for 50-90% of total inceses for private colleges and. should this revenue source be tampered with. it could have a devastating effect upon an institution of higher education. lnrellnents Historically, it is well docunented that college enroll-ants have enjoyed prosperity during the 50s. 60s. and early 70s. But as the sun rose on the fall of 1976 dark clouds gathered as enroll-ant figures Ahack Magarrell. "Private Higher Education: Leaner, Perhaps Stronger." The Chronicle of Hi her Education, x1, Mo. 13 (Decenber 8. 1975) 0 Po 7e 592, cit,. Magarrell. "Colleges in the Red," p. u. stopped short of their annual gains of the previous decade. Indeed. Garland Parker, a renowned figure in docunenting and projecting enroll- ment statistics in American higher education recently reported that for 1976 “College enrollnents appear to have declined nationwide about one percent this fall . . . (and) . . . if the early findings are born out in the final report it will be the first such decline since i951."6 As the Executive Director of enrollnent policy in educational research at the University of Cincinnati. Parker went further to express "sur- prise and shock"? at the findings. In his earlier writings Parker had reported: Indeed. this writer has predicted all along that overall enrollnents would increase through the 1976-77 period of the i970e, begin to level off in the late 1970s, peak at the end of the decade or the beginning of the 1980s. and then. probably, start a slow decline that would accelerate throughout the mac-.8 lo wonder Parker expressed shock at the knowledge that his predictions of declining college enrollnents had already cone true. m Collm )oard Meg; forecasts a continued decline in college enrollnents in the next decade as they estimate that " . . . the pool of high school graduates saving on to post-secondary education would probably shrink ifi by 198‘. . . . and 221 by 199039 The news is neat 6"lationwide Decline in College Inrollsent Shocks hpert,‘ §__rand m. Oct. 21. 1976.13.14. 71in- aGarland land.G Parker, 011 to llnemtsintheus 1 - 1m (Iowa City. Iowa: The Anerican College Iresting Progran Publica- tions. 1976). 11.1 1. 9 "Cell Adnissi one. Board Coll ni ihe Collmleard '80 Iowa. V, lo. 1 Septenber?1976. p. 7. sq un. I . l I . l e . . -. ' I I e , . . ‘ ‘ ' a ' i . .‘ . s ‘ ' s , . I ' u . . . - ' e I . p . e . - .» e r ., _- K. I... ‘ ' I I ' , '.~ ‘ l > ' wr - . ' . ‘ . I ' ' C . _ I ”I . . ~ M ‘ 4 - . . ‘ I :‘ ‘. 1" . .‘r I A ' . . ' . ' - 1" ‘ P I ~ ' i e ‘ r I“ r- ‘ “ .... _ n 1 . I . . V ’ ‘ I. 1 h‘ I h ‘ .l -a \ \ n ' v I - {N I I" ‘ ‘ r, . ‘ ‘ v . n . . f‘ I I . - I l‘ ‘ I ~ 7 ' f I. I ‘ I i ~ . . . . . . . . ‘7 r . ( ‘f v . r - - . ‘ . a ‘ . ‘ . . e . ‘ . . I . ~ . . . I . . . ' v, ‘.- _ . ." C ' ‘ I , .... I . . . . . e g . ' . _. - . . ' e . 1 ‘ . . .. ' ' ’ ~ 0 z . I r- ‘ h , ' ' ‘ . I ‘ . t grin for the state of Michigan as College Board executive Steven H. Ivens reports that " . . . the 1975 graduating class in the state of Michigan was its largest ever and a decline of 32% is expected over the next 15 years."10 Further, Frankel and Beaner reporting for the U.S. Office of Education state: The latest USOES estimates indicate that 1976-77 will be the peak year for total number of high school graduates. with 3,199,000 projected. Thereafter, high school grad- uates are expected to decline each year, so that by 1982-83 the estimated number will be 2,835,000 or a de- crease of about 11.3% over the figure for 1976-77.11 The U.S. Census Bureau confronts the probable impact of this shrinking high school population on college enrollments by stating that they " . . . are expected to fall by 502,000 students between 197“ and 1991. This would lean a 28% reduction in the current level."12 The projections give rise to a grave future in overall college enrollments but data for private institutions are showing an already decreasing ability to attract students. As seen in Table 1-1 in a re- port on educational trends by Howard Bowen and w. John Minter for the Association of American Colleges, the applications in private higher education nationally have declined for the past six years. A look at Table 1-2 shows the consortium of the Great Lakes Colleges Association 10Steven H. Ivens, "A Strategy for Survival," address delivered at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education conference, Stouffer Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia. October 19. 1976. 11Martin M. Frankel and Fred Bea-er, Projections of Educational Statistics 1282-82 (Hashington, D.C.z U.S. Office of Education. National Center for Educational Statistics. 19?“). p. 6. 12U.S. Bureau of Census, HEW. as quoted in "Trends in Higher Education Affecting the Adnissions Process." By David S. Crockett, Vice-President for ACT. July, 1976. p. h. '0 3 ~ I Table 1-1 oosHHoou nouooe H¢ ego unsu vouos on OHoose uH .oeusuHu sauna usauoumnouoH sH .uneu ego usteu ousovsuo HHe you OH O o O OH O OH nH nH «H OH nH nu mm «a on ma su non NHn "an NH“ uoq MOO N .OOH I OnuaooH “unease: xuoeuH n usuuHulosu useroH nH :uuqu snags an :uuwu vacuum "Hm :uuHu may "umoHu Hoonuu sun: on seen an sensuouu usuuouso us owsusuouum .m mOOH OHOH nNOH nnOH OOOH OnOH «OOH «sensuouu unauauou uo auuoum As< .n "Hm an «Hm NOn "on NHn nnn consume ocoHuuHsvs uo unannouuom an cuagsauu uoHuuunm .s was "on awn «an «an «as NO“ oo>Huuou scoHusUHHaas uuuonsou we oaousuouoo as oesHo sensuouu sea on soHanaoo uo snouuo .o OOH Om no HOH HOH OOH OOH Huouuqavs .uoumssuu can sensuouu .ausuusuo one Isvouuuosnr ucoHs>Hoco oaHunHst no nonaoz .n n~H wnH nnH enH HnH nHH OOH HvuuuHsus uuoocsuu wouacsuu «us csvouuuovcs usuHs>H=vo aaHuaHHou uo uoaaoz .e «a Om OO «O on no OOH Hoe-Ho sensuouu ecu ou vuuuwavs nauseous usoHs>Hsvo osHuIHHou we gonna: .n ma em nm ha «OH «OH OOH Hos-Ho soa:uouu one on oOHsuHsve consume sunsUHHaas as wages: .N no Ha Ha no so «OH OOH Hue-Ho sossoouu ou soHnanvo you Ou>Hooou usoHusuHHano vuueHosou uo nonsnz .H ONOH nuaH OHOH nBOH uan HhOH ONOH InhmH acan Inan INuOH IHnOH IOnOH IQOOH near soon no ossan< _0n|n~aH =o=om=H OmlmomH .mpZMOOBm us<=nnz= az< mwuuagou ua<>Hsa mo HozmHmmmxm . Howard R. Bowen and W. John Minter, Private Higher Education, Association of American Colleges, Hay, 1976), p. 13. 1 (Washington, D.C. Total Freshman Applications Table 1-2 Applications for Member Schools* of the Great Lakes Colleges Association 20,000 ~- 15,000 ... 10,000 4- 5,000 ~- 0 J] l 5 ‘ J 1971 1972 1973 197a 1975 1376 Year Survey of GLCA Admissions Directors, Septebner-Novsmber, 1976. by Thomas D. LaBsugh *Henber Schools: Albion, Antioch, Denison. DePauw, Earlhan, Hope, Kalamazoo, Kenyon, Oberlin. Ohio Wesleyan, Wabash, Wooster with a sinilar decline in its ability to attract applicants. Table 1-3 shows Hope College beginning a drop in applicants and a two year de- cline in freshnen enroll-cuts. Conbining these data of past perfor- nance in private higher education applications with the projection of decreasing nuabers of high school graduates a picture begins to energe of a difficult future in attracting reasonable nunbers of freshnen to private college canpuses to naintain established enrollnents and bud- gets. But the decreasing nunbers of high school seniors is not the only probden plaguing college enrollaents. The continually rising tuition lakes it difficult for fanilies to afford a college education. Sylvia Porter in her syndicated colunn of April 7. 1976, writes as follows: (These figures) confirs. as no elaborately phrased conver- sation could, the extent to which the cost of college has soared beyond the niddle-incone fanily's ability to pay. For nillions the dress of college has indeed becone a fi- nancial night-are. Conpcunding the problen of enrollsent decline is the low inage of higher education held by the public at large. “Increasingly, too. we will consider the college degree less and less as certification for in particular conpetencies." So writes Lynan Glenny in the College and University Journal and he continues by saying: . . . the degree itself nay cone to mean little as a per- son acquires a series of lesser certificates which indi- cate his specific capacity to conduct certain kinds of 13Sylvia Porter, in her syndicated colunn of April 7 as quoted in Halden C. Irish, "Shrinking Enroll-eats,” Collegg and University, Ell, No. fl (Sunner, 197“), p. 1&5. 1“Ly-an A. Clenny, "Pressures on higher Education." College and University Journal, XIV, No. 1‘ (Septenber. 1973), p. 8. Table 1-3 Hope College Freshmen Applications and Enrollments Students 1200 .— Applications 1000 < 800 .— Enrollments 600 ‘F 500 ~- 200 -— 0 ‘ 1 1 1 l 1 1971 1972 1973 1'974 1975 1976 Year tasks. This condition will be reinforced by the predic- tion of the U.S. Departnent of Labor that only 20% of all Jobs in the 1970's .111 require college training.15 One can anticipate then, free a shrinking applicant pool, already de- clining applications. and a sagging inage, that future college enroll- nents will be declining. But the anxiety is greatest for the private colleges as their share of the narket continues to decline. As Forbes Eggazine reports: . . . in the Fifties and Sixties, the snallish private colleges and universities. which had traditionally ab~ sorbed about one half the U.S.' students were no longer able to handle the growth . . . the private colleges inevitably lost ground, and now serve less than 25% of the narket. While enroll-cuts at independent institutions have increased 25.1% over the last decade “ . . . their relative share of total education enroll- nents has declined free 17.“% to 1h.5% over the ease period."17 Inplica- tions here are clear, i.e., as overall college enrollnents begin to decline, for the nyriad of reasons above, private education will endure an even sore drastic blow. As Garland Parker suns it up,“Hithout a doubt, these schools have problens in their future, as do all institutions for that latter."18 Walden Irish writing about shrinking collegiate enrollsents 151bid. 1692, cit,, "The Coning Shakeout in Higher Education," p. 37. 17ileston H. Agor, Financigg Indepgndent Higher Education in Hichi 1 A Staff Re rt Anal si Recent Enroll-ent Cost and Revenue TrendsI with Projections to 12é5 and 1235 (2nd ed.; Lansing, Michigan. Michigan Education Manage-ant Services, Decenber. 1975). p. ii. 1892. cit,. Parker, Collggiate Enrolleents in the U.S., 1975- 122.. p. 5- 10 further clarified the dilemma when he says,"Thus we find a classic example of the kind of situation that makes any corporate president shiver: a dwindling market (fewer people in the appropriate age groups), and increasing costs (up goes the tuition, room and board. and every other item),"19 The Value of Private Higher Education As the above conditions of tight finances and declining enroll- ment combine to paint a bleak picture of the future of private higher education one does not sound alarm unless the impending doom will threaten something of value. In seeking a direct response to the ques- tion of what private colleges and universities bring to American higher education a statement by Bowen and Minter responds succinctly: Private higher education is an important -- even indis- pensable -- part of the American higher education system. It adds diversity. it offers competition to an otherwise all-embracing public systen, it provides a center of academic freedom removed from political influence, it is deeply committed to liberal learning. it is concerned for human value and individual personality. it sets standards. it provides educational leadership. and it saves money for tax payers. Not every private college or university achieves all of these results, but enough institutions do achieve some of them to make survival of the strong 20 private sector a major goal in the broad public interest. Private liberal arts colleges do have value. Those of the Christian character, such as Hope College, have a unique perspective that broadens its base and offers even more diversity to the educational scene. 19Walden C. Irish. "Shrinking Enrollments." Collegg and University. XLIX, No. “ (Summer, 19?“), p. Sufi. zohoward 3. Bowen and v. John Minter. Private 111 or Education, (Washington, D.C.| Association of American Colleges. Hay. 1973). P- 1. 11 Statement of the Problem Changing enrollments in private higher education can have a significant impact on an institution as it affects so many elements of operation. Garland Parker amplifies this reality when he states,"The fact remains, therefore. that full-time enrollments continue as the main- stay of most collegiate-level institutions in terms budget. program, housing, facilities and faculty planning."21 But the decreasing appli- cant pools nake attracting the new freshmen a tough job as " . . . the competition for students has intensified and the task of maintaining en- rollments has become more onerous each year."22 Dr. William Ihlanfeldt, the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Northwestern University takes the question of student recruitment a bit further as he states "Increasing costs and less consuner demand would require that each institution ask how effectively it is communicating what it is all about, and how systematically it has been approaching the whole concept of student recruitment."23 Steve Iven of the College Board focuses more directly on a solution to the problem of enrollments by stating. " . . . the ability to identify markets and communicate ef- fectively with these markets is the key to survival.”zu He allows that 2192. cit., Parker, Collegiate Enrollments in the 0,3H 1225-26.p.3. 229. cit., Hagarrell, ”Private Higher Education: Leaner, Perhaps Stronger." 231nm;- Ihlanfsldt. "A Management Approach to the Buyer's a..- hot," The College Board Review, No. 96 (Summer, 1975). p. 22. 2"92, cit., Ivens. "A Strategy for Survival." 12 the inability to attract sufficient numbers of freshmen to the campus may be due to unrealistic enrollment projections or unattractive offer- ings or location of the college, but states that " . . . a more likely factor may be the institutions inability to describe its programs and offerings to those most likely to apply, to enroll, and to say, and to do so through effective communications techniques.“25 Drawing together the concerns of enrollments and good communication Phillip Kotler of the Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University states that " . . . marketing research and communications with selected audi- ences on a systematic basis are essential to any well run institution."26 It is clear. then, that one solution to the problem of shrinking enroll- ments is to improve the communication process between the college and potential enrollees. But this is only part of the problem. Dr. Halter Lindenman, a researcher with Hill and Knowlton Inc., transcends the recruitment function as a solution to small enrollments as he states ”You are try- ing to convey the needs and interests of your organization to a distant audience out there and you have to know what their needs and interests are."27 In short he is focusing on communicating best with an audience by first identifying their information needs. He continues: 25mm. 2692, cit,, "College Admissions, Marketing, Topics of Board V Colloquium," p. 7. 27Ualter K. Lindenmann, “Using Research for Greater Communica- tions Import," address delivered at the Council for Advance-est and apggit 2; Egggation conference, Stouffer Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia. r . 6. 13 In connection with recruitment; how can you possibly design a student view-book, prospectus, brochure and other literature if you don't know, really know, the prospective students you are trying to reach and what their needs and interests are. How can you respond to them if you don't know them.2 A coinciding view comes from Barnett Pearce, a communication researcher, who states, " . . . when communication serves to foster intimate rela- tionships, we become more attuned to the unique needs and goals of the participants and better able to be guided by conventions rather than by 29 norms." This is the objective of communication in a student recruit- ment program, i.e., to develop intimate relationships. To do so one must be attuned to the unique goals and needs of the student. Further he mentions, "The best communicator is the one who knows what is re- quired in specific situations and can fulfill the requirements."30 But how does one identify the requirements to be fulfilled? Dr. Lindenmann suggests that the answer lies in research when he says: I believe that in public relations, communications or marketing you have to work backwards. You have to talk to your target audiences, work backwards and develop your programs in effect, based on what you find out about your et audience; taking into account again their needs. 29H. Barnett Pearce, "An Overview of Communication and Inter- personal Relationships," Modules in S ech Communication (Chicago: Science Research Associates, Inc., 197%}, p. 33. 3°Ibid. , p. 15. 3192, cit,, Lindenmann, "Using Research for Greater Communica- tions Impact." NF.” in Recommending research specifically he continues: It is vitally important; the single most important thing, I feel, that you can do to improve your communications for student recruitment. Market research in my view is the essential first step in the communications processy without it you are dead. 2 In his book an audience analysis, Theodore Clevenger Jr., ad- dresses the question of speaking to an audience. His recommendations for public speaking find application to written communication as he states, " . . . the speaker will become more helpful to his audience . . . by speaking relevantly, he will help his auditors (listeners) sake better decisions about controversies significant to them."33 One such contro- versy is a student's decision on selecting a college. Clevenger con- tinues that "An important audience characteristic in most of the situations with which we are here concerned is 'plurality'. that is there is more than one listener who must be taken into accounts}. The concern is now a step beyond good communication for better recruitment to identifying student information needs prior to designing a eommnieation program, Dr. Lindenmann points the way toward a meth- odology for such a venture by suggesting that when . . . communicating with prospective students as part of a college or university recruitment effort, you're at a serious disadvantage if you haven't surveyed your et audience - the new students you're trying to enroll. 5 321nm. 33Theodore Clevenger, Jr. Audience Elsie (Indianapolis: The Bobbs-lerrill Company, Inc., 19665. 1). vii. 3" M- v P- 1'- 35Halter K. Lindenmann, Attitude Research -- Essential First Ste Toward 1am Comsunications (wow York: Hill and Inowlton, Inc., 1976;, Do is I 15 This brings a direct statement of the problem: To identify information needs of potential Hope College freshmen as a guide to developing recruiting naterial a survey must be performed. A survey of information needs of potential freshmen, on a regular basis, may lend new direction to the development of a communication strategy for recruiting students. To follow a less exacting method is folly for as Dr. Lindenmann says "If you don't (survey), you're flying by the seat of your pants."36 Statement of Purpose A thorough review of the literature reveals little effort made in researching the information needs of high school seniors regarding college selection. The purpose of this study is to develop a body of new information which can lend direction to a communications strategy for the Office of Admissions at Hope College. It will provide a guide, a body of new knowledge to aid in the decision-making process for com- municating with potential enrollees. It allows for information not before known, currently available nor able to be guessed. It will allow Hope College to more accurately address the information needs of stu- dents than the current program of guessing their interests. Ultimately, the final products implied by the results of the study will improve the potential enrollees' ability to make decisions on college selection. The approach departs from the communications approach of telling high v 3692. eit,, Linden-ans, "Using Research for Greater Communica- tions Impact." ‘F—'————_._—' 16 school seniors what the College wants to tell them to one of telling the students the things they want to know and from whom they want to hear. In short the purpose of the study is to: 1) Provide a body of new knowledge to serve as a guide for developing Hope College admissions material. 2) Allow Hope College to more accurately meet the in- formation needs of potential freshmen than the cur- rent form of guessing what students want to know. 3) Improve the potential enrollee's ability to decide on which college to enroll. The dependent variable becomes a change in direction for the decision-making process in the development of a communication program for student recruitment by Hope College. The ultimate inpact of the study's affect on enrollment is not a logical dependent variable as a student's decision to enroll includes too many outside variables to allow the specific results of this dissertation to be measured in those terms. The concern is not, therefore, with the resulting impact of this study on enrollment. The study seeks information for new direc- tions in decision-making for the development of a communication strategy as a part of student recruitment at Hope College, again, information not now available. Ob ectives , This proposal suggests a survey of the informational needs of potential freshmen to aid the Hope College Admissions Office in applying to their materials the " . . . standard communication formula of who 17 says what to whom. when. and how, nu: what effect.“37 The difference here is that the last statement "with what effect” is not a part of this study since. as stated earlier. many factors enter into the decision- making process of a student enrolling in college and it is impossible to specifically isolate the causes. The task here is to meet the fol— lowing objectives: 1) Determine the information needs of prospective Hope College freshmen. 2) learn how Hope College has been meeting those needs with current materials. 3) Determine the quality of Hope College material when compared to materials of other colleges. b) Compare information needs of college bound students to non-college bound students and Junior college students. 5) Determine who, other than the student himself. in- fluences the student's decisions on college selec- tion (to hel identify the need to communicate with these groups . 6) Learn what potential freshmen desire to know about a college when they are making a decision. 7) Determine if sex influences the need to know. 8) Find if Hope College's information influences posi- tively. negatively or not at all. 9) Ascertain the types of printed pieces of correspond- ence that a high school senior will review in learn- ing about a college; for example. photos. written copy. letters. brochures. 10) Determine what groups the potential freshmen would like correspondence from. e.g.. students. adminis- tration. faculty. alumni. 3722. eitl. Clevenger, Audience énglysio. p. 25- 18 11) Determine when high school seniors begin to seek assistance in making their college plans. e.g.. sophomore. Junior or senior year in high school. 12) Determine when high school students finalise their plans for college enrollment. 13) Determine if those who apply to Rape College have different informational needs from those who do not apply. Design of the SE The study utilizes a survey of two populations: a) students who inquire about Hope College but do not apply and b) students who both inquire and apply to Hope College for admission. The survey em- ploys a closed answer survey so that it can be easily tabulated. It draws a systematic random sample of students currently in the Hope College inquiry and applied lists which consist of 10.611: inquiring students and 1,011+ applying. The sample size drawn has a 95% confidence interval with a 55 error requiring 626 inquiring students and '+01 ap- plying students. Evaluation of the survey utilises chi square techniques and straight summary and percentage computations. The survey data is tabu- lated on a Xerox Sigma 6 computer utilising the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). ' The survey questionnaire is a product of the author. relative to the objectives stated above. with reviews by sembers of the faculty from the Department of Educational Research, College of Education at Michigan State University. and Dr. livid Myers, a psychologist at Hope College. IBusting of the instrument takes place on four focus groups 19 in Western Michigan prior to printing. The initial mailing of the sur- vey is followed by a second mailing two weeks later and a third mailing of a reminder postcard two weeks after that. Related Work A review of the literature reveals two survey attempts on the part of researchers which have a similar basic purpose but with major differences. Dr. Halter Linden-inn performed research on students al- ready enrolled as freshmen at a particular college or university; the study proposed here will gather infomtion from high school seniors. The questions used by Lindenmann were more general in scope than those proposed here and asked for different information. The results of the Linden-sun study give inforntion applicable to recruiting a class the following year. Its results. then, direct communication to a group of students who were in their Junior year of high school at the time the survey was taken. resulting in a two year gap. The survey suggested in this proposal will be given to high school seniors which will shorten the gap to only one year. The Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, under the direction of the Department of Health, Education and welfare (HEW) is also concerned with better inforntion for Student choice. The prodect developed in December 16. 1971‘. stated as one of its min ob- Jeotivess Hhile many elements are involved in the making of effec- tive choices, no choices can be better than the quality 20 of information on which they are based. The need to im- prove the nature of this information.33nd the form in which it is presented. is compelling. It further states. ” . . . prospective students need better information about the probable value of attending various kinds of institutions."39 ' . . . new assurances are needed that information provided by institu- tions meets minimum standards of quality and reliability.'“° "Existing sources of information running the gamut from college catalogs and in- formation bulletins to commercially published reference guides do not at #1 present fulfill these increasing needs.‘ "Hsny efforts. from many sources, must be made to improve the information available to prospec- tive students)”2 Although the objectives of the HE! study are to improve the quality of information available to prospective students (which. inci- dently, is another manifestation of the need for such a study as this). the grant money is awarded to colleges only for the production of a pro- spectus which the student is able to read for better understanding the nature of a particular institution. HRH states explicitly in the appli- cation procedures for the grant. “ . . . it is not our intention to un- derwrite extensive or costly data-gathering activities. Nor is it our 38Department of Health. Education. and Welfare. Fund for Im- provement of Post-Secondary Education, FY 1222 Progrgg Information and A lication Procedures National Pro ects Com tition Better Informa- ‘ tion for Student Choice Natiopgl Project I (December 13. 1575), p. 7. 39raid. . p. 8. ’ “Ibis. MIbid. “2313. . p. 9. T—_—_‘ 21 intention to support institutions beyond the design and testing of the prospectus concept and consideration of the national issues involved.""3 In short the Federal Government through the Health. Education and welfare Department has identified the need of colleges to better communicate with prospective students but allows grant monies only for developing a prospectus. They do not want research which gives direction to in- proving the communication process as with this proposal. Scope and Limitatigpg The study is limited to a survey of the information needs of high school seniors inquiring about Hope College or applying for ad- mission. The term ”Information needs“ is explained in the section titled "Definition of Terms.” The effect of changes in the communication pro- gram on freshmen enrollment at Hope College will not be measured as the ultimate decision of a student in selecting a college contains too many variables and influences to allow the specific impact of this study to be measured in those terms. The populations studied are selected as they have provided a lucrative source of freshmen in recent years and thus have opinions of likely candidates for enrollment. A national survey of all high school seniors would provide unusable information since Hope College does not have the resources to communicate with all high school seniors. Further, the group in this study has some familiarity with the College and is thus more inclined to respond in numbers beyond that of the overall national population of high school seniors. ”3mg. . p. 18. ‘ 22 The project is 1mm to concerns about correspondence through the mile as this is the one single element which all of these students have in common. It does not include evaluation of performce by mem- bers of the Admissions staff as they visit high schools and talk to prospective students. Neither does it provide a leans of determining how to improve the effectiveness of recruiters in communicating with students. This work is not concerned with the development of audio-visual techniques as the Hope College Admissions Office has no elaborate equip- ment. There are also rules established by the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, of which Hope College is a member. which preclude the use of audio-visual equipment for nor- sal recruiting practices such as college nights and high school visits. The target audience of high school seniors has been selected since they are best able to dialogue with Juniors and sophomores in secondary schools. It is felt that their responses should reflect their own feelings as well as those of their colleagues who are underclassmen. The use of this information as a guide for developing next year's com- munication program will fit the inforntion close to those to be re- cruited. i.e.. next year's seniors. A survey of high school Juniors is not pursued. even though they will be next year's target, because of the small number of Juniors who are applicants or inquiring students. The timing of the study is such that college bound students, on the whole. are now making a oonmitment to go to a college and they 23 should be able to recall their decision making process in planning for the fall . The study does not embody the pursuit of information needs in terms of mass media or advertising. These routes are too expensive for a college of Hope's sine and a survey of this information would address a moot point in the Hope College recruiting proaam. 'me survey contains requests for only limited demographic data because of the followings 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Such information can be ascertained for those who ap- plied to the College as it is in their pernnent records for necessary analysis. Knowing different information needs by income level, race or religion. is not helpful inforntion since there is no way of ascertaining such information from a student at the time Hope begins communicating with him. There will be allowances in the study to ask a student's interest in learning about the spiritual life on campus. Age inforntion is known to be between 16 and 18 years as that is the age of most high school seniors. Inforution about whether students are college bound and have an appropriate grade point average for en- rollment in the College is sufficient information to tell whether these are the types of students that Hope College wants and would like to recruit. To assure a higher rate of return for the question- naire it should be kept to as short a length as possible. To fill the questionnaire with informa- tion about demographic data would make it longer and decrease the likelihood of response. It is doubt- ful that a high rate of response will come from those inquiring about Hope College since they have no com- mitment to it and my not want to be helpful. To clutter the survey with requests for unnecessary in- forntion would only increase the likelihood of a low return. of 2:. Definition of Terms To better understand particular words or phrases in the body of the study, definitions of these terms are listed here. They will also aid others who might be involved in replicating the study. Inquiry--Any student who has made an effort to become acquainted with Hope College and thus appears to be a logical prospect for enrollment. Their associa- tion with the College may have come from a number of inputs but the source of original association is not a concern of this study. Applicant--A student who has made application to Hope College as a degree-seeking candidate for the bac- calaureate degree. Prospective Student--Anyone in the inquiry or applicant category who is a likely candidate for admission to Hope College to pursue a four year baccalaureate degree. It does not include students enrolling part-time as high school seniors, guest matriculants, adults, or other special enrollment categories. Information Needs--The responses of prospective students to questions inherent in the standard communication formula of "who say: what to whom, when. and how, with what effect." This study will not include "with what effect" as stated in the section "Scope and Limitations.“ Communication--The study concerns itself with the ability of the Admissions Office of Hope College to corre- spond with potential enrollees. Concern is with written pieces as opposed to audio-visual techniques or presentations by recruiters. Recruitment--This refers to the effort made by the Hope College Admissions Office to attract desirable students to enroll in the College whether or not they would have voluntarily decided to matriculate. ““92, citl, Clevenger, Audience Analysis. p. 25. 25 W After an extensive review of the literature the following assumptions are offered by the author in relation to the information needs of high school seniors inquiring or applying to college in general and Hepe College in particular: 1. There is no set of directives which dictate responses to the standard communication formula of "who says what to when. when. and how. with what effect" when applied to this group. 2. There is a need to accumulate this information for a par- ticular college. in light of potentially declining en- rollments, to direct the decision-making process regarding the development of a communication program with high school seniors. hypotheses As a result of the review of the literature and the afore- mentioned assumptions, the hypotheses presented below are offered re- garding the inforsation needs of students inquiring or applying to Hope College: Hi: Prospective Hope College freshmen have definitive infor- mation needs of what they want to know. from when. when. and how. H2: Hope College has not been adequately meeting those infor- mation needs. H3: H“: H5: H6: H7: H8: 26 There is a difference in the information needs of men and women as well as non-college bound students and those bound for two year junior colleges. four year private colleges. and four year public universities. Hope College applicants have information needs which differ from non-applicants. Hope College informational material is average when com- pared to informational material received by prospective Hope College freshmen from other colleges. Parents are a major influence in the decision-making proc- ess associated with the selection of college by potential Hope College freshmen. Hope College written communications currently influence positively in the decision to apply to Hepe College. Hope College written communications currently influence positively in the decision to enroll in Hope College. Plan of Presentation Chapter One has been composed of a general introduction to the study. statement of the problem. the purpose of the study, its design. definition of terms. and the scope and limitations of the study. Chapter Two is a review of the related literature which pre- sents the supportive information on the need to perform the study as well as discussion and examples of other studies somewhat similar in nature but far different in terms of objectives and purpose. 27 Chapter Three will describe the planning and conducting of the study including the pepulation identified. method of investigation. advantages and disadvantages of the technique. process involved in computing the survey. the survey instrument. and the statistical treat- ment of the data. Chapter four presents the analysis of the data. while Chapter Five draws together the conclusions and recommendations of the study. CHAPTER II RELATED LITERATURE 22m A study of prospective student information needs is incomplete without a selective review of related literature touching its many facets. Reviewing the repercussions of the impending decline in col- lege enrollments (outlined in Chapter I) which demands better informa- tion to reverse the trend. awakens the reader to the seriousness of the concern; not only for Hope College but higher education nationally. next. three varying perspectives on the need for improvements in the information provided to prospective students is sketched. As these distinctive viewpoints pour into the cauldron of admissions practices in general. its historical deve10pment is pursued. An update on the current admissions scene reveals a strong push toward commercialism which precipitates a concern for ethics in college promotions to protect both the prospective student and the college. The review follows some of the more salient philosophical concerns of maintaining integrity in providing student information and concludes with a look at selected studies which closely align with the topic. The Igpact of DecliningAEnrollment Chapter I speaks of the decline in enrollments which lays in the wake of some uncontrollable phenomena such as declining numbers of high 28 29 school seniors. their general malaise in pursuing higher education and rapidly rising college costs. In addition to these. Fred Hechinger points out: Less tangible factors contributed both to the actual loss of students and to the somber mood among college admin- istrators. For many high school graduates the end of the draft eliminated the necessity of seeking the safety of a college campus. Inflation and the threat of recession were straining the capacity of middle income families to send all their children to college. particularly high cost institutions. 5 These factors combine to threaten the existence of the private school and John Druggan sees the first impact striking academia itself. Strict tenure ratios. discontinued programs. dismissed tenured faculty members. increased class size. unionism- tion of faculty and staff. cutbacks in scholarship aid and in new. worthwhile. but expensive programs. not to mention a generally adversarial atmosphere. are already present or at least imminent. In short. the enrollment decline gnaws away at the very heart of private higher education. But the effects of the decline will not be felt by one institu- tion alone. Like a pebble dropped into a quiet pool. the wares of uncertainty will wash over the shores of other colleges. heightening their anxiety and undermining their cooperative spirit and mutual respect. While competition of a genteel sort has always charac- terised relationships among colleges it is conceivable “5m H. Hechinger "Colleges in Search of Freshmen.” M World Review (April 6. 19755. p. 55. “6Uohn H. Druggan. ”Introduction." A Role for Marketi in Col- legg Admissions. (New York: College Entrance Examination Board. 1973;. pp. 11"!111. 30 that more competition will erode the seeperation that now exists among colleges!” The headquarters for sharpening the knives which will out these binding ties is the admissions office as No-need scholarships for able students. diminished state aid to independent colleges. cut-throat recruiting. sn- tagonistic lobbying at state and federal levels may well increase. 8 There will be heavy competition for student enrollments in the future. Colleges will match one another in dollars spent. new recruiting tech- niques. innovative and often ephemeral academic programs as the battle wages for needed portions of the evaporating student pool. Some in- stitutions will wither and die as will their faculty. student body. and heritage. As the foundations of these colleges tremble and fall. the vibrations will be felt in other communities such as those who employ the private school graduates. As Jack Sparks puts it so succinctly. ”Business will be the loser if the nation's small private liberal arts colleges fade away.”9 Three Perspgctives on the Need for Better ggformgtigg Admissions Perspgctive-uxgtudent Recruitment From an administrative point of view the anticipated lower en- rollments mean lower revenues which precipitate the problems above. To counter the decline Paul Hugstad suggests a "more persuasive” effort on ”ma. . p. x. “Ibis. “9 Jack D. Sparks. “A Marketing Plan That Herks.” ACB Repgrts. Vol. 18. lo. 1 (January/Pebruary. 1976). p. 35. 31 the part of higher education in promoting their academic programs in the 50 Wolf sees the publicity campaign as necessary to move public sector. potential "buyers” to what he terms "constructive action.“ i.e.. enroll- aent.51 For Johnson. promoting education heightens awareness of higher education offerings and leads to greater interest on the part of high 52 school students. Such impacts. over the long run. could mean higher enrollments. The persuasive efforts of the admissions office frequently center on the printed material which it offers for student consumption. " . . . publications do and will continue to play a very important part in your getting the number of students that you want at your institution.“53 .But while the communication process is often viewed as providing a much needed support for sagging enrollments. a caveat must be raised about the potential risks of a persuasion campaign. Olsen is aware that If a publication doesn't appeal. they (potential students) are going to throw it in the waste basket or give it to their little sister or brother to color on and readily forget you. There is not only a risk of being missed. as Olsen implies. but Hey raises the very real possibility of driving applicants away from the 5OPaul S. Hugstad. "The Marketing Concept in Higher Education: A Caveat.” Liberal Education. LXI. No. 4 (December. 1975). p. 508. 51Jack S. Holf. "Marketing Admissions Using Modern Business Tech- niques in Student Recruiting." College Board Review. No. 89 (Fall. 1973). p. 23. 52Dennis L. Johnson. "Selling: A Threat to Post-secondary Edu- cation.” College and University. Vol. 1&9. No. '4 (Summer. 1971;). p. 3&3. 533ruce L. Olsen. "Publications in Admissions.” College and Quiversity. Vol. #9. No. R (Summer. 197k). p. 35%. 5"Ibid. . p. 353. 32 campus by oversimplifying the presentations and missing a student's interest.55 David Treadwell sums it up: The style. tone and content of the materials_sent can persuade students to seriously consider an institution. A careless. lackluster or delayed response may well 56 turn the student into an inquirer who did not apply. Thus. while college promotion has its potential benefits. it is not without its hasards. The admissions perspective cannot be so narrow as to have num- bers of bodies be the only concern. The quality of the students. in terms of academic readiness and their contribution to the institution. are going to have a major impact on the quality of the academic program and the end product which is the graduate. The latter will carry the reputation and image of the institution to society-at-large. resulting in an impression. either positive or negative. on future prospects with whom graduates have contact. But many of the freshmen who come to the college gates will never complete their education as ”W fail to finish where they start.“57 Ihile not all a result of poor decision making in college selection. Salton is sure that such of it is. floy supports the contention.and blames much of the attrition to a mismatching of the student and the college which he says "can be ameliorated at the outset 55.10m. c. Roy. ”A Question of Moos.” ollegg Board Review. No. 101 (ran. 1976). p. 9. 561mm x. Treadwell. Jr., ”What Do You Say to a Naked Inquiry.” Journal of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. '01. 21. no. 1 (July. 1mg). p. 2. 57Hesley w. Halton and B. Claude Mathis. “Needed: Better Infor- mation About Colleges." The Bulletin of the National Association of Secoggarz School Principals. Vol. 51. No. 320 (September. 1§37$. p. 81. 33 by providing better information for student choice."58 He further sug- gests that effective information lowers the level of student/institution distrust which. when combined with the mismatching. can lead to an un- healthy academic environment for the student and possibly dematricula- tion. As better information eliminates these uncertainties for the student. those who enroll are more likely to finish and "become more satisfied and supportive alumni who 'knew what they were getting into' when they selected their college."59 . Student Perspective--Better CollegegSelection The admissions perspective dovetails with the student view as the need for better student choice. resulting in better retention and more satisfied alumni. becomes apparent. Not only does it help the college. but better information is also a means of "helping the student select a college that best meets his needs."60 If properly used. in- formation on colleges allows students to differentiate the choices among various colleges. . Educators. government officials. and the general public all agree that students should have the best possible information in.order to choose the type of education they wish to pursue after high school and the particular institution at which they will enroll. 1 _ 5892 cit.. Hay, "A Question of Balance." p. 10. 59mm. 6oLuci Switzer. "Recruiting Looks Like an Art. Acts Like a Science.” College and University Business. vol. 52. no. 2 (February. 1972). p. 7. 61Joan S. Stark. ”Is More Information Better?“ Promotigg Con- sumer Protection for Students (A Quarterly Source Book under New Direc- tions for H1 er'Education). (San Francisco: J0880193888 Inc.. Publishers. 197 ). p. vii. 3“ The need for improved communication is not Just a nice idea whose time has come. it is an entirely new movement in which the student role has changed completely. He has thrown away the blue jeans and sweat- shirt of the ignorant buyer. and donned the vested suit and flashy tie of the "consumer." Hoy sees the rise of the student consumerism as a positive step as admissions officers become sensitised to the importance 62 of upgrading the types and quality of ayailable information. Hugstad agrees for "Few can argue with the need for increased consumer informa- tion. whether it be in consumer goods area or in selecting the appropriate university to attend."63 The result of this change in role of the student from the gul- lible prey to volpine hunter improves the rational decision making on the part of the high school student and allows more accurate and reliable 6“ choices relative to personal needs. Corroborating this view Halton adds that Hithout dependable information. accessible at the criti- cal moment. the decision making process may be simplified (coin flipping and die throwing). butéghe result can be expected to be less than trustworthy. The education consumer movement is afoot not only in the student ranks but among other interest groups as well. The federal government. 629! cl ., flay, "A Question of Balance." Po 10- 6292L_91§.. Hugstad. ”The Marketing Concept in Higher Education: A Caveat.” p. 50 . 6“William P. Ehling and Harold D. Holder. "Complexity. variae' bility. and Lack of Information in Student Transition from Secondary School to College.” The ELSE School Journal. Vol. #9. No. 8 (May. 1966). p. 371. PP 78_7:§92;_g;1.. Walton. ”Needed: Better Information About Colleges." 35 according to Stark. is now supplying large amounts of money to assure that potential learners have equal access to information about colleges and universities. The government wants to insure that student rights are fully protected through the accurate disclosure of information ' about these institutions.66 Hoy mentions the college's responsibility to become more cog- nisant of student needs and personal values. "It is his needs that must be taken into account in determining how best to provide informa- 6? tion.“ Responding effectively to the growing pressures of the consumerism movement demands thorough and continuing study of the students themselves--their own perceived needs. changigg personal values. and intellectual capabilities. Walton supports this view when he says " . . . information should be sensitive to the needs of the users . . . "69 This differs from the current trend of writing to the prospective student about what the college “thinks” the future freshman vants to know.” Says Kinnick. To date. little systematic and comprehensive attempt has been made to identify the kinds of infermation about post-secondary education prospective students feel it is important to have available.” 6692. cit.. Stark. "Is More Information Better?." p. vii. 6792. cit.. Roy. ”A Question of Balance." p. 10. 68 Ibid.. p. 7. 699.2. cit. . Walton. "Needed: Better Information About Colleges." p. 8. 7°Ibid. . p. 9. 71Mary K. Kinnick. Information for Pros ctive Students About Post- seco Education A Partial Assessment of REEE. doctoral dIsseEtEtIon. university of’Colorado. ‘ m. 1975). p. 1. 36 But the concern reaches beyond just identifying the information needs of students. Walton finds The key to improvement in the decision making process is information: information with appropriate content. in the right amount. and in the best form. where and when most needed. It needs to be sufficiently explicit to communicate meaningful "intelligence" to students. parents and counselors.7 The student consumer movement. supported by the federal government. is at hand with more and more attention being paid to the accuracy and relevancy of information which aids students in college selection. Expert Perspective--Not Good Enough David Treadwell sees the problem of poor communication as pan- demic. at least in the education world. as "Most educators would probably agree that all colleges need to do a better job of 'communicating the product.'"73 Valton finds college communications to be "incomplete and ambiguous"7u and ” . . . often inadequate. inaccurate. and even inac- cessible."75 Olsen views today's publications depicting colleges and universities to be ” . . . impersonal and cold and practically written to please the president or the administration or the faculty. not 7?QB;_2;£.. Walton. "Needed: Better Information About Colleges," p. 81. 73David a. Treadwell. Jr. . "Hard Horkm-Not hard Sell--Boosts Admissions." Journal of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. Vol. 19. No. 3 (February. 1975). P. 11. ”M. . Walton. "Needed: Better Information About Colleges." p. 78. ”Ibid.. p. 80. 37 necessarily to communicate with students."76 Frank Bowles is even more pejorative in saying that ” . . . college catalogs. view-books. re- cruiting fliers. and applications materials remain among the most deplorable of all printed literature in America.”77 Dark shadows are cast on college recruiters as purveyors of college information by Roy who sees them as ”deficient in providing concise. readable. candid 78 information . . . ." Luther Hoopes sums it up nicely when he says. ”It isn't a matter of more publications. it's better publications."79 History and Growth of Admissions The Early Years According to Thomsson. admissions officers have been around (in one form or another) as long as colleges and universities.80 His ref- erence notwithstanding there is little evidence which speaks directly to the origin and development of the admissions office. as an entity of its own. until after the Civil War. In fact. the entire field of col- lege and university administration is somewhat barren. in terms of docu- mented evolution. as 7692, cit.. Olsen. ”Publications in.Admissions." Po 353- ”Frank Bowles. ”Candidates and Confusions.” @113ng Univer- 9.13:1- v°10 320 N0. 1 (1958)! P- 1‘77. 78%. cit.. Hay, ”A Question Of Balance.” Po 9- 79Luther a. Hoopes. ”Admissions Marketing for the Private Col- lege.“ College and University. Vol. #7. no. u (Summer. 1972). p. 305. 80Fred R. Thomsson. "Origin of the Office of Admissions and Records." ollegg and University. Vol. 29. No. 1 (October. 1953). p. 100. 38 A search of an annotated bibliography provided by Bella and Hollis indicated that about 75%Iof the publications in the area (administration and organizatign of higher education) have been developed since 1955. 1 The available research then. on the history of admissions. is somewhat sketchy but Lindsey and Holland give a glimpse of the first practi- tioners: The early universities of Greek and Home can scarcely be described as organisations. They can more accurately be regarded as associations or individual teachers banded together for their common benefits. Problems of admissions. curricula. housing and finance remained largely. if not entirely. personal matters. The indi- vidual teacher attracted his own students. taught them as he desired. housed them. usually in his own dwellings. and received such fees and honoraria as he and his stu- dents agreed upon.32 Turning the pages of time the story rapidly moves to the 16th century at Cambridge and Oxford where Thomas Connelly finds the registrar. one of the principal administrative officers. performing admitting func- tions.83 Richard Perry identifies the title given to the individual holding this medieval administrative office as "Major Beadle."8h and "there is evidence from other authors that the admissions office was 81Richard R. Perry. "The Role of Admissions--Role of the Adminis- trator.” Handbook of College and Universit AdministrationeAcademic. Asa D. Knowles. editor-in-chief (St. Louis: HcGraw-Hill Book Co.. 1970). pp. 3-99 - 3-100. 8kg. E. Lindsey and E. 0; Holland. Calls and Universit Ad- ginistration (New York: The Haclillan Co.. 1930). p. 6. 83Thomas B. Connell . The gegistrar (Newark. N;J.: Hishington Irving Publishing Co.. 1951 . p. 12. ebgp§ cit.. Perry. "The Role of Admissions-~Bole of the Adminis- “Cur.” p. -100 39 derived from the ancient office of the archivist. which undoubtedly was the forerunner of the registrar."85 Smerling tells of a title change to "Grapharius” as the Hajor Beadle took on the responsibility of making graduation lists.86 The position had many duties but "His chief task was to carry out the wishes and requests of the proctor. the of- ficer who administered examinations."87 Cambridge had a registrar as early as 1506 and Smerling finds that " . . . by 15““ all students who wished to attend this university had to present themselves to him when entering."88 By implication the registrar. in 15kb, performed duties of an admissions officer. Admissions ig;the U..§. The United States' history of higher education administration begins with the opening of the doors of Harvard University in 16h5. Broom.89 Brubache' 9° and Thomason all agree that the first American admissions officers were the college presidents who were supported by .‘ .— 85min. 86Hilliam H. Smerling. ”The Registrar: Changing Anp‘cta'u Collgge and Universit . Vol. 35. No. 2 (winter. 1960). p. 180. 87min. 881nm. 891Edwin Cornelius Brooms. ”A Historical and Critical Discussion of College Admission Requirements." Columbia University Contributions to Philosophy. Psychology and Education. 11. Hos. 3 -E?(April. 1903). PP. 30' 25s I 90John S. Brubacher and Hillis Rudy. Hi r'Education in Transi- tion: An American Histogz 1636:1256 (New York: Harper'and Row. 19? . p. 12. “0 "tutors. masters. or faculty."91 Brooms. in pursuing the development of admissions requirements. finds no catalogs issued prior to 1800.92 Basically. the first one hundred and fifty years of United States history in higher education had no published records of college ad- missions requirements. the conditions of admission nor the placement of responsibility for the function. In 1828 Smerling finds the regis- trar being identified as a member of the administrative staff of the school.93 Brooms. continuing his pursuit of entrance examinations determines that ”The test was an oral one--in fact. we have no traces of written examinations before the middle of the nineteenth cent -- and was conducted by the president or tutors.”9u Rudolph in his history of higher education administration reveals that prior to the Civil Har institutions of higher education were managing with only a president and treasurer along with a part-time librarian. As their functions enlarged. the administrative responsi- bilities became broader which necessitated " . . . first a secretary of the faculty. then a registrar. and then in succession a vice-president. a does. a dean of women. a business officer. an assistant dean. a dean _ 91prod n. Thomsson. "Origin of the Office of Admissions and Records." ollggg E University. Vol. 29. Ho. 1 (October. 1953). p. 100. 9g92._2;§.. Brooms. "A Historical and Critical Discussion of College Admission Requirements.“ p. 5. 9392. cit.. Smerling. “The Registrar: Ghanaian “poets." p. 130. gugp. cit.. Brooms. "A Historical and Critical Discussion of College Admission Requirements.” p. 37. 41 of men. a director of admissions . . . 95 Smerling identifies the 1860s as the time which developed the office of the registrar 1n the United States higher education system with a rapid rise in their numbers from 1880 to 1900.96 Admissions after 1900 Prior to the 1930s much of the admissions work is found in the offices of the deans and faculties and the early embryo of admissions. as it is known today. begins to take shape.97 The late 1930s and early 19h0s reveal more separating of the admissions office from the registrar. It is not clear exactly when the registrar and admissions office find independent quarters for Thomason98 frequently refers to the registrar and admissions function as synonymous in his work in 1953 with duties which include: a) preparing and distributing the catalogs and brochures used as promotional pieces for the colleges and universities. b) handling much of the articulation between the colleges and the high schools. c) conducting programs of high school visitation. d) performing most of the pre- and post-admission counseling functions. and e) handling all 95Frederick Rudolph. The American.Collsge and University-g; Histog (New York: Vintage Books. 19627. pp. nah-has. 181 9:32. cit.. Smerling. ”The Registrar: Changing Aspects.“ PP. -1 s 973. n. Cerrits and Alfred Thomas. Jr., ”The Admissions Office in Twenty-Eight Selected Colleges and Universities.” College and Uni- vsrsity. Vol. 29. No. 1 (October. 1953). p. 65. ' 98 Qp. cit.. Thomsson. ”Origins of the Office of Admissions and Records.” pp. 03-108. #2 correspondence dealing with a student and his involvement with the col- lege. Cerrits and Thomas corroborate the idea of a combined admis- sions-rsgistrar function until the late isms.99 In 1994. Snyder reports that the admissions office at Stanford had existed for only seven years which places its origin at 1997.100 In 1951 Thomas Connelly writes: ”In some schools. the title of administrative offi- csr may be registrar and/or admissions officer; director of admissions: dean of admissions or dean of students."101 One can surmise that a separate admissions office was alive on some campuses in the late 1950s. Not much is written about the 1950s. but in the early 1960s the role of the admissions staff becomes one of counseling. Ricoll identi- fies a shift during that decade as the admissions structure moves away from the role of counseling students seeking a suitable college. to a role of " . . . recruiter of students for the college they represent."102 In October of 1970. L. Richard Heeth describes the function of the admissions office in business terms when he asks: ”Does the college have a clear and realistic understanding of its urket?"1°3 This is the 9992. cit.. Gerrits and Thomas. "The Admissions Office in Twenty- Eight Selected Colleges and Universities." p. 66. 100Rexford K. Snyder. "Recruiting.“ College Admissions. College Entrance Examination Board. 195“. p. 122. 10192. cit.. Connelly. The Registrar. p. 13. 1026. Douglas Nicoll. "Admissions and the Private College." Sghool and Society. Vol. 95. Ho. 2289 (March a. 1967). p. 1&8. ”31.. Richard Heeth. ”Innovative Admissions Practices for the 11%;; ir§7Collegem Journal of Higher Education. n.1, Ho. 7 (October. 0 Po e 1.3 first time in the review of the literature on admissions that the term "market" arises. This emphasis continues as David Barton. in his article of January 1973. identifies . . . the approaches made. the cost per student re- cruited. the total amount of energy put into marketing independent education are now the number one develOp- ment problems in all but a handfga of independent educational institutions today.1 The historical development of admissions. then. moves from faculty members seeking their own students in the Creek and Roman days. through a screening process by presidents and faculty of United States colleges and universities. into a more formalised position in the 1930s as "registrar” and finally into its own in the late 19u0s and early 1950s. The function of opening the college gates to students is synon-» ymous with the term admissions and this has seen a metamorphosis into a counseling role and. in the early 70s. a second change into a market- ing perspective involving student recruitment. The Hodern.AdmissiQns Offigg The risks of failing to enroll adequate numbers of freshmen elevate the status of the admissions office in the eyes of faculty and administrators alike. Attracting the students of desired numbers and quality has a direct impact on the cash flow of the college and can "make or break the institution.”105 But just what functions does the 0h . 1 David H. Barton. Jr., “If the Customers Don't Buy The Insti- tution Hill Die.” The Journal of the Rational Association of Cells Admissrions Counselgg. Vol. 17. Ho. 3 January. 1973 . p. 10. 0 1 5Rsxford C. Hoon. Jr., "Administrator's Assistant.” Collggg ggggggggp_. Vol. 9. No. 3 (Harsh. 197“). p. 5. an modern admissions office perform? What is the role of its director? A look at the literature provides an update. Hanygnoles Douglas Nicoll sees a modern admissions office in need of a deliberate and energetic recruitment program of two parts: a clear. responsible program for screening applicants. and a secondary recruit- ment program to bring the admitted students into the classroom.106 The admissions office has major responsibilities for “ . . . recruitment. interviewing. testing. counseling. evaluation and placement. orienta- tion. research. and publication.107 David Treadwell continues this train of thought as he looks at admissions as a ” . . . catalyst. to empose prospective students to all elements of the community."108 Amplifying this these he sees admissions as service oriented. providing fast. direct. personal service to likely prospects. Dennis Johnson identifies other functions of the admissions office. The traditional admissions department generally includes responsibilities for relations with secondary schools. visits with students. attending college night and col- lege day programs. mailing communications. personal interviews on and off campus. counseling. publication development (in some cases) . . . 109 10692. cit.. Hicoll. "Admissions and Private CollegO." Po 1&9. 10792. cit.. Gsrrits and Thomas. "The Admissions Office in Trenty-sight Selected Colleges and Universities.” p. 68. 10892. cit.. Treadwell. ”Hard Hork--Not Hard Sell-~Boosts Ad-‘ missions.” p. 12. 109Dennis L. Johnson. "I'- 0.K.--Y°u Ar! ?." 0°1£2£!_end UniYEE: sit! Business. vol. 55. no. 1 (July. 1973). p. 21. ‘45 But the admissions office not only speaks with potential stu- dents. it must evaluate their needs and carry them back to the college governing boards for evaluation and possible changes in curriculum. Ron Keller sees admissions personnel as " . . . consultants for change- rscognising. recommending. and implementing student need oriented ”110 Admissions personnel must earn the respect of their PIOSIIIS. superiors and dauntlsssly offer recosmsndations regardless of their impact on personalities or particular departments on campus. In short. Keller advocates an admissions office which communicates with the col- lege community at large including faculty. administration and students. Today's admissions office. then. works with constituents both on and off the campus and has a major responsibility of communicating clearly 1n Nth m. The Admissions_Directo; A precise definition of today's captain of that ship which car- ries the destiny of the college is succinctly offered by James Nelson rho says "He should strive to become effective consultants for change."111 The position no longer requires a good counselor or one capable of only separating the wheat from the chaff to allow the highest quality stu- dent to enter. Today the director of admissions requires what Sweitaer 110Ron Roller. ”Administrative Reactions and Responsibilities." College and Universitz. Vol. #8. Ho. 3 (Summer. 1973). p. 229. “1.1..“ 1:. Nelson. ”Administrative Reactions and Responsibili- ties." Collegg and University. Vol. #8. no. # (Summer. 1973). p. 229. “6 calls “ . . . the new 'dry look' . . . combining marketing analyst. manager by objectives. communication-graphics image broker. sales- 112 oriented planner.“ This does not mean that he must be a jack of all trades but he must be a master of many and . . . keep informed on trends in business. on the economic and social life of the community served by his college. of job opportunities for his current and future students. He must be a perpetual student. He is continuously evaluating his own work.113 As the role increases in importance and the livelihood of the college becomes more and more contingent on the success of the admissions pro- gram. Barton contends that the admissions officer will becoms more of a key manager and decision maker who " . . . should sit on the highest policy making councils of his institution."11u One major function of an admissions office mentioned earlier is communication: with the prospective student and with the college govern- ing boards. Dealing with parents. students. high school principals and counselors. alumni and others is considered by Donner to be a public 116 relations function.115 Smerling and Rhoades agree and see the major 112Luci Switssr. "Recruiting Looks Like an Art. Acts Like a Science." Colle and University;§usiness. Vol. 52. No. 2 (February. 1972). p. l‘7'. 113John H. aboadg. ”Our Profession." Cgllsgg and University. Vol. 31. Ho. 2 (winter. 1956). p. 150. 11“David H. Barton. Jr., "Taking the Sears out of Student Scarcity." Journal of the National Association of Collegg Admissions Counselors. Vol. 19. No. 2 (November. 197E77p. 6. 11silalter H. Danner. "The Registrar and the Admissions Officsrt His Responsibilities and Opportunities for Service to His Institution.” Collggg and University. Vol. 27. No. 3 (April. 1952). p. 562. 11692: cit.. Smerling. "The Registrar: Changing A8P0998." Po 186. u? responsibility for directing that work to rest with the admissions director as a " . . . valuable contributor to the overall public rela- tions program of his institution.”117 Herman Spindt feels that the admissions director is the best person to inform the colleges of the high school graduate's thoughts and needs.118 Rhoads elaborates by saying He (the admissions director) now must interpret to his own faculty members this change in public school poli- cies. He must analyze for them the needs of the next generation of students so that they may tailor their courses to answer those needs. Next. he must report on these differences to his administrators so that of- ficials of the institution may make a fresh evaluation of the administrative policies. to examine whether or not they are valid for the young people who are emerging from today's high schools.1 9 Without offering such input Treadwell reminds the admissions director that he is "shirking one of our [his] major responsibilities."120 It is. therefore. the admissions director who must know the cam- pus. its students. its faculty and its programs and be able to communi- cats these clearly to the constituency beyond the college gates.121 But likewise he has a responsibility to communicate to the faculty and 11792, cit.. Rhoads. "Our Profession.” p. 153- lleaer-nn A. Spindt. "Are Us Necessary?." Calls and Universi 0 Vol. 30. No. b (July. 1955). p. #28. 11992, cit.. Rhoads. "Our Profession." p. 151- 12092. cit.. Treadwell. "Hard Hork--Not Hard Sell-~Boosts Ad-' missions." p. 13. 121Ibid. #8 administration about what is going on ”out there" so that the college can adjust to the changing needs of the high school students. Marketing The admissions officer. from the foregoing. is the nexus be- tween prospective students and the college. In a sense he is the town crier often visualized as marching along with arms full of brochures and catalogs toting a slick sales promotion. With this image his job description acquires a new label. borrowed from the business community. to more carefully define his role. ”A term 'marketing' has supplanted the term 'recruitment' within the lexicon of college recruitment offi- cers."122 In 1972 Chapple identifies "marketing" as " . . . the new magic word associated with the recruiting aspects of admissions.”123 In 1970 Richard.leeth sees the innovative admissions director applying such marketing techniques as revising the curriculum to make it more ”saleable.“ deve10ping transfer brochures. preparing a.h5 RP! record to better describe the college. and establishing alumni and student-to- student recruiting programs.12u David Barton first coins the term “marketing independent education” at the close of 1972.125 a practice lzzThomas Huddleston. Jr., "Student Marketing.” 0011353 and Und- versitx. Vol. 50. No.“ (Summer. 1975). P. 339. 123John D. Chapple. “If Admissions Are Lagging Don't overlook This Help.” W. V01. 7. No. 12 (Dace-her. 1972). p. 27. 12592L_g;§.. Heeth. "Innovative Admissions fractices for the , Liberal Arts College." Journal of Higher Education. XLI. No. 7 (October. 1970). pp. 533-96. ' 12“SlJavid U. Barton. Jr., "If Customers Don't Buy the Institution Hill Die." Journal of the National Association of Collegg_ég!;g§iggg ggunselors. Vol. 17. No. 3 (January. 1973). P. 9. ‘69 he advocates as a soothing antidote to colleges ailing from shrinking enrollments. Throughout his writing Barton continues to promote a strong marketing program in admissions. " . . . education today should recog- 126 nize that it too lust be marketed." He speaks of tailoring the mar- keting plan to fit the customer and feels that colleges must be ”bold 127 but not too bold.” He is not alone. Jeremy Lord stresses the need for . . . an admissions marketing plan and we must con- tinually evaluate that plan to determine if it is indeed working. if it is current in meeting the needs of the changing market place. and if it is a vehicle that will guide our institutions through the difficult years ahead.128 Druggan concurs and suggests that as the key communicator for a col- lege the admissions person must be able to further understand and assess the needs of his potential market so that he can better present the ” . . . college's case persuasively and honestly."129 There are many aspects of this business to marketing a college which reach beyond good communication and persuasion techniques. Sparks talks in terms of segmenting the market. i.e.. identifying those pockets of high school student populations that are going to be the most and Di 1:§QRL_2;$.. Barton. "If Customers Don't Buy The Institution Hill 0-" Po . 127mm" pp. 11-12. 128Jeremy H. Lord. "Student Marketing.” QQJIOSO and University. V01. 50' N00 1‘ (SH-”1', 1975)! Po 3&2? 12992 ¢1t.. Druggan. ”Introduction.” p. x11. 50 least advantageous for recruiting.130 Sharon Stahlheber points to Northwestern University's effort to recruit in ”primary” and "second- ary” markets as well as what she terms "new pilot or test markets"131 which she defines as carrying the message to new geographic areas in hopes of harvesting a larger crop of freshmen. Dennis Johnson broadens the marketing concept even further to include the need for " . . . research. better communication systems. definition of purpose. and better management."132 Pausing briefly on his first term: it is apparent that good marketing in admissions has as its foundation a strong. indepth effort at research. Without it how can the admissions personnel provide the feedback to their college on student needs as suggested by Jack Half?133 How else can such in- formation be gathered to lend direction to the design of the product (educational programs and style) suggested by Sparks?” Research. like that suggested in this study. becomes an integral put of any admissions marketing plan. not only for good communication to students about the college but for good communication to the college about the students. 13092. cit.. sparks. "A Marketing Plan That Works." p. 29. 131Sharon Stahlheber. "Achieving Enrollment Objectives." College ganagement. Vol. 9. No. 6 (June-July. 197“). p. 18. 132 cit.. Johnson. ”Selling: A Threat to Post-secondary Education." p. 553. 133Jack 3. volt. 'fHarketing Admissions Using Modern Business Techniques in Student Recruiting." ollege Board Review. no. 89 (Fall.‘ 1973). p. 2“- 1’92. cit.. Sparks. "A Marketing Plan 11M Vomu" P- 29- 51 Marketi vs Sales Unfortunately the marketing apprOach can be warped out of shape so that the emphasis on defining information needs is not better con- sumer information but sales. Quoting Peter Drucker. Dennis Johnson points out that marketing and sales are " . . . antithetical and not complimentary as some believe."135 Raymond Finn helps clarify the dis- tinction between marketing and sales as The marketing concept. in contrast to the sales con- cept. begins with the focus on student needs and then by means of an integrated education product creates revenue through creating satisfied student consumers. The promulgation of the marketing concept ggould be a continuous striving of every institution.1 Sales. then. becomes a persuasive effort to alter student attitudes into favorably accepting a particular product while marketing is designed to first identify student needs and develop a product to meet those needs. The marketing concept is defaced by the interchanging of Jargon such as ” . . . sales conversions. quotas. and yields."137 As Johnson describes it. "’Sales' has become the grubby catch word.and easy answer for some hard pressed institutions."138 . . . students are being described and treated in terms of markets. yields. sales returns and quotas. At some 135 . cit.. Johnson. ”Selling: A Threat to Post-secondary Edu- cation.” pp. 2-3b3. 136Raymond Finn. "Suggested flew Trends in Educational Recruiting.” Journal of the National Association of Cells e Admissions Counselors.. Vol. 18. No. 3 (November. 19735. p. 12. 13792. cit.. Lord. ”Student Marketing.” p. 3H1. 13892. cit.. Johnson. ”I'm O.K.--You Are ?." p. 22. 52 institutions. students and staff are being paid commi-139 sions on per head stipends for referrals or enrollees. The sales campaign manager reaches for new and more creative ideas and beings to sell the product in forms of " . . . plastic records. dis- plays in buses. 'shotgun' mailing lists. films and recruiting con- 1h0 ferences.” A highlight of the admissions program at Northwestern University is "a road show which replaces the traditional high school visit in many metrOpolitan cities around the country."1u1 Summing it up Rexford Moon sees ”The college admission scene going through sub- stantial transformation. Gimmicks. gadgets. gadflies are on the r18.."l“2 The Issue of Ethigg One can see the original intent of utilizing research to meet student needs and define better communication materials for student prospects is giving way to ” . . . the sort of head hunting that can only hurt the public image of higher education."“3 There is a very real concern that college admissions is moving into an era of huckster- ism. It is not happening only at the little known private college but 139nm. luogp. cit.. Chapple. ”If Admissions Are Lagging Don't Overlook m3 Help.” Po 27o 1} 1 192. cit. . Stahlheber. ”Achieving Enrollment Objectives." p. 18. 1#222. cit.. noon. "Administrator's Assistant." p. 5. luBEditorial. New York Times. January in. 19714. p. 26. 53 Rechinger points out that "Financial pressure has threatened the admis- sion practices of even the high prestige institutions . . . "In“ As Treadwell sums it up “Few educators. I think. would applaud the trend toward slick advertising and 'dollar-discount offers.""‘u5 The view that admissions is strictly a promotional vehicle to sail floundering colleges into fair weather and brighter futures carries with it a stench of dirty tricks and unfair practices and the problem is worsening. ‘ Unprofessional approaches are used by those who must deal strictly in numbers. not in people. To them num- bers mean survival. This seems to be the case with an increasing number of private institutions. as well as some public institutions.“6 But these institutions are not only relying on their own resources to sell their colleges. As Ed Bagale points out: The use of commercial agencies. publishing houses. ACT. management consulting firms. marketing research organi- zations and advisement and placement services in the admissions process is here to stay. We have formed a partnership which will co tinue to be viable and will be a part of the future.1 As the practices of slick sales techniques continue to grow and find a firm footing in the future of higher education. one must consider 1m‘Fred H. Hechinger. "Colleges in Search of Freshmen." §EEE£QEI ggrld Review (April 6. 19?“). Pa 55. 155 92. cit.. Treadwell. "Hard Hork--Not Hard Sell-eBoosts Ad- missions." p. 11. a 1 6'Thomas H. Woodward. Jr., "Ethics in Student Recruitment in ' the 1970's.” Journal of the National Agsociation of CollgggAdmissions Counselors. Vol. 17. No. 3 (January. 1973). p. 3. 1"71::dnnrd J. Bagale. "Use of Commercial Recruiting Agencies.” Collgge and University. Vol. 51. No. 15 (Summer. 1976). p. 398. 51. the impact of devious promotional practices. Tom Woodward finds the critical problem to be a tarnishing of the image of the profession as well as higher education at large.1“8 He sees a dicotomy of the promo- tional aspects into "professional.” or ethical. and “commercial." im- plying something unethical. In addition there is the concern for the rights and welfare of the individual student who is deeply affected by the integrity. or lack of it. in the admissions office. With so much potential for deceit a question of ethics must be raised while simultaneously allowing the benefits of marketing and its research arm to remain viable. One attempt is that of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors who has developed a "State- ment of Principles of Good Practices” (Appendix A). The statement is designed to elicit a voluntary acquiescence by admissions personnel to higher standards in promoting colleges. The policing of these actions should come from the colleges themselves. for if they do not ' . . . we will find increasing outside legislation of our activities. regulations which will be above and beyond what we can do individually or collec- tively."“9 Richard.Rowray puts the spotlight on the consumerism move- ment which has as its vanguard.the federal government. This will force on us some good practices to be legis- lated by the Federal Trade Commission. the Office of “amour n. Woodward. Jr., Ethics in Student Recruitment in the 1970's. ” Journal of the National Association of Cells Admissions Coun- selors. Vol. 17. No. 3 (January. 1973). p. 3. 1‘ugRichard D. Rowray. "AACRAO Student Recruitment Guidelines. " College and University. Vol. 51. No. h (Summer. 1976), p. 53“. 55 Education and others. We are being told by the federal government that the student is the primary consumer of the professional services. They are suggesting that there be a central agency of the federal government to which the student may aggeal for delivery of services and filing complaints. 1 If the colleges themselves do not police. on a voluntary basis. the promotional efforts of colleges. the federal government will. Such is the impetus for the NACAC Statement. It touches on such areas as: having the professionals on a fixed salary rather than a commission. current pictures and statements about a college avoiding invidious comparisons with other institutions. eliminating unprofes- sional promotional tactics. and allowing students to choose a college without duress or penalties. This is a beginning and other associations. such as the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) are considering similar legislation. The consumer movement is at hand as is the need for colleges to survive in a "Bear Market." The needs of both the colleges and students must be met with a balanced. ethical program of communication. Without a voluntary ad- herence to fair play in the game of survival. a legislative enforcement will surely come. Related Studies on Student Information Ngeds A review of related literature on the tepic of student informa- tion needs finds a scarcity of available research. Kinnick notes. as she pursues such a review for her dissertation. " . . . that relatively 150nm. . p. 533. 56 little attention in the literature has been given to the problem of identifying prospective student information needs."151 As her disser- tation is dated 1975. it leads one to believe that there will be some difficulty in finding related research prior to that time. Richard Perry further supports a lack of research for in 1970 he identifies admissions research as falling into four main areas. i.e.. administra- tive research. predictive research. directive research. and illumina- tive research.152 In his descriptions of these types of admissions research he identifies nothing comparable to a detailed sifting of student information needs but rather filters the inordinate amount of research performed on the perfunctory duties of an admissions office. Cameron.Fincher supports Perry in the fall of 1975. saying "The nature of admissions research since the mid-sixties is not characterised by outstanding results."153 Kinnick reiterates her concern for lacking research in the area when she says. "No recorded instance of the sys- tematic and explicit use of research literature to develop post-secondary information for prospective students has been located."15u Generally. 1Slliary Katherine Kinnick. Information for Prospective Students About Secondary Education: A Partial Assessment of Need. Doctoral Disser- tation. University of Colorado. Hay. 1975. p. 12. 1529p. cit.. Richard R. Perry. "The Role of Admissions--Role of the Administrator.” pp. 3-123 - 3-12“. 1”Cameroni‘incher. ”Strategies and Trends in Admissions Research. Collegg and Universi_y. Vol. 51. No. 1 (Fall. 1975). p. 30. . 15992. cit.. Mary Katherine Kinnick. Information for Prospective Students About Secondggz;Educations A Partial Assessment of Need. p. 21. 57 there is a dirth of research information related to the topic. but a selected review of these limited resources is presented below. Conparative Data Joan Stark identifies a recent deve10pment in the current con- sumer movement which is the accumulation and regular arrangement of facts about a number of colleges in a composite so that students might make rapid comparisons. Some examples are155 a) The American Institute for Research (AIR) work under the direction of the Office of Planning. Budgeting. and Evaluation; b) The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) which is looking at the management and planning information that institutions utilize in their daily opera- tions to see if it can be helpful and constructively employed to aid students in their decision making on college selection: c) The College Scholarship Service. which draws together information about federal financial aid programs and puts them in a composite for easy review: d) The Department of Higher Education--Post-secondary Education at Syracuse University work on a similar project; 3) "National Project One; Better Information for Student Choice" which offers grants to a dozen colleges so that each can develop a prospectus (this was dis- cussed in more detail on pages 16-18). The concern for better infor- mation for students on a comparative basis is getting plenty of attention from a number of quarters. 66 6:5502. cit.. Joan S. Stark. "Is More Information Better?." PP! ' o 58 The Guessipg Game One aspect of student information needs is probably the most common practice in all of higher education. i.e.. guessing what is needed. Hey. in a recent article in College Board Review. realizes the need to ask prospective students what they want and need to know but ironically does not pursue such an investigation preferring. instead. to guess at student needs.156 His suggestions include ad- missions information. student 1ife. both in and out of the classroom. and outcome information of attending a particular college. He feels that students want to know the drop-out rate by discipline. the length of time to finish a degree. the number of students who finish in four years. and how the graduates fare in terms of admission to graduate or professional schools. He closes his presentation with the realization that "This information is virtually never available-~and ironically it is not even shared fully among the department. academic or administra- tive.”157 In 1972. John Minter. while working for the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. pulls together a taxonomy of ”logical" types of questions which he concludes students "might" ask should they be looking for a post-secondary institution to attend.”8 15602 cit.. John 0. Hey, "A Question of Balance.” P. 9. 157mm. 158John Minter. ”Finding and Comparing Information About College and Career Educational Programs." informal paper. National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education. Boulder. Colorado. February 1. 1972. 59 It contains nine basic pieces of information such as: educational pro- grams. program costs and financial aid. instructional staff. services. materials and faculties. program environments. auxiliary services. geography and climate. Emphasis is not on what is known but rather what Minter guesses students want to know. A complete taxonomy of needs which Minter identifies as ”logical types" is attached in Appendix B. What Others Think a Student Needs to Know William Siddoway. in the Spring of 1967. published his efforts at a survey of "Information Needs of Students During the High School Senior to College Freshman Transition."159 Although his title implies a study similar as to that suggested here. Siddoway's emphasis is not on asking the student what he wants to know about a college in making a selection. but rather state and regional high school-college rela- tions committees for their Opinion of student interest. Sample size and response rate are not identified and the emphasis is on asking a secondary source what students want to know about a college. He finds the two areas of highest interest to be financial aid and admissions requirements. These two items were followed closely by the need for information about college courses. majors and degrees. In order of importance the remaining six items were: management of permanent time schedules. finances. social life. requirements of college study. assignments. tests. and grading practices; how to select specific college 1”William R. Siddoway. ”Informational Needs of Students During the High School Senior to College Freshman Transition." College and University. Vol. #2. No. 3 (Spring. 1967). pp. 358-359. 60 courses. majors and degrees: living conditions and regu- lations: procedures for registration and orientation: sororiZies and fraternities and other social opportuni- ties.1 Again. the emphasis is on asking an external group what students want to know rather than the students themselves: a highly different popu- lation from the study suggested in this paper. Research on Student Information Needs Daniel Sullivan and Larry Litten's study for the College Board is entitled "Using Research in Analyzing Student Markets: A Case Study."161 Their main emphasis is on finding ways in which the market of potential students can be segmented and touches only briefly on student information needs. Their study deals with all aspects of the college recruitment at a specific college in order to syphon off the least effective and enhance the most successful in hopes of developing a higher enrollment of accepted students. In terms of student infor- mation they ask students who applied and did not enroll such questions as. "what they were like. where they chose to go to college. what they did and did not know about Carlton. how they knew it. and why they did 162 not apply." Their findings reveal that non-applicants hear about Carlton more often from published information than from high school 16°Ibid. 161Daniel F. Sullivan and Larry H. Litten. ”Using Research in Analyzing Student Markets: A Case Study." A Role for Marketing_in Collage Admissions (New York: College Entrance Examination Board. 1976). PP. '1 o 162nm. . p. 89. 61 counselors. friends or admissions representatives. In general the channels of information through which non-applicants learn about Carlton are similar to the accepted students. A study in 197k by Samuel B. Cramer focuses more on factors in college selection than on student information needs although he states his purpose as providing " . . . the public relations office with some facts on which to base decisions affecting their advertising and publications programs that were aimed at recruiting students."163 His pepulation is limited to female students in their senior year in high school. Their information needs are chiefly career oriented with a secondary concern for financial aid. In making the final decision on the college in which to enroll parents run a poor second to the stu- dents themselves. while guidance counselors and admissions officers have little. if any. impact. Sidney Micek. in comparing information needs of different deci- sion makers. i.e.. state legislators. college and university administra- tors and state-wide post-secondary education planners. reports that the " . . . results of the pilot test confirm the hypothesis that different 16” types of decision makers need different outcome information.“ It is 163Samuel B. Cramer. "To College or Not to College? Market Sur- vey of Student Decisions." Collegg and University Business. Vol. 56. NO. 3 (March. 19?“). pe 37a 16“Sidney Micek. ”Preliminary Summary of the Higher Education Outcome Measures Identification Pilot Test" (Boulder. Colorado: NatiOnal Center for Higher Education Management Systems. Western Interstate Com- mission on Higher'Education. 1973). p. 16. 62 not clear why there are differences. i.e.. because they have different needs or because they are exposed to different choice situations: how- ever. the results clearly find that different groups have different informational needs about college. The study known as Specialty Oriented Research Program (SOS) by Kenneth Hoyt has as its main objective to " . . . collect. analyse and disseminate research results which would enable counselors to work more effectively with students headed toward post-secondary programs in trade. technical. and business education."165 The research looks to provide both high school guidance counselors and their students with information concerning vocational training and the employment Oppor- tunities resulting from that training. To gather the information Hoyt asks high school counselors to maintain a list of questions which stu- dents ask but for which there are no ready answers from guidance per- sonnel. The most prominent student concern is the end result of enroll- ment in a particular training program. e.g.. job placement or the need for further study. Other concerns which students raise are: a) the methods of financing the study. b) the amount of study required. c) the potential for Success. d) the types of students enrolled. and e) expected salary or wages upon completion. Hoyt recommends that such information be: a) pertinent to the decisions. both vocationally and educationally. that students are trying to make: b) credible to the users. i.e.. parents. students. counselors: 165Kenneth B. Hoyt. "3.0.8.: A Call to Action." American Voca- tional Journal (May. 1968). p. 51. 63 c) understandable: d) timely: e) adaptable to the current guidance pro- gram in the high school: f) accommodating to the pattern of presentation and dialogue between the counselor and the student: and g) economical to produce. ' Edward Brogly's doctoral dissertation concerns student selection of trade. technical and business schools. In addition to student in- formation needs Brogly also pursues the questions of: a) changes in the priority of information needs of the student as he moves through the decision making process on training program selection. b) counselor auareness of the changes in the information need priorities of the stu- dent moving through the process of decision making. and c) comparing the conceptions of what the counselors believe are the needs at various stages with the reality of what the students want. Brogly relies on the Hoyt list of questions and expands on them by asking Iowa high school students enrolled in vocational programs to identify the information they feel would be important to someone select- ing a vocational school. In his findings BrOgly sees no differences in responses of the counselors or students by stages of the student's deci- sion making process: however. students differ significantly in their response when the various stages of decision making are compared. Stu- dents and counselors are in greater agreement about what students ought to know than they are on what the students really want to know. Both students and counselors agree that entrance requirements and job placement are high priority information items. while types of 64 students. housing. transportation and area facilities are less impor- tant. Appendix C lists the taxonomy resulting from Brogly's ques- tions relative to the more important information factors.166 Probably the most pertinent and relevant study is the disser- tation of Mary Kinnick entitled "Information for Prospective Students About Post-secondary Education: A Partial Assessment of Need."167 Her objective is to identify student information needs as perceived by three different groups: high school seniors. currently enrolled students. and administrators in post-secondary education institutions.. Secondly. she wants to know how these various groups compare in terms of what they think is wanted. A third concern deals with the relation- ship between what students need to know and their specific situations in making a choice. The latter question really pursues the change of information needs as a student moves through three stages of decision making about college enrollment. i.e.. a) to go to college. b) which institution to attend. and c) the specific program to pursue. Kinnick uses a survey to measure the differences in perceived information needs among the three groups and finds they differ signifi- cantly in defining what information is important and which is readily available. Choice situations have little effect as ”it was observed that information needs do not seem to depend upon particular kinds of 166Edward Brogly. Counselor and Student Perceptions of Educa: tional Information. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Iowa. 1967. 16792. cit. . Kinnick. Information for Prospective Studeng About Post-second§;y_§ggg§tion: A Partial Assessment Qngeed. 65 168 The results choice situations confronted by prospective students." do show. however. that prospective students are able to discriminate between more or less important information that they want to know about college and that they do. when asked. identify specific bits of infor- mation which they need to know about enrolling in a particular post- secondary institution. Kinnick's general taxonomy of information needs includes such major headings as: school and program entry. cost. financial aid and employment. a general description of the school. courses. programs and majors. results of school or program participation. job characteristics and the job market. and student self review. A copy of the complete taxonomy is attached in Appendix D. and will serve as a guide in de- veloping the survey instrument for this study. DeveIOping a taxonomy of information needs is not. however. one of the major objectives of this study. One major difference between the Kinnick study and that proposed here is the population surveyed. Kinnick addresses three different audiences while the study presented here focuses only on the prospec- tive high school student. Further. the main thrust of the Kinnick study is limited to what students want to know. It does not approach other questions of the basic communication formula of "who says what to when. when and how. and with what effect"169 as proposed in this study. 168nm. . p. 111. 169Theodore Clevenger, Jr., Audience Analysis (Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company. Inc.. 1966). p. 25. 66 An important finding of the Kinnick study. in addition to the taxonomy. is that students do know what they want in terms of information about higher education and they can discriminate about the importance of those needs. This lends credibility to the ef- fort which will be pursued in Chapter III as the plan of study is unveiled. CHAPTER III PLANNING AND CONDUCTING THE STUDY Chapter II provided a background which enabled the reader to understand the need for better information for prospective college students. It was also apparent that research must reach beyond "what" students want to know to how they want to learn the information and from whom they want to hear. Such was the direction of this study and the need to survey a population of student prospects and review their responses. ggpglgtion The study involved surveying the information needs of two dis- tinct groups of high school seniors: those inquiring about Hope Col- lege but not applying. hereafter called "inquired." and those inquiring and applying for admission. hereafter called ”applied." Both groups had some familiarity with Hope College through receiving its correspondence. As such they were more inclined to respond in numbers which made this study statistically significant. A study of the national population of high school seniors was ruled out because of large numbers. the difficulty in defining a sampling frame. and their lack of allegiance to Rape Col- lege which could lower responses. 67 68 The target audience involved high school seniors since they were receiving correspondence from Hope College and could readily recall their information needs and decision making processes. The re- sponses should reflect their own feelings as well as those of their colleagues who were umderclassmen. Analysis of the responses will serve as a guide for developing next year's communication program and. as such. will fit the information close to those to be recruited. i.e.. next year's seniors. .High school juniors were not surveyed because there was no sampling frame of such students who corresponded with Hope nor had they received any Hepe College materials. Computation of the sample size employed the following formula‘: 22 N - 2 bczelL. N The sample size had a 95% confidence interval with 5% error. The overall populations numbered: Applied - 1.01h and Inquired - 10.6lh. These populations. with the parameters above. resulted in sample sizes of #01 applied students and 626 inquired students. With this sample size a systematic random sample was taken of each population requiring an interval of tmo for applied students and seventeen for the inquired. The Instrument The survey questionnaire was a product of the author. relative to the objectives and hypotheses stated in Chapter I. with reviews by * s - tabled value from the normal curve chart where a 95% confidence interval equals 1.65. C - the percent of error or .05. 69 members of the faculty fros the Departaent of Educational Research. College of Education at Michigan State University. Further reviews were conducted by Dr. livid Myers. a Psychologist and Director of Institutional Research at Hope College and Dr. Ronald Mulder. a Soci- ologist at Hope. A cepy of the survey instrusent. found in Appendix 3. included the following considerations: 1) According to Linslq. ”It sppesrs that there are about as any studies reporting no advantage to personalisation as those nportlne en “muse."I“ for the survey instrusent and. since no advantage was found in using This finding alluded to the cover letter a personal letter. a siaple note of explanation and instruction was included at the top of the survey instrument. . 2) ”Results showed a clear advantage with letters using the title (811 rebirned) cospared to those with a plain signature (53% roman“? The tors “title" referred te the signature block at the bottoa of the instructions. In the hope of increasing the responses the position of the individual sailing the survey was identified. 3) AseaohofthehypothesesstatedonpagesZZandZB of Chapter I was considered. specific questions were designed to elicit support for accepting or rejecting. 166mm 8. Linsky. "Stisulating hsponses to hailed Ques- ~ tionnairess A Review." The gghlic Qpinion m. XXIII. No. 1 (3131118. 19,5)e Po 9“. 167.132. . p. 95. ~iJ)’ ’1 "’ 9 "e 70 The logic of survey questions relative to each hypothesis was as follows: His Prospective Hope College fresh-en have definitive in- formation needs of what they want to know. when. and how. The hypothesis was quite pervasive relative to the entire thrust of the study and required a nusber of questions to test its many facets. In reference to ”what” a student would like to receive. ques- tion nine was designed to offer thirtyenine closed responses and one open possibility identified as ”other." These were gleaned fro- tax- onoaies in.Appendicies B. C. and D of this paper as either nest per- tinent to the topic or occurring regularly in each. Question ten was designed to identify froa whoa students want to hear. Students selected from faculty. students. alumni. adsinistra- tion or parents of enrolled students. The first four of these groups were normal channels of communication between prospective students and the college. As Sullivan and Litton said. " . . . Parents should not be forgotten in any sarketing strategy”168 and the questionnaire allowed the student to consider this as an alternative. The question of ”when” a student wanted to hear about a college was pursued in questions four and five. The respondent was asked when plans began for college and when they were finalised. The alternatives 168.11auiel F. Sullivan and Larry H. Litton. "Using Research in Analysing Student Markets: A Case Study.” A Role for Marketin in Colle Adsiseions. College Entrance lassination Board. New York (1976;. p. 95. 71 allowed the student to select free the years of sophomore. junior or senior and to position that selection of year as early. aiddle or late. “How” a student preferred to learn about a college was pursued in questions seven and eight by giving the student eleven closed re- sponses and one open. again "other." choice. Question eight involved the grouping of the saterials in a packet. or selecting froata letter or catalog to detersine "how" a student wanted his information. Putting such information in a brochure and detersining the relationship between the prose and picture coabinations of such a piece gave further options for selecting "how." H2: Hope College has not been adequately meeting those in- formation needs. Hypothesis 32 can be answered by an analysis of question number six in which the student identified whether or not the inforaation aided in his decision to apply to Hope and ultimately to enroll in Hope. The response to this question combined with the student status. i.e.. either inquired or applied. will tell whether or not Hope's information aids in the decision making of the student. A positive relationship. i.e.. the inforsation did influence and the student applied. suggests that Hope was adequately nesting inforaation needs. A.response that Hope information influenced the student but he did.not apply suggests that Hepe did net asst information needs. A comparison can also be made of responses to 72 question nine. i.e.. types of information students want to know. with current inforaation brochures and catalogues to give a similar result. 83: There is a difference in the information needs of sen and wosen as well as non-college bound students and those bound for two year junior colleges. four year private colleges. and four year public universities. A comparison of question one. the sex of a student. with ques- tion nine. inforaation needs. will permit analysis of need differences between sen and woscn. Sisilarly a response to question two. that is plans that students have after high school when compared with question nine. the infermation needs. will fulfill the resainder of inforaation need differences in hypothesis three. nu. Hope College applicants have inforaation needs which differ fron non-applicants. Coaparing the responses in question nine. inferuation needs. of the applied students with the non-applied or in- quired students should satisfy the investigation of this hypothesis. H5: Hepe College inforsation aaterial is average when cos- pared to that received by prospective Hape College freshnen from other colleges. Question eleven provides a range of five ratings of a Likert Scale. free which students can select to cospare Hope's materials with others. The riddle Option of the five is used to define the torn ”average." 73 H6: Parents are a sajor influence in the decision nking associated with the process of selecting a college by potential Hope College fresh-en. ”Parents rank thenselves as the soot influential people in re- lation to decision making about their sons or daughters college at- tendance."169 So said Sturgis while Posner pointed out that there nay be several influences on student decisions which say include parents. guidance counselors. alusni. or faculty. 170 Question three was de- signed to allow the student to select free these. as well as others. who might influence the decision. As Anderson found in his study re- garding influences on students selecting a college. "All three groups (of respondents) shunned to a notable degree. the idea of having had help when nking their decision by specifying. in the 'other' category tint they had made the decision thenselves.”171 Since this was the case. question three was phrased so that a student cannot select him- self as soot influential but rather persons other than hisself. 1693” U. Sturgis. ”fiends and Prohless in College Adlil- sions.” Collgg and University. Vol. 28. No. 1 (October. 1952). p. 22. Wollary h. Poona. ”A Guide to Recruiting Next Year's Fresh- men." go; Remts. Vol. 18. No. 2 (March-April. 1976). pp. 3-7. 1'71Jacl: I. Anderson. Albert H. Kreuger. Darrel T. hathiew. ”Non-hatriculation. A Follow-up Study of Prospective College Students Who Were Accepud for Admission But Did Not Enroll." Jour___na; of the National Association of Cells Adaissions Counselors. Vol. 17. No. 3 November. 1973,. p. 19. 74 H7: Hope College written connunications currently influ- ences positively in the decision to apply to Hope College. An analysis of question six. relative to Hope College gaining a decision to apply. when compared to the status of the student as an in- quirer or applicant. gives direction as to whether Hope was influencing the decision by its infornation materials. 'For exanple if a student responded "yes" to the question of "did the material influence your decision to apply or not to apply” and the student was a non-applicant. one would inply that the naterials influenced the student negatively. On the other hand if the student who answered “yes“ turns out to be an applicant. the implication is that the infornation influenced the stu- dent pesitively. ' H8: Hope College's written comaunication influences posi- tively in the decision to enroll at Hope College. Again attention was focused on question six relating the deci- sion to enroll with that of the student's status of applicant or in- quirer. As in the design of the response to hypothesis Seven. an inquiring student who indicated that the natorial influenced the deci- sion to not enroll would imply negative impact of Hope natorial on enroll-out. Conversely. a student indicating a "yes" response to the effect of Hope information on enroll-est who turned out to he an ap- . plioant inplies a positive influence by the material. 75 Procedure Once the questions for the survey were defined. the instrunent was reviewed hy the data processing personnel of Hope College and Dr. Mulder to he sure that the infornation could easily be keypunched and progressed for conputer processing. A final draft was then typed and printed. Blue paper was used for those students who applied while green was enployed for those who inquired. The color coding of paper precluded printing this infornation on student status and provided ease in recording and tahulating this infornation. Linsky explained that there was little difference in response rate when paper color was changed; therefore. the color selection for the two sanples should not influence their rate of response or bias the answers of either group.172 The length of the questionnaire was deliberately kept short since ” . . . short questionnaires are often recon-ended for resulting in higher response rates than longer questionnaires."173 Host of the questions allowed for closed responses. i.e.. a nunher of alternatives were provided free which the student lads a selection. This facilitates coding and keypunching responses and ” . . . reduces the cost of tabulating results without apparent loss in the proportion of re- turns."17u Further. ”in experinental study conparing the effectiveness 172mg. . p. 92. 17392. cit. . Linslq. ”Stinnlating Responses to Hailed Question- nairess ta Review." p. 39. mpg. . p. 91. 76 of preceding and open ended questions upon nail survey returns found no significant differences between the two forns."175 It should be renenbered that the taxononies attached and the trial adninistering of the survey instrunent helped pinpoint the scat significant and con- non responses to assure that the listing of responses was as couplets as possible. hailing The large population and its resulting sanple sise suggested that the questionnaire be nailed to the recipients as the high nunbers of respondents required prohibitive costs for personal interviews or telephone survey. This decision was nade realising the risk of a snaller response rate. semantic differences which might arise. less tine to introduce the topic and explain its purpose. and the loss of control in keeping the respondent's attention focused on the topic. The success of easy nail questionnaires. in terns of response rates and ease of handling. along with their lower cost. balance the risk against potential losses. The tiling of the study was such that college bound students. on the whole. were asking a connitnent to enroll in college as May 1 was the College Entrance Era-ination Board.'Candidate's Reply Date.“ i.e.. the tine when nest colleges request a deposit. or none other con-itaent. to indicate the student plans to enroll. Further. nearly two hundred deposits arrive at hope College in the two weeks surrounding this date 175nm. 77 (thirty percent of the decisions to enroll) and students should be able to recall their decision asking process in planning for the fall. April 30 was selected as the date of the first nailing followed by a second sailing of the survey to non-respondents three weeks later. The follow-up was designed to take advantage of Linsky's tip that ”Follow up letters or postcards sent to individuals who initially fail to respond 176 alaost invariably result in additional responses." lie nestioned a lack of evidence to support the follow-up mailing with an additional questionnaire as opposed to a postcard in eliciting sore responses.177 It was thought. however. that a student night lose the first survey. and it was sore expeditious and not excessively costly (since the question- naires were already printed) to nail additional questionnaires in the first follow-up. is a steeped reply envelope yields a 90.1fl response rate as op- posed to a 25.85 rate without. a stasped business reply envelope was 178 "'Hishor-pomrod' postse- mans” seats on out-going and return envelopes result in a higher proportion included with the questionnaire. of returns."179 Taking advantage of this infornation suggested hand- staaping the letters prior to mailing. 176nm. . p. 85. 177213.. p. 87. 17811316... p. 89. 179.1112. . pp. 88-89. 78 Two weeks after the sailing of the second questionnaire a post- card reninder was sent to nonqrespondents in hope of eliciting an even larger response. Trial Surveys Prior to finalizing the questionnaire for mailing it was tested at two area high schools in Holland. Michigan. the city in which Hope College is located. These were selected because of their ease of access and the large nuaber of students fron each high school who on- roll in Hope annually. As such. those tested should have sons sinilar interests. and therein responses. as the general population to be sur- veyed. The questionnaire was tested first at Holland High School and followed by Host Ottawa High School. After evaluating the results of these test groups. the survey was refined and tested again at East Grand Rapids High School. East Grand Rapids. Michigan and Grandville High School. Grandville. Michigan. These high schools were selected because of their ease of access and large number of students which they send to Hope. Following the completion of these surveys further refine- nents were wade and the survey instrunent finalised. The four test groups had the following characteristics and.responsess 79 sec: :.nacoosue omomaoo Hookers: one gas-sue: one one eunuch o.eso so coanuooo s mcuososamsu coon» souu :«aoo: eves nasaam .ocoo on mourns counuoeo one» no code one ca :oHeoas: eo< .oouanoo souaeshohsu ho comaa oaauonom o» cocoon one one: unseen cu nonzero coaoewmsm .suonrooao modem o>~or¢ use eccopuono: c>aa .nuoacoo accrue ueoao n.: and: cooeso>om .euozxoouo modem 22o .23: cu radon knob .ouodsoe Hoozon ueoao 5.: and: esnore .euozsoeao modem o>du one ecoopuoooz e>uh .nuoacon Macao 0.0 «oozes can: .ouosronao modem know one unnopuonoz osdh .ouodsoo nacho n.e ”cocoa no“: .80: nova—«x scanning osouuosuaocu cu emae codaoumsoo coo: acossuuocu ho>Hsm 02¢ «ooh «In sans? canh>econo 8:3. Bone one". oxccoo one: occhhoz ess: Hoocom con: chow .n« he: some .m« an: one" .e an: cool .e an: sand 80 Table 3-2 Date: May 6. 1976 Holland High School. Holland. Michigan Populations High school seniors. Five Hope-bound. four headed for another college. Time needed to complete the survey: Time in Minutes Number oovownc HWNHN Mean completion time: 6.5 minutes Instructions and questions were clear. Discussion following the survey administration found that the students: -had no problem in completing the questionnaire. -wanted more facts and no philosoPhy of the college. ~felt taking classes on Hope's campus was helpful. -felt the reputation of HOpe and the amount of individual atten- tion offered were important. -found it helpful to talk with current Hope students about which classes to take. -liked newsletters. -liked the catalog. -looked at pictures and read little of the information in the catalog and brochure. -read letters mailed to them from the college. -allowed their parents to read their mail from Hape. -said their parents enjoyed talking with faculty in person and on the phone. -felt the tenor of the financial aid reject letter was too abrupt and tart. -did not understand financial aid. how to apply. and what was available. ~did not like a catalog that was "too thick." -preferred a deposit reminder card to follow the original request for a deposit. 81 Table 3-3 Date: May 6. 1976 Rest Ottawa High School. Holland. Michigan Population: High school seniors. Five Hope-bound and five headed for another college. Time needed to complete the survey: Time in Minutes Number 5 2 6 2 7 3 8 2 9 1 Mean completion time: 6.8 minutes Instructions and questions were clear. Discussion following the survey administration found that the students: ~had no problem completing the questionnaire. -liked personally addressed letters. Would not read pre-printed letters. -found the catalog most helpful. -preferred a fact sheet to a long prose presentation. -desired a reply card upon which to annotate a need for further information. -did not read the back of a poster which had infermation on it. -did not like student "testimonials" about the college. -did not like student-written brochures. -liked a postcard from a student offering to be a student spon- sor. -found early acceptance. without the student's formal applica- tion. unimpressive. -felt parents. friends, and siblings had positive and negative influences on college selection. -liked an information packet with several items to read and review. ~had no interest in the philosophy of liberal arts education. -were unclear about financial aid. its availability and applica- tion procedures. ' -were interested in the age of buildings. -wondered about entrance requirements. -questioned the grade point averages of the freshmen and could not find them. -wanted "sports“ added to types of infbrmation desired. 82 Table 3-u Date: May 139 1976 East Grand Rapids High School. East Grand Rapids. Michigan Population: Twelve high school seniors. four of whom were going to Hope. eight of whom were going elsewhere. Time needed to complete the survey: Time in Minutes number a 7 5 2 6 3 Mean completion time: h.7 minutes Instructions were clear. Discussion following the survey administration found that the students: -had no problem completing the questionnaire. ~wanted facts and not lengthy prose. -did not trust student Opinion brochures. -preferred pictures with a brief paragraph to long prose with few or no pictures. -felt the catalog was the most helpful information tool. ~preferred a catalog to brochures and personal letters. -disliked mimeographed letters. ~wanted a card upon which to write for more information. -1iked letters from department chairman explaining the depart- mental offerings. -liked a student newspaper after acceptance. -would not read a newsletter. -had mixed reactions to phone calls-~both from faculty in the academic department of interest and a student. -wanted information on activities open to freshmen. -liked pictures of student life. -wanted to know grade point averages and test scores of entering freshmen. -liked the composite presentation in garron's Guide. -on survey questions suggestions were made to: 1; add "middle" to the time of year decision-making is done: 2 eliminate ”self" from those influencing a decision on one's future and add "alumni" and "current college stu- dents." 83 Table 3-5 Date: May 13. 1976 Grandville High School. Grandville. Michigan Population: Seventeen high school seniors. five HOpe-bound. twelve going to another college. Time needed to complete the survey: Time in Minutes Number O\U! kw kn¢ukn Mean completion time: 4.5 minutes Instructions and questions were clear. Discussion following the survey administration found that the students: -had no problem completing the questionnaire. -1iked a mixture of basic facts from both students and adminis- trators rather than long prose. -did not trust student-written brochures or testimonials which could be "fixed." -had mixed reactions at reading a philosophy of the college. -liked a brochure first followed by a catalog. -thought some brochures had too many pictures. -did not like a catalog cover with only words and no pictures. -preferred a reply card to permit asking for more information. 8” Methodology and Analysis of thsaygig As the questionnaires arrive the information is reviewed for completeness and the data keypunched onto IBM cards. Each card is verified and entered into a Xerox Sigma 6 computer for processing utilizing the program "Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (3165).” Evaluation of the survey utilizes chi square. straight summary and percentage computations. The data is processed by the computer making possible a number of tables and computations for the various responses. These are then sorted by categories of respondents and related to the hypotheses of interest. where responses are compared the chi square technique will be employed to determine the significance of the difference to aid in assessing the validity of the hypothesis. Where appr0priate. means and standard deviations are included. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF THE DATA After a presentation of the severity of the problem in Chapter I. the history and current status of admissions and student information needs in Chapter II. and the definitive presentation on the conduct of the study in Chapter III. the paper pursues an analysis of the survey results. The Chapter is divided into three parts: 1. Part I offers a description of the responses to the survey followed by a review of the data relevant to each hypothesis. 2. Part II looks at general findings gleaned from the survey which do not directly relate to the hypotheses but which are helpful in understanding student information needs. 3. Part III identifies concomitant findings which give direction and planning to an information program for prospective students at Hope College. PART I Hypotheses Once the sample sizes are determined and the interval set, i.e.. two for applieds and seventeen for inquired. labels are run and the 85 86 actual sample sizes are 502 applied and 631 inquired for a total sample size of 1133 students. Usable returns show 371 applied. or a 73.9% response rate. and 231 inquired. or a 37.6% response. Overall. of the 1133 questionnaires. 602 are returned for a 53.2% response rate. Table “-1 shows a listing of the responses. Table “-1 Responses to the Survey Usable Student Questionnaires Questionnaires Response Status Mailed Returned Rate (%) APplied 502 371 73.9 Inquired 631 g}; 32.6 Total 1133 602 53.7 Hypothesis 1: Prospective Hope College freshmen have definitive information needs of what they want to know. from whom. when. and how. There is no simple statistical evaluation of data which relates directly to this question but responses to a number of questions must be analyzed before the hypothesis can be accepted or rejected. If an evalua- tion of all of the areas questioned. i.e.. what. when. and how. appear to be positive with regard to students having definitive information needs. 87 then the hypothesis is accepted. Any of them implying a negative re- sponse rejects the hypothesis. The term "prospective HOpe College fresh- men" includes both inquired and applied and the analysis covers the separate and combined reSponses of the two groups. flhat Students Want to Know. Table “-2 shows a complete listing of all items in the questionnaire listed under Question 9 where students have the Opportunity to check what they want to know about a college. An annotation of an item is considered a "yes" response or indicates that the student has an interest in that particular item. Any item left blank is considered a "no" response. or the student has no interest in the item. The raw data are translated into percentages. rounded to the near- est tenth. and entered in the table. Table “-2 shows a rank ordering of responses to the question "what" students want to know about a college. Of the thirty-nine possible selections there are only eighteen where students do not select either for or against an item by a two to one margin. Even where preferences are closer they are distinguishable. In only one item. student newspaper. is there less than ten per- cent of the respondents showing interest and only six items have less than twenty percent re5ponse. Even though their interest is low on these items it shows that students can identify what they do not want. When combined with their clear responses to what they do want. in terms of information about colleges. the student's ability to definitively dis- tinguish items of preferential interest about a college becomes apparent. 88 Table 4-2 What Students Want to Know About a College--Combined Inquired and Applied (N-587) Item of % Indicating % Indicating Interest: an Interest No Interest Course Offerings 84.1 15.9 Fields to Major In 75.9 p 24.1 Location 75.4 24.6 Cost 74.6 25.4 Academic Reputation 67.6 32.4 Required Courses 56.1 43.9 Entrance Requirements 52.8 47.2 Financial Aid 52.5 47.5 Class Sizes 51.9 48.1 Type of Students 51.1 48.9 Student/Faculty Ratio 50. 6 1:9.» Job Placement of Graduates 48.8 51.2 Attention from Faculty 47.5 52.5 Social Life 45.2 54.8 Accreditation 43.4 56.6 Sports 40.8 59.2 Housing 39.8 60.2 Probable Courses to Take 39.1 60.9 Rules and Regulations 35.0 65.0 Spiritual Life 34.7 65. 3 Typical Freshman Year 34.6 65.4 Expected Help in Course Work 34.5 65.5 Admissions Process 33.8 76.2 Philosophy of the College 28.5 71.5 89 Table 4-2. Continued. Item of 75 Indicating % Indicating Interest: an Interest No Interest Class Schedule 26.5 73.5 Average Freshman Grade Point 26.4 73.6 Nearby Town 26.1 73.9 Buildings (Type and Age) 25.4 74.6 Food Service 22.0 78.0 Degrees of Faculty 21.8 78.2 Library 20.2 79.8 Size 20.2 79.8 Climate 19.7 80.3 Expected Help in Personal Problems 19.5 80.5 Foreign Study Opportunities 16.5 83.5 Discussion on Liberal Arts 13.6 86.4 School History 13.1 86.9 Student Government 11.1 88.9 Student Newspaper 10.3 89.7 90 When Students Want to Know. The question of "when" a student wants to hear about a college can be determined by analyzing the responses to questions four and five. Time choices of early. middle. or late are options for three alternative years in high school: i.e.. the sophomore. junior. or senior year. Tallies are made of each combination and the percent of the total for each is recorded in Table 4-3 for "beginning to make plans" and Table 4-4 for "finalizing plans." The combined responses of inquired and applied in Table 4-3 show that nearly two-thirds of the students begin making their plans between the middle of the junior year and early in the senior year. This period similarly draws the majority of responses from the inquired students at 66.6% and the applied students at 66.0%. These figures show some general agreement about the time when most respondents begin to think about col- lege plans. Even though other time periods show much smaller interest in beginning to make college plans. it is clear that students do discrim- inate in this area. A look at Table 4-4 gives an idea of when students finalize col— lege plans. Generally the senior year is the time when most solidify their college selection as over 95% of the respondents select this year. Inquired students have 92.3% making the decision in the senior year while 97.2% of the applied make their decision then. The smallest percentage of decisions are made in the early part of the senior year while the majority are made in the middle or the late part. With this kind cf grouping in one particular year. it allows the conclusion that students do know "when" they make a decision finalizing plans for college. 91 Table 4-3 When Prospective Hope College Students Begin Making College Plans % of Combined Inquired % of . % of Time of Decision & Applied Inquired Applied (N-557) (N=297) (N=260) Early - Sophomore Year in High School 3.1 5.8 1.? Middle - Sophomore Year in High School 2.3 4.0 1.4 Late - S0phomore Year in High School 2.0 4.3 .8 Early - Junior Year in High School 9.9 7.6 11.2 Middle - Junior Year in High School 19.7 22.7 18.2 Late - Junior Year in High School 20.2 3.4 8.5 66.1 66.6 6600 Early - Senior Year in High School 26.2 20.5 29.3 Middle - Senior Year in High School 13.8 9.0 16.4 Late - Senior Year in High School 2.6 2.9 2.5 92 Table 4-4 When Prospective HOpe College Students Finalize College Plans % of Combined Inquired % of % of Time of Decision & Applied Inquired Applied (N=5h9) (N=192) (NI-=35?) Early - Sophomore Year in High School .3 .7 0 Middle - Sophomore Year in High School 0 0 0 Late - Sophomore Year in High School .4 1.1 0 Early - Junior Year in High School .3 .7 0 Middle - Junior Year in High School 1.2 1.5 1.0 Late - Junior Year in High School 2.4 3.7 1.8 Early - Senior Year in High School 14.2 16.4 12.9 Middle - Senior Year in High School 95‘ 42.4 92' 45.6 97'2 40.6 Late - Senior Year in High School 39.0 30.3 43.7 93 Together Tables 4-3 and 4-4 show that students are definitive in when they begin their college plans and when they finalize them and that such distinctions are not just reserved for only applied or only in- quired. How Students Want to Know. To determine "how" students want to learn about a college. two avenues must be pursued. First is needed a response from the question of "from whom students want to hear" and sec- ondly a response to the types of materials students review to learn more about a college. In Question Ten students have the Opportunity to iden- tify the kind of information piece they would like to receive and from whom they would like to receive it. Their responses are labeled as "yes" for an individual selecting a particular item and a "no" for leaving it blank. The yes responses are tallied and a percentage is computed for each combination of information provider and type of information material. Table 4-5 shows that over twice as many students are interested in receiving a brochure from a student as they are a brochure from any other information group. In terms of letters they prefer student-to- student contact. with the administration being a close second and faculty a close third. Students prefer interviews with faculty over students and administration. while on the telephone they prefer to talk with adminis- trators or students. Receiving a postcard draws a 28.9% response in favor of students and a 27.9% response in favor of administrators. It is clear that prospective students prefer to hear from currently enrolled students in most of the media and have little interest in hearing from parents of currently enrolled students or alumni. 94 Table 4-5 From Whom PrOSpective Hope Students Want to Hear and by What Means-- Combined Inquired and Applied N=587) Type of Information: Information Groups: Brochure Letter Interview Phone Postcard Faculty 25.2 32.2 45.3 14.1 17.0 Students 59.8 36.4 44.0 25.2 28.9 Alumni 15.0 8.8 12.4 7.6 ‘7.5 Administration 27.8 32.7 36.6 29.2 27.9 Parents of Current Students 3.1 3.8 2.2 3.2 2.4 95 In Table 4-6. the inquired respondents prefer a letter from stu- dents while in Table 4-7 applied students prefer a letter from faculty over the other possibilities. Both groups would like an interview with a faculty member but prefer a phone call from administration to that of any other group. The postcard response is in favor of administrators. as far as the inquired are concerned. while the applied prefer a postcard from students. Overall. it is apparent that students know from whom they want to hear and through what media and that such distinctions are not reserved for only applied or only inquired. To further pursue the question of "how." Question Seven asks a student to select preferences from nine specific information pieces that would attract attention during college selection. Question Eight asks the student to identify specific information items to be reviewed in learning more about a college. Table 4-8 shows that students have the greatest preference for the catalog. with 56.5% preferring that piece. Next a letter is preferred. but more by the applied students. almost twice as much. than by those who inquired. A brochure is the third item to at- tract a student's attention. with the fact sheet being a close fourth. Other re3ponses show some interest in a packet and a poster. The over- whelming selection of the catalog. and the high interest in the letter and the brochure. show that students are able to decide how they want their information. When asked the kinds of materials they would review to learn about college. responses in Table 4-9 show the overwhelming favorite again to be the catalog. A packet of various information is the next preference while 96 Table 4-6 From Whom Prospective Hope Students Want to Hear and by What Means-- Inquired Only (N=206) “E Type of Information: Information Groups: Brochure Letter Interview Phone Postcard Faculty 27.9 22.1 41.8 12.2 14.6 Students 58.8 36.4 36.7 23.1 25.5 Alumni 16.7 9.5 14.6 7.8 8.8 Administration 35.0 34.4 34.4 33.0 30.6 Parents of Current Students 4.8 4.1 1.7 3.4 3.4 97 Table 4-7 From Whom Prospective HOpe Students Want to Hear and by What Means-- Applied Only (N=381) Type of Information: Information Groups: Brochure Letter Interview Phone Postcard Faculty 23.7 37.7 47.2 15.1 18.2 Students 60.3 36.4 48.0 26.3 30.7 Alumni 14.2 8.5 11.2 7.5 6.8 Administration 23.9 31.8 37.8 27.2 26.5 Parents of Current Students 2.2 3.7 2.4 3.1 1.8 98 Table 4-8 Mail Attracting Attention of Prospective HOpe College Students % of Combined Inquired % of % of Types Of Mail & Applied Inquired Applied (N=587) (N==206) (N=381) Catalog 56.5 50.7 56.5 Letter 42.4 26.8 42.4 Brochure 33.6 37.2 31.3 Fact Sheet 32.9 36.8 30.5 Poster 24.4 29.4 21.3 Packet 20.8 19.6 22.1 Reply Card 13.6 17.8 11.1 Map 5.0 6.5 4.0 Postcard 4.3 5.2 3.7 99 Table 4-9 Materials Prospective Hope College Students Would Review to Learn More About a College % of Combined Inquired % of S of Types of Materials & Applied Inquired Applied (N=587) (N=206) (N=381) Catalog 62.1‘ 58.5 69.5 Packet 47.0 51.“ 44.7 Brochure--Pictures & Brief Facts 37.8 42.2 35.5 Personal Letters 26.8 16.3 32.5 Brochure--Pictures & Descriptive Sentences 25.3 24.5 25.7 Brochure--Brief Facts Only 3.1 2.7 3.3 Brochure--Descriptive Sentences Only 1.2 1.7 .9 Brochure-~Pictures Only .95 2.7 O 100 brochures with pictures and brief facts rank third. Personal letters and a brochure with pictures and descriptive sentences follow in fourth and fifth place and students have very definite ideas about not wanting a brochure with "pictures only" nor one with just long descriptive sen- tences. Students being able to discriminate so distinctively are again showing that they are able to determine "how" they want their informa- tion. The data in Tables 4-5, 4—6. and 4-7 reinforce this finding while also suggesting that students know from whom they want to hear. One can conclude. then. from the above. that students have defini- tive information needs of what they want to know, from whom. when. and how. Decision: The Hypothesis is Accepted. 101 Hypothesis 2: HOpe College has not been adequately meeting those information needs. To accept or reject Hypothesis 2 requires a review of the responses to Question Six in which a student identifies whether the information aids in a decision to apply or enroll in Hope College. The response to this question. combined with the student's status. i.e.. either inquired or applied. will tell whether or not Hope's information aids in the decision making of a student. A positive relationship. i.e.. information does in- fluence and the student applied. suggests that Hope is adequately meeting information needs. A response that Hope information influences but the student does not apply suggests that Hope does not meet information needs. A similar comparison of Hope information influence on enrollment with a student's status will have implications for Hope's ability to meet infor- mation needs. A comparison can also be made of responses to Question Nine. i.e.. types of information students want to know. with current Hope College information pieces to determine if Hope is meeting information needs. Table 4-10 looks at the influence of Hope information upon a stu- dent's application. An inquired student. by definition. is one who asks for information but never applies. As 62% of those say that the HOpe material does not influence their decision to apply. the implication is that the HOpe material does not influence them negatively or. in other words. move them to be a non-applicant. Conversely. those students who 102 Table 4-10 Influence of Hope College Information on Application for Admission Response to Question of Influence % 95 of Materials: Inquired Applied (N=206) (N=381) Yes 35.8 78.1 NO 62.0 21.9 do apply. under the "applied" responses. show that 78.1% are influenced by the HOpe material to move in that direction. The fact that the Hope material does not influence the inquired students to be non-applicants but does influence the applied students to make application suggests that the HOpe material influences positively and that Hope is adequately meet- ing information needs. A similar analysis of Table 4-11. i.e.. the influence of HOpe material on enrollment. shows a similar result. Nearly 72% of the in- quired students say that the Hope information does not influence them to not enroll. Conversely. 71% of the applied students say that the Hope material influences them to make a decision to enroll. By not influencing students to keep from enrolling. and by having an influence on those who do enroll. it is possible to conclude that HOpe information has a positive 103 Table 4-11 Influence of HOpe College Information on Enrollment in HOpe College Response to Question of Influence % g of Materials: Inquired Applied (N=206) (N=381) Yes 22.9 71.0 No 71 . 9 29. 0 influence on student applications and enrollment and therefore is meet- ing student information needs. Table 4-12. which compares the student information needs of com- bined inquired and applied students with HOpe College's ability to meet those needs. shows only five areas of student interest that HOpe does not now approach. These are class sizes. job placement of graduates. class schedule. freshman grade point average and nearby town. Five out of the thirty-six possible choices shows that Hope is missing 13.8% of the in- formation desired. or is meeting 86.2%. which is considered "adequate" in terms of Hypothesis 2. Table 4-13 compares the student information needs. by type and from whom. with information provided by HOpe College. Two areas of stu- dent information which HOpe does not meet. which have substantial interest Items Course Offerings Fields to Major in Location Cost Academic Reputation Required Courses Entrance Requirements Financial Aid Class Sizes Type of Students Student/Faculty Ratio Job Placement of Graduates Attention from Faculty Social Life Accreditation Sports Housing Probable Courses to Take Rules and Regulations Spiritual Life 104 Table 4-12 Hope College Information Offerings Compared to Student Information Needs (x - Offered by Hope) HOpe at Catalog A Glance Academic Experience Financial Brochure Aid Student Letters Brochure X X X X X X X 105 Table 4-12. Continued Academic HOpe at Emperience Financial Student Items Catalog A Glance Brochure Aid Letters Brochure Typical Fresh- man Year X Expected Help in Course Work Admissions Process X PhilOSOphy of the College X x Class Schedule Average Freshman Grade Point Average Nearby Town Buildings (Type and Age) Food Service Degrees of Faculty Library Size Climate Expected Help in Personal Problems X Foreign Study Opportunities X X Discussion on Liberal Arts X X X School History X Student Government X _ x Student Newspaper X ><><><><>< 106 Table 4-13 From Whom Prospective HOpe Students Want to Hear and by What Means. Both Inquired and Applied Compared With Hope College Information Provided (N=587) Type of Information*: Information From: Brochure Letter Interview Phone Postcard Faculty 25.2 (x) 32.2 (x) 45.3 (x) 11m 17.0 Students 59.8 (x) 36.u (x) 44.0 (x) 25.2 (x) 28.9 (x) Alumni 15.0 8.8 12.1: 7.6(x) 7.5 Administration 27.8 (x) 32.7 (x) 36.6 (X) 29.2 27.9 Parents of Current Students 3.1 3.8 2.2 3.2(X) 2.4 * X 8 HOpe College provides this information. 107 (nearly thirty percent in both areas) are phone calls and postcards from administrators. A brochure from alumni. faculty phone calls and faculty postcards receive some attraction but not a major interest. Hope is deficient in all but one parent area of contact and a similar condition exists with alumni. Both are low interest items. Where interest is the highest. i.e.. across the board in student- to-student contact. Hope is meeting student needs as it is in all areas in which interest ranks thirty percent or higher. As most of the needs are met. by reviewing Table 4—13 the conclusion is drawn that Hope is "adequately" meeting student needs. Hope makes available all of the materials suggested in Table 4-8 which attract the attention of prospec- tive Hope College students and again the conclusion can be drawn that Hope is adequately meeting student information needs. Further. the posi- tive relationship between the information provided and its influence on the student's decision to apply and enroll again leads to the conclusion that HOpe is adequately meeting student information needs. All areas reviewed suggest HOpe is adequately meeting student information needs. Decision: The Hypothesis is Rejected. 108 Hypothesisg3: There is a difference in the information needs of men and women as well as non-college-bound students and those bound for two-year junior colleges. four-year private colleges. and four-year public universities. Solving Hypothesis 3 beings with an analysis of the data in Tables 4-14 and 4-15. In Table 4-14 a comparison is made of information needs of males and females. Tabulations are made on all respondents com- bined. i.e.. inquired and applied. The computation of the chi square value is Obtained to allow comparisons with the tabled value and deter- mination of the statistical significance of any difference which may occur. The higher the value of the significance the less real difference there is between the subjects. Conversely. the lower the value of the significance the greater the probability Of a real difference between the subjects. A look at Table 4-14 shows only seven items in which males and females differ significantly in their desire for information. These are: housing. entrance requirements information. foreign study Opportunities. class schedules. sports. admissions processing. and required course work. Females express a greater interest in information over males in the areas of: housing. entrance requirements. foreign study opportunities. class schedules. admissions processing. and required courses. Males, on the other hand. show a greater need for more infOrmation than the females in the area of sports. As seven Of the thirty-six items listed show signifi- cant difference in information needs between the men and women. it is 109 Table 4-14 Comparison of Male and Female Information Needs Item of Interest: % Male % Female Significance (N=315) (N=272) Size 79.6 81.4 .6381 Location 72.4 78.9 .0882 Nearby Town 24.8 26.8 .9068 Climate 20.4 18.8 .6958 Buildings (Type and Age) 26.7 24.0 .5136 Course Offerings 80.9 87.9 .0278 Fields to Major In 74.2 77.8 .3558 Cost 71.6 78.1 .0857 Academic Reputation 69.8 65.2 .2749 Accreditation 40.9 46.4 .2086 Financial Aid 48.4 57.2 .0415 Housing 33.8 46.9 .0016 »” Social Life 41.8 49.2 .0846 Job Placement of Graduates 49.3 48.2 .0368 School History 12.9 13.1 .9749 Faculty Degrees 23.1 20.4 .4816 Type of Students 51.1 51.0 .9494 Spiritual Life 30.2 40.0 .0173 Rules and , Regulations 30.? 40.0 .0235 Attention by Faculty 50.7 43.8 .1154 Student/Faculty Ratio 48.9 52.6 .4190 110 Table 4-14. Continued. Item of Interest: % Male % Female Significance (N=315) (N=272) Expected Help in Course Work 31.1 38.4 .0775 Help with Personal Problems 16.4 23.9 .0605 Food Service 23.6 20.1 .3643 Class Sizes 51.6 52.3 .9189 Entrance Requirements 43.6 63.6 .0000 Foreign Study Opportunities 9.3 24.7 .0000 Class Schedules 21.8 32.0 .0070 PhilOSOphy 27.6 29.6 .6414 Liberal Arts 10.2 17.5 .0142 Typical Freshman Year 32. 9 36. 6 e 3927 Sports 47.1 33.5 .0011 Admissions Process 28.9 39.4 .0091 Required Courses 49.8 63.4 .0012 Library 16.9 24.0 .0425 111 concluded that overall there is a significant difference in student in- formation needs between the two groups. Table 4-15 shows a comparison of information needs between stu- dents bound for Hope College. other four-year institutions. and the junior college. Again. utilizing chi square. significant differences are noticed in the areas of: size. major fields. academic reputation. accreditation. social life. attention of the faculty to students. student- faculty ratios. class schedules. and philosophy. In all but two areas the junior college students show less interest than do the Hope-bound or the other four-year college-bound students. The two areas in which the junior college students have more interest are accreditation and class schedules. As nine of the thirty-six items have any significant dif- ference between the groups it is concluded that there is significant dif- ference between the information needs of HOpe College students. other four-year institutions. and junior college students. When combined with information showing the several items of significant difference between males and females one can conclude that overall there are major differences in information needs between the groups studied in these questions. Tables 4-16 and 4-17 make comparisons of responses of the various groups relative to Hope College material that attracts their attention. Comparisons of the interests of these groups and measuring their signifi- cant differences further clarifies the decision in Hypothesis 3. Table 4-16 compares male and female responses to the question of "what attracted your attention." Of the nine items listed. significant differences occur in five of them. Female preferences are stronger in all 112 Table 4-15 Comparison of Information Needs of Students Bound For: HOpe College. Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College % Other Item of % Hope Four-Year % Junior Interest: College Colleges College Significance (N=259) (N=220) (N=30) Size 88.3 78.0 65.1 .0000 /”” Location 72.4 79.3 83.7 .1818 Nearby Town 25.7 26.8 30.2 .5944 Climate 22.2 17.5 20.9 .5922 Buildings (Type and Age) 27.8 24.2 30.2 .4360 Course Offerings 83.8 84.7 88.4 .6211 Fields to Major In 78.7 80.9 72.1 .0006 *' Cost 73. 2 73. 9 93 . 0 . 3002 Academic Reputation 75.4 71.3 58.1 .0000 Accreditation 46.2 43.6 65.1 .0019 Financial Aid 56.2 45.2 51.2 .2422 Housing 43.0 36.6 34.9 .2813 Social Life 53.8 43.0 23.3 .0002 Job Placement Of Graduates 48.4 48.4 53.5 .9217 School History 11.9 13.4 11.6 .3572 Faculty Degrees 24.1 23.6 14.0 .3930 Type of Students 56.0 47.8 53.5 .3256 Spiritual Life 38.9 30.6 37.2 .2499 Rules and ‘ Regulations 33.5 35.3 40.0 .5752 Attention by Faculty 59.7 41.1 44.2 .0000 Student/Faculty Ratio 59.2 48.4 46.5 .0008 113 Table 4-15. Continued. % Other Item of % Hope Four-Year % Junior Interest: College Colleges College Significance (N=259) (N=220) (N=30) Expected Help in Course Work 35.1 32.8 44.2 .6022 Help with Personal Problems 17.6 19.1 25.6 .4306 Food Service 26.2 18.5 14.0 .1897 Class Sizes 56.0 53.8 44.2 .0453 Entrance Requirements 49.2 54.5 65.1 .4147 Foreign Study Opportunities 16.8 20.4 7.0 .1121 Class Schedules 28.9 19.1 53.5 .0015 ~’ Philosophy 33.2 29.0 18.6 .0035 -" Liberal Arts 16.5 12.4 7.0 .4302 Typical Freshman Year 39.3 34.1 32.6 .6190 Sports 47.3 34.1 48.8 .0780 Admissions Process 30.5 33.1 51.2 .0102 Required Courses 54.3 53.2 83.7 .0153 Library 21.9 20.4 14.0 .6098 114 Table 4-16 Comparison of Mail Received from HOpe College That Attracted Attention--Male and Female Item of Interest: Male Female Significance Catalog 49.3 62.0 .0031 Letter 47.6 41.0 .1298 Fact Sheet 29. 8 35. 8 . 1416 Brochure 26.7 38.7 .0026 Packet 15.6 25.0 .0059 Poster 13.1 31.7 .0000 Reply Card 7.1 17.5 .0001 Maps 4.4 5.6 .6251 Postcard 3.1 5.4 .2810 115 five areas which include: poster. almost three to one, packet. nearly two to one, and the brochure. catalog. and the reply card. As these are statistically significant differences the conclusion is drawn that there are significant differences in attracting male and female atten- tion with information pieces through the mail. Table 4—17 continues the analysis but makes comparisons between students bound for Hope College. other four-year colleges. and the junior college. Three of the items show statistically significant differences which are: (a) the letter. with HOpe-bound students having more interest than the others. almost double the preference to the junior college stu- dent; (b) the postcard which the junior college student prefers two to one over the other two categories; and (c) the reply card which the four- year college-bound student prefers two to one over the junior college student and three to one over the Hope-bound students. As three of the nine areas have statistically significant differences. it is concluded that there are major differences in preference between the three groups in information which attracts attention. Further consideration of the third hypothesis which seeks dif- ferences in information needs is pursued in Tables 4-18 and 4-19. A comparison is made of how students want information and from whom. In Table 4-18 males and females are compared and out of twenty-five possible preferences only one. a brochure from a student, has a preference of statistical significance of women over men by 1T%. Comparison of Mail Received from Hope College That Attracted Attention-~H0pe College Bound. 116 Table 4-17 Other Four-Year College Bound and Junior College Bound Other Item of Hope Four-Year Junior Interest: College Colleges College Significance Catalog 58.3 56.1 46.5 .1524 Letter 54.6 40.1 25.6 .0001 Fact Sheet 30.5 34.3 39.5 .4357 Brochure 2?. 3 34 . 7 27. 9 . 4706 Packet 18.9 19.8 16.2 .6248 Poster 18.3 19.1 32.6 .0453 Reply Card 6.7 18.5 9. 3 . 0054 Maps 3.2 7.96 0 .1701 Postcard 3.2 3.2 7.0 .0069 117 Table 4-18 Comparison of Male and Female Responses of How Students Want Information.and From Whom Tn» of Information Female Significance (n-315) (N-272) Brochure from: Faculty 8 24 .7914 Student 7 65 .0083 - Alumni , 0 13 .5566 Administration 9 31 .1085 Parent 7 3 .1739 Letter from: Faculty 6 33 .7779 Student 8 39 .1823 Alumni 6 10 .3048 Administration 7 35 .2980 Parent 4 3 .5249 Interview with: Faculty 6 42 .2826 Student 1 40 .1251 Administration 7 34 .3105 Parent 7 1 .5172 Phone Call from: Faculty 2 13 .9894 Student 8 29 .0513 Alumni 2 4 .0171 Administration 1 27 .3250 Parent 1 3 .9436 Postcard from: Faculty 2 15 .4368 Student 8 32 .0904 Alumni o 7 .7490 Administration 7 29 .5231 Parent 2 2 .9922 118 In Table 4-19 a comparison is made of Hope College-bound students, those bound for other four-year schools and the junior college. Only two areas show statistically significant differences out of twenty-five pos- sibilities. Junior college students prefer an interview with an adminis- trator in numbers greater than those of Hope College-bound students or those going to other four-year schools. Junior college students also pre— fer a phone call from an administrator in numbers almost two to one over that of the HOpe College-bound student or those going to the four-year schools. Even though the differences which are statistically significant are small in number compared with the total number of possibilities. the conclusion is that there is a significant difference in preferences of the kind of information students want and from whom it should come. In total, Hypothesis 3 is examined in three ways: (a) Comparisons are made on student information needs with six items significantly different between men and women and nine significantly different when comparing Hope College-bound students with other four-year college-bound students and junior college-bound students. As such. it is concluded that significant differences occur between the categories. (b) Looking at the items which attract attention of the groups studied shows a majority of statistically significant differences between male and female and three differences out of nine possibilities. between the HOpe bound. four-year college bound. and junior college-bound stu- dents. Such strong evidence supports significant differences between male and female. and those bound for Hope. other four-year colleges and the junior college. Comparison of HOpe College Bound. Other Four-Year 119 Table 4-19 College Bound and Junior College Bound Student Responses of How Students Want Information and From Whom Type of Information Other (mezzo) Four-Year Colleges Significance Brochure from: Faculty Student Alumni Administration Parent .4842 .8937 .5711 .1458 .5076 Letter from: Faculty Student Alumni Administration Parent .0556 .1064 .0221 .0586 .6743 Interview with: Faculty Student Alumni Administration Parent .1500 .4350 .2026 .0026 ‘~ .8940 Phone Call from: Faculty Student Alumni Administration Parent .8650 emy‘ .6140 0005“ “ .3119 Postcard from: Faculty Student Alumni Administration Parent .5345 .4116 ‘.1165 0%59 .3030 120 (c) The third review looks at how students want their information and from whom. Again there are significant differences. although few in number. among the various groups. Decision: The Hypothesis is accepted. 121 Hypothesis 4: HOpe College applicants have information needs which differ from noneapplicants. A look at Table 4-20 shows the comparison of applied student in- formation needs with inquired students. There are nine areas in which significant differences occur: size. academic reputation. social life. faculty degrees. types of students. attention given by the faculty. class sizes. philosophy. and sports. The applied students hare a greater interest in all of these areas over those who inquired. As nine of the thirty-six areas have any significant difference. it is concluded that there are significant differences in terms of information needs between the applied and the inquired. Making another comparison between inquired and applied students in Table 4-21. only one difference appears statistically significant. that is. applied students prefer the personal letter almost two to one to the inquired students. All other items show very little preference differential between the two groups: however. the one major difference allows the conclusion that applied and inquired students have interests which vary in terms of what attracts their attention in looking.for a college. Moving to Table 4-22. comparisons of applied and inquired show only two areas of statistically significant difference in what students ‘ want to hear from whom. The inquired students prefer a brochure from administrators in numbers significantly different from the applied e 122 Table 4-20 Comparison of Applied and Inquired Information Needs Item of %' 5 Interest Applied Inquired Significance (N=381) (N=206) Size 86.4 69.4 .0000 Location 74.3 77.6 .4343 Nearby Town 26.6 25.8 .6672 Climate 20.4 18.4 .6288 Buildings (Type and Age) 26.5 23.5 .4855 Course Offerings 84.2 84.0 .9503 Fields to Major In 79.4 69.4 .0091 Cost 73.5 76.5 .9855 Academic Reputation 74.8 54.4 .0000 Accreditation 43.2 43.8 .9433 Financial Aid 54.2 49.3 .2939 Housing 42.3 35.4 .1231 Social Life 51.8 33.0 .0000 Job Placement Of Graduates 50.4 “5.9 .3450 School History 12.3 14.3 .5836 Faculty Degrees 25.7 14.6 .0026 ‘ Type of Students 56.1 41.8 .0013 W Spiritual Life 38.4 27.9 .0137 Rules and Regulations 37.0 31.3 .2004 Attention by Faculty 54.6 34.4 .0000 Student/Faculty Ratio 53.8 44.6 .0390 123 Table 4-20. Continued Item of % % Interest Applied Inquired Significance (N2381) (N=206) EXpected Help in Course Work 36.8 30.3 .1368 Help with Personal Problems 20.4 17.7 .4938 Food Service 23.2 19.7 .3929 Class Sizes 56.8 42.9 .0016 Entrance Requirements 51.3 55.8 .3399 Foreign Study Opportunities 17.8 14.0 .2738 Class Schedules 27.0 25.5 .7657 Philosophy 33,1 20.1 .0012 ,- Liberal Arts 15.3 10.5 .1435 Typical Freshman Year 36.8 30.6 .1603 Sports 45.8 31.6 .0012 ~ Admissions Process 33.1 35.0 .7009 Required Courses 58.3 52.0 .1725 Library 21.5 17.7 .3208 124 Table 4-21 Comparison Of Mail Received from HOpe College That Attracted Attention--Applied and Inquired Item of Interest: Applied. Inquired Significance Catalog 57.7 50.3 .1039 Letter 53.7 27.6 .00001 Fact Sheet 31.3 35.0 .4003 Brochure 29.9 36.3 .1341 Packet 20.4 19.1 .7761 Poster 18.9 27.2 .0492 Reply Card 9.7 16.0 .0363 Maps 4.2 6.5 .3243 Postcard 3.9 4.8 .7606 Comparison of Applied and Inquired Responses 125 Table 4-22 of How Students Want Information and From Whom Type of Information Applied Inquired Significance (Ne381) (N=206) Brochure from: Faculty 23.7 27.9 .3111 Student 60.3 58.8 .7997 Alumni 16.7 14.2 .4893 Administration 23.9 35.0 .0054 3 Parent 2.2 4.8 .1458 Letter from: Faculty 37. 7 22.1 .0001 - Student 36.4 36.4 .9288 Alumni 8. 5 9 . 5 . 7775 Administration 31.8 34.4 .5915 Parent 3.? 4.0 .9851 Interview with: Faculty 41.8 47.2 .2427 Student 48.0 36.7 .0113 Alumni 11.2 14.6 .2868 Administration 37.9 34.4 .4513 Parent 2.4 1.7 .8018 Phone Call from: Faculty 15.1 12.2 .4147 Student 23.1 26.2 .4585 Alumni 7.5 7.8 .969“ Administration 27.2 33.0 .1689 Parent 3.1 3.4 .9488 Postcard from: Faculty 1 8. 2 14. 6 . 3243 Student 30.7 25.5 .2195 Alumni 6.8 8.8 .4647 Administration 26.5 30.6 .3317 Parent 1.8 3.4 .3679 126 students and the applied students show a preference of statistical sig- nificance in receiving a letter from faculty. Although these are the only two statistics that are significantly different in preferences between the inquired and the applied out of the twenty-five possible choices. one can conclude that the two groups do have different needs. Findings of Tables 4-20, 4-21. and 4-22 reveal statistically significant differences ocurring in each comparison of information needs leading to the conclusion that applied students have information needs which differ from inquired. Decision: The Hypothesis is accepted. 127 Hymthesis 5: Hope College informational material is average when compared to informational material received by prospective HOpe College freshmen from other colleges. The most direct analysis of this hypothesis is a review of Table 4-23 which shows the cumulative frequency of the combined re- sponses of applied and inquired students. The cumulative frequency shows that 82.7% of the respondents find the HOpe College information to be good or superior. When the “average” category is added. the frequency jumps to 96.1%. i.e.. 96.1% of the students feel that the Hope College material is average or above when compared to materials of other colleges. The term ”average” is a typical middle response on a five point Likert scale. The comparison of applied to inquired responses in the table show that nearly 13% more of the applied students find the HOpe material superior and 2% more see it as ”good": a statistically significant dif- ference. The inquired students. however. find Hope material to be average 20.8% of the time while the applied see it as average only 9.4% of the the. Table 4-24 compares the male and female responses. and no sig- nificant differences occur. Again the cumulative frequency shows 96. 1% indicating that HOpe material is average or above. 128 Table h-ZB HOpe College Material Compared with Material of Other Colleges-- Responses of Applied. Inquired and Combined % % % Cumulative Rating Applied Inquired Significance Combined Frequency (N=381) (N=206) (N=587) Superior 37.9 2“.5 33.2 33.2 Good 50.2 #8. 3 “9.5 82.7 Average 9.“ 20.8 .00001 13.4 96.1 Below Average .6 O .h 96.5 Poor 0 1.0 .9 96.9 No Response 1.9 5.“ 3.1 100.0 129 Table h-Zh HOpe College Material Compared with Material of Other Colleges-- Male and Female Responses 1| % % Cumulative Rating Male Female Significance Frequency (N=315) (N=272) Superior 35.6 30.“ 33.2 Good “8.0 51.3 .353“ 82.7 Average 12.h 14.“ 96.1 Below Average .h .3 96.5 Poor .4 .3 96.9 No Response 1.? 3.3 100.0 130 Table “-25 compares the Hope-bound students with those going to other four-year colleges and those going to a junior college. Signifi- cant differences exist as the Hope-bound students find the material superior in 39.7% of their responses while the other four-year college- bound students think it superior in 29% of the cases and junior college- bound students in only 30%. More of the other four—year college-bound students find the Rape material to be good. 52% of them do. while the Hope-bound find it good 48% of the time and the junior college-bound only 39.5%. Only nine percent of the students going to Hope think the material is average while 16% who go to other four-year colleges find it average and junior college students have the same finding only 23.3% of the time. Although in the case of comparing the Rape College-bound students to those bound for other four-year colleges and the junior college sig- nificant differences in responses occur. the overwhelming majority, 82.7%, find the Rape materials to be above average. Decision: The Hypothesis is rejected. Hope College Material Compared with Material of Other Colleges-~Responses of Students Bound 131 Table l+-25 for Rape College. Other Four-Year Colleges and Junior College % Other % % Four-Year Junior HOpe College College Rating Bound Bound Bound Significance (IV-=25?) (N=220) (N=30) Saperior 39.7 29.0 30.2 600d “8.1 52e6 3905 Average 9.2 16.2 23.3 .00001 Below Average .3 0 “.7 Poor 0 .6 2.3 132 hypothesislég Parents are a major influence in the decision making process associated with the selection of college by potential Rape College freshmen. Table “-26 shows no significant statistical difference between applied and inquired responses to the question of the most influential person in their decision making. but the parents are the overwhelming favorite with friends ranking second. Table 4-27 compares male and female responses. Again the parents are an overwhelming influence in the decision and no statistically significant differences occur. Friends are the second most influential in planning futures. Table 4-28 shows the responses of college-bound students to the question of who is most influential in planning their future. Over- whelmingly. in the combined column. 53.9% of the students respond that their parents are most influential. At least 5Q% of the respondents in each category. i.e.. Hope College bound. other four-year college bound. and junior college bound. say their parents are the most influential while friends pull a second place ranking in the combined categories. The exception is in the junior college-bound student responses where 23.8% feel their guidance counselor is most influential. This probably accounts for the significant difference found in the statistical analysis as most of the other responses appear to be somewhat close together in their percentages. 133 Table “-26 The Most Influential Person in Planning Future-- Responses of Applied. Inquired and Combined Person Applied Inqgired Comgined Significance (N=132> (N=258) (N-390) Parents H 56.8 46.8 53.4 Friends 10.1 23.4 17.3 Brothers and Sisters 6.0 5.3 5.7 Guidance Counselor 6.0 10.6 7.6 Teacher 5.3 6.8 6.3 College Students 2.1 3.5 3.1 Alumnus 1.1 .8 .9 Campus Official .5 3.5 2.5 .0805 13“ Table “-27 The Most Influential Person in Planning Future-- Responses of Male and Female ‘% Combined % %i Male and Person Male Female Female Significance (N=213) (N=176) (N=389) Parents 52.0 55.2 53.“ Friends 17.1 17.5 17.3 Campus Official “.0 .8 2.5 .6240 College Students 3.3 2.8 3.1 .7 1.2 .9 Alumnus Guidance Counselor 7.9 7.1 7.6 Teacher 7.2 5.2 6.3 Brothers and Sisters “.6 7.1 5.7 135 Table l-b--28 The Most Influential Person in Planning Future-- Responses of Students Bound for HOpe College. Other Four-Year Colleges. and Junior College % .% Other % Hope Four-Year Junior College College College % Person Bound Bound Bound Combined Significance (N=167) (N=155) (N=18) (N440) Parents 57.3 5“.9 50.0 53.9 Friends 11.7 19.8 15.3 17.2 Brothers and Sisters 7.5 “.5 3.9 5.6 Teacher 7.1 6.8 3.9 6.5 Guidance Counselor 6.3 7.2 23.8 7.1 College Students “.2 2.3 0 3.0 Campus Off1c1a1 3.8 .5 0 2.3 .00001 Alumnus .8 1.“ 0 .9 136 The combined responses of each table indicate that parents are most influential in planning their son's and daughter's future by three times the responses of the next nearest category which is friends. Decision: The Hypothesis is Accepted. 137 Hypothesis Zi. HOpe College written communications currently influence positively in the decision to apply to Hope College. Responses to this inquiry are presented in Table “-29. By defini- tion. inquired students are those who receive information from Hope Col- lege but do not apply. A "yes" response to the question of whether Hope College information aids in their decision to not apply is considered influencing negatively. In Table “-29 this occurs in 35.8% of the re- sponses. Conversely. 62% of the inquired students indicate that the HOpe College information does not aid them in deciding to be a non-applicant and implies that HOpe information is not a negative influence. In terms of the applied students. 78.1% of them indicate that the Hope College information does influence their decision to apply which is interpreted as having a positive influence. Only 21.9% indicate that HOpe informa- tion does not influence their decision to apply and is interpreted as not being a negative influence on the decision to apply. As 78.1% of the applied indicate the Hope information influences their application. a positive influence. and only 35.8% of the inquired (non-applicants) indicate that HOpe information influences their applica- tion. a negative influence. it is concluded that the Hope information influences positively in the decision to apply. Decisions The Hypothesis is Accepted. 138 Table “-29 Influence of HOpe College Information on Application for Admission Response to Question of Influence of % % Materials Inquired Applied (N=206) (N=381) Yes 35.8 78.1 No 62.0 21.9 139 Hypothesis 8: Hope College written communications currently influence positively in the decision to enroll in Hope College. By definition. the inquired student is one who receives informa- tion from HOpe College but does not apply and therein does not enroll. Responding "yes" to the question of influence of the material on enroll- ment by an inquired student implies a negative influence. i.e.. the stu- dent does not enroll because of information he receives from Hope College. Table “-30 shows such an influence in 22.9% of the inquired responses. Conversely. students who inquire but do not enroll who feel the HOpe Col- lege information does not influence them to not enroll indicates that the Hepe material is not influencing negatively and this is the case in 71.9% of the inquired. In terms of applied students. 71.0% indicate that the Hope Col- lege information influences their decision to enroll or affects their enrollment decision positively. Responses of 29.0% of the applied stu- dents indicate that the information does not affect their decision to enroll. which implies that the Hope information is not influencing nega- tively. As 71.0% of the applied indicate that Hope information influences their decision to enroll. a positive influence. and only 22.9% of the inquired (non-applicants) indicate that Hope information influences their enrollment decision. a negative influence. it is concluded that the HOpe information influences positively the decision to enroll. Decision: The Hypothesis is Accepted. 100 Table “-30 Influence of Hope College Information on Enrollment in HOpe College W Response to Question of Influence of % % Materials Inquired Applied (N=206) (N=381) YBS 22 o 9 71 e O No 71.9 29.1 141 PART II General Findings There are general findings that can be drawn from the data which may not relate directly to the hypotheses but which are helpful in ascer- taining student information needs. These will lend direction to the Hope College admissions information program to more accurately meet stu- dent information needs. Timing Table “-3 reveals that 66% of the students begin making their plans for college from the middle of the junior year in high school through the early part of their senior year. This is helpful in target- ing the information program to more specifically meet the decision-making time of the students. Currently HOpe College does not re5pond to stu- dents who are juniors other than by sending them one piece of informa- tion. however. the implication is that perhaps a continual flow of information beginning in the middle of the junior year is more appro- priate. Table 4-“ shows 95.6% of the students make their final decision on college from early in the senior year to late in the senior year. The target time for influencing the student decision is clearly the senior year but this data has greater implications for follow-up procedures rather than initial efforts to acquaint the student with the college. The two tables suggest the overall time for targeting information to be from the 1“2 middle of the junior year to late in the senior year. Perhaps initial acquainting material can be provided during the junior year with strong follow-up efforts made during the senior year. Other Information Tables “-5, “-6, and “-7 show a high interest in a student-written brochure. Currently the Hope College information program has such an in- formation piece which implies this majcr interest on the part of students is met. There is a low interest on the part of the students in receiving phone calls from faculty. This is currently done in the Hope admissions program and perhaps should be curtailed as the cost is high and interest is low. There also appears to be little value in having parents of Hope College students contact inquired or applied students directly. Considera- tion should be given to the parents of Hope College students contacting the parents of student prospects: however. this is a suggestion for another study to find out what parents might want in terms of information. Information Pieces The biggest attraction in terms of information pieces is the col- lege catalog (Tables “-8 and “-9). Implications are that more catalogs should be made available to all inquiring students and perhaps this added cost of material can be financed from other less desirable pieces such as maps and fact sheets. The second most appreciated piece of information by applied stu- dents is personalized letters. Here lies the reinforcement of our cur- rent mailing program where a sequence of personalized letters is mailed to students on a weekly basis. This program should continue. 1“3 In terms of brochures. the preference is clearly for a piece with pictures and brief facts. Currently the Hope student information brochure contains descriptive sentences with no pictures. a lower selec- tion on the preference scale (Table “-9). A brochure with pictures and descriptive sentences is the most preferred piece of brochure literature and should also be considered in redesigning the Hope information pack- age. §pecific Information Needs Specific areas missing from current Hope information offerings are gleaned from Table “-12. Areas which should be included in current information are: class size. job placement of graduates. housing. class schedules, nearby town. and freshmen grade point averages. Follow-up Programs One effort being made by the Hope admissions program is having alumni and parents of current Hope students make phone calls to the stu- dent prospects. Both of these. according to responses in Table “-13. appear to have little interest on the part of prospective students and perhaps should be dropped. 1““ PART III Concomitant Findings Tables “-29 and “-30 imply that the Hope College material is now influencing student decisions on applications and enrollment in a posi- tive fashion. Conversely. there is little negative influence which im- plies that major changes in the materials are not in order. Further. Tables “-23. “-2“. and “-25 suggest that the Hope College material is above average and in most cases considered good or superior by both ap- plicants and inquiring students. Again. this corroborates the conclu- sion that no drastic changes should be made in Hope College materials. Tables “-26. “-27. and “-28 clearly identify the parents as the most influential in students' planning of their futures. Current Hope programs of providing information materials do not address the parents. To do so requires another study. perhaps similar to this. which asks parents the types of information they want to know. how they would like to receive it. and when. This suggests another analysis so that parents can be adequately informed as well as prospective students. Grade Point Averages Table “-31 shows a breakout of the grade point averages of the applied. inquired. and combined. In each case. over 90% of the students report that they earn a grade point average of C+ or better. Hope Col- lege has in its statement of admissions policies that it is looking for students with a grade point average of 2.5 or better in high school. As 1“5 Table “-31 Grade Point Averages of Applied. Inquired and Combined 1 Grade Point % % 5 Average Applied Inquired Combined Significance (N=381) (N=206) (N=587) . 25% zfl 2...?) 3+ 25.919 28.2(9 26.7Z 6.3 2.5 95-0 3 33. 8\ 28.2 31.9 0+ 11 ._2J 12. 6) 11 .2) C 2.6 2.0 2.“ D+ 0 . 3 . 1 D 0 . 3 . 1 . 0931 1“6 this is the case with a great majority of the students surveyed. and there does not appear to be any statistically significant differences between the groups. one can conclude that academically these are the type of students that Hope College is looking for and the mailing list is an extremely good one in terms of potential in recruiting students. College-Bound Students Intentions of the students after high school is revealed on Table “-32. The cumulative frequency column shows that over 90% of the students have plans of enrolling in some kind of college. Of the total. 85% are headed for a four-year college. This again reinforces the thought that the mailing list includes the type of students that Hope College wants to address. i.e.. college-bound students. Overall Appraisal It appears that Hope College is on the right track in terms of meeting student information needs. It is influencing students positively to apply and to enroll in the college and it is meeting a great prepar- tion of their information needs. There are some changes that can be made as suggested by the study to improve the information program: how- ever. drastic changes are not recommended. The major influence on a student's decision is the parent and little is done at this time to provide them with needed information. This is a fertile area for a similar type of study in the future in order to determine the information needs of parents. the types of pieces they prefer. and preper timing for correspondence. 1“? Table “-32 Intentions of Students After High School 11 Cumulative Plans Number % Frequency (%) HOpe College Bound 259 “6.0 “6.0 Other Four-Year A College Bound 220 39.0 85.0 Junior College Bound 30 5.3 90.3 work 22 “.0 9“. 3 Army “ .7 95.0 Other 28 5.0 100.0 11 CHAPTER V SUMMARY . CONCLUSIONS . IMPLICATIONS . AND RECOMMENDATIONS §2££§£l The Need The study. an information needs assessment of potential Hope College freshmen as a guide for developing recruiting material. comes from a need to combat one of several problems plaguing higher education today. Like the rest of the U.S. economy. colleges and universities are suffering the effects of rapidly rising costs with over twenty-five percent of the private institutions in financial difficulty. One of the main reasons for the anxiety over finances is the changing enrollment patterns. Rapidly rising costs. a lower image in the eyes of adults and students. and a decreasing share of the higher education market. all threaten the enrollment growth and stability which colleges enjoyed dur- ing the i950s. 1960s. and early i970s. As if these problems are not enough to heighten anxiety. census information and projections of the number of high school seniors sees a drOp of twenty to thirty percent between now and 1990. Applications at private schools have declined ten percent over the last five years. This downward trend. manifesting a lack of interest in private education. 1“8 1“9 along with the anticipated shrinking of the applicant pool raises signs of caution. if not danger. as the private schools ride down.rocky roads of an uncertain future. Many of these private institutions will cepe with the stormy weather and rough seas and set sail for a brighter future. Others will lighten their lead by thinning out their crews and provisions but con- tinue to stay afloat. Some will perish at sea. But an.attempt must be made to salvage as many of these sinking ships as possible as they offer a valuable resource to American higher education as creators of competi- tion for four-year public schools. citadels of academic freedom. pur- veyors of liberal learning. providers of education leadership. savers of dollars to the taxpayers. a model of warmth and compassion for the indi- vidual in a learning environment. and a pacesetter of high education standards. With a shrinking pool of potential applicants. colleges are launching bigger and bolder recruiting efforts. competition for students becomes more intense and the goal of stable enrollment becomes difficult to sustain. The need for students is critical: not only are they the mainstay for most institutions as the means and ends of their existence. but in cold. hard economic terms their tuitions provide fifty to ninety percent of needed revenues. If the enrollments are in danger’of shrink- ing and costs continue to soar. colleges must make themselves more at- tractive to the public. One method is development of an effective com- munication program. 150 To communicate effectively colleges must know the information } needs and interests of prospective students. The best means of identi- fying these is through research with the aid of a survey. The problem. then. is to aid Hope College in combating the threats of smaller enrollments. in light of a shrinking student market. by more accurately communicating with potential freshmen. The first step is to identify the information needs of high school seniors. through a survey. to serve as a guide for better communication materials. The study seeks to find answers to the standard communication formula of "who says what to whom. when. and how. and with what effect." The latter. “with what effect." is not measured as too many variables influence a student's college selection to allow’for accurate measure- ment. The Stu To find responses to the concern two populations were identified for survey: a) the inquired students. those who asked for information about HOpe but did not apply for admission. consisting of 1061“ and a sample size of 631 and b) the applied students. those who inquired about Hope and then applied. consisting of 101“ in the population and 502 in the sample. Overall the population numbered 11628 and the sample size was 1133. The confidence interval was ninety-five percent and an error of five per- cent was established. The survey was designed and tested by the author with assistance from professional statisticians on layout. Processing 151 was done on a Xerox Sigma 6 computer utilizing the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The survey was mailed. followed by a second mailing to nonerespondents three weeks later. with a reminder postcard in another two weeks. The survey was limited to high school seniors who inquired and applied. These were selected as they were familiar with Hepe College and its materials and no sampling frame of high school seniors nationally was available. The search was limited to correspondence through the mail and did not measure the performance of members of the admissions staff. audio-visual presentations. or mass media advertising. The timing was such that the students were making decisions on colleges. as May 1 was the established candidate's reply date. i.e.. the date by which most students announced their college choice established by the College Entrance Examination Board. A limited amount of demo- graphic data wms requested since it was not usually known at the time a student wrote for infornation and therefore not considered helpful in designing materials to meet student needs. Usable returns showed 371 applied. or a 73.9% response rate. and 231 inquired. or a 37.6%:response. Overall. of the 1133 questionnaires. 602 were returned for a 53.7% response. Bac ound A review of the literature presents the realities of the immi- nent decline in private college enrollments. The smaller freshmen classes mean lower revenues which attack departmental budgets. turn to slashing 152 at faculty and staff numbers and salaries. while gnawing away at the number of programs and services a college can offer. As these deteri- orate so does the attractiveness of the college to future freshmen and the declining enrollment spirals downward. The anxiety moves from col-, lege to college. and as the competition for students heightens. rapport among the purveyors of higher education crumbles and falls. To pre- clude these dangers better communication is needed to attract more stu- dents and attention turns to what they want to know. when and how. Three perspectives were offered concerning student information needs: 1. The admissions perspective where better information will make the college more attractive to students and draw larger numbers to the college gates. The long term repercussions improved attrition be- cause better informed students were more familiar with what they were buying and. when they purchased. were more satisfied customers and stayed enrolled. 2. The student perspective which allowed better decisions about college selection and supported the new consumer movement. 3. The expert perspective where many of the highly respected experts in the field complained that the information used for college re- cruitment was "not good enough.” An historical review of the admissions office brought the reader up to date on admissions practices. The first admissions directors were faculty themselves who personally sought students to teach and made ar- rangements for room. board and tuition. Later. as colleges became more 153 formalised. the president performed the admissions function by testing the prospects and making a decision on their acceptance. his colleges grew in eise and number a registrar was assigned to handle many of the paperwork functions and process applications for admission. Eventually. in the late 191.03. in the United States. the registrar split its func- tion into two separate camps of admissions and registrar. The 1950s and 1960s found the admissions office primarily performing a counseling function. i.e.. aiding students in making a decision on college. But as the 1970s rolled around marketing became the password. Not only was the effort made at selling the institution but gathering information about student needs allowed adjustments in programs to more closely align with the interests of the student market. The movement into marketing brought about a number of practices. many of them new to the education scene. and many of them somewhat anti- thetical to the high moral and ethical standards of higher education. Concern for hucksterism and slick advertising. and its negative influ- ence on the college image as well as the ability to attract students. developed a sincere concern for ethics and the need to set standards. lirketing appeared to have many benefits if properly used within higher education. but ethical standards were needed to maintain the histori- cally high standards of prformaiwe and practice. The National Associa- tion of College Admissions Counselors developed a statement on ethics and defined the need for admissions persons to police their own ac- tivities or submit to the threat of government intervention. 15“ Related work A look at related studies showed very little in the area of student information needs research. One effort drew together a comp posits of basic facts on a number of colleges so that a student might read them quickly and make rapid comparisons. Some individuals have guessed at what students want and put these together in a taxonony. Others asked tangential groups. i.e.. those with when students have contact in college selection. what they think students need and put the responses into composites. Such groups were guidance counselors. admissions counselors and high school teachers. Research which directly asks the student for an opinion pur- sued only one avenue of inquiry. i.e.. what the student wanted to know and not how. when and in what manner the student would like to receive information. Although high school students were asked directly. these studies still emphasised responses from.other outside groups. such as admissions persons or college students. The study here differed by asking only high school students of their information needs and expand- ing the inquiry from."what” was wanted to how. when and in what manner. Conclusions An analysis of the data gathered from the survey showed that stu- dents have definite information needs. They clearly identified items they wanted when presented with thirty-nine possibilities. As far as when students wanted to know. again. a definite pattern arose as two-thirds of the students began making decisions during the middle of their Junior 155 year and the early part of their senior year. Finalizing decisions oc- curred in the senior year where a ninety-five percent response was found. How students wanted to receive their information was also defini- tive in the mind of prospective students as the catalog had the highest rating as the item most specifically desired for learning about colleges and as the piece which most attracted attention. A brochure from cur- rently enrolled students was also a tap item of preference with high interest in all studentoto-student contacts. A packet of various kinds of information was another preferred piece. Hope College was adequately meeting student information needs as 78.hl of the respondents said the Hope information influenced positively in their decision to apply. Conversely. sixty-two percent of those who did not apply said that the flaps information did not influence them to be a non-applicant. As one looked at enrollments. seventy-one percent of the applied students indicated that the Hope material influenced them to make a decision to enroll. 0n the other hand. nearly seventy-two per- cent of those who inquired but did not enroll indicated that the Hope material was not the iten that influenced them to be a non-enrollee. This information lead to the conclusion that the Hope College informa- tion was.meeting student needs. Comparing Hope information materials with the items preferred by the respondents further showed that Hope was meeting information needs at least where student interest was thirty percent or sore. There were some areas in which Hope was deficient. but overall it was con- cluded that Hope was adequately meeting student information needs. 156 There were significant differences in the responses of men and women when the students considered the types of pieces they would re- view when making a decision on a college. In seven out of thirty-six possibilities significant differences occurred with male preferences apparent in sports and female preferences in housing. entrance require- ments. foreign study opportunities. class schedules. adnissions process- ing. and required courses. when students bound for Hope College were compared with those bound for other four-year schools and a Junior col- lege. nine out of thirty-six items were significantly different which were: college size. major fields. academic reputation. accreditation. social life. attention of the faculty to students. student-faculty ratios. class schedules. and philosophy. The conclusion was that there were dif- ferences within the groups on what information they would review when selecting a college. Differences also occurred when comparing preferences of males and females in terms of items that attracted a student's attention as decisions were made on college. Of the nine items listed statistically significant differences occurred in five with the females preferring the following over male responses: the poster. almost three-to-one. the packet. nearly two-to-one. and the brochure. catalog and.reply card. When the Hope Col- lege bound students were compared with those going to other four-year schools and Junior colleges. three out of nine items showed statistically significant differences and included the letter. postcard and reply card. Again. the conclusion was that each group had different information needs. 157 Uhen referring to ”how" students wanted to receive their infor- mation and from whom. twenty-five choices showed only one statistically significant difference of females over sales which was the brochure from a student. when Hops College bound students were compared to those going to other four-year public schools and the Junior college. only two areas out of twenty-five possibilities were significantly different; these were an interview with an administrator and a phone call from the sane. Even though the number of differences was snall. the overall conclusion was that there were significant differences of preference between the groups. In short a look at the items which attracted a student's atten- tion. what they reviewed to select a college. from whom and how they. wanted their information provided. showed the groups studied with sta- tistically significant differences. Coaparing the Hope College applied students with the inquired revealed significant differences in nine out of the thirty-six areas which were: sine. academic reputation. social life. faculty degrees. types of students. attention given by the faculty. class sizes. philosophy. and sports. Regarding types of information which attracted attention. dif- ferences occurred in one out of nine possibilities. i.e.. applied students preferred a personal letter almost two-to-one over the inquired. A cospar- icon of information pieces desired and from when students wanted to hear had differences occurring in only two out of twenty-five possibilities which were a brochure from adminisu‘ators. preferred by inquired. ands let- ter from faculty preferred by the applied. Even though the number of sig- nificant differences was small of the total number of choices. one could 158 ' conclude that there were statistically significant differences between the two groups. Hope College information pieces were above average when compared with information that students received from other colleges. Over eighty- two percent of those surveyed indicated that HOpe College materials were superior or good when compared with materials from other colleges and 96.1% of the respondents saw Hope natsrial as average or better. flhen students had the Opportunity to define the individual most influential in decision making on a college. other than the students themselves. the parents rose to the top as the number one choice. Nearly fifty-four percent of the responses indicated that this was their most influential source with the second being a friend. Junior college stu- dents were the only group not defining the parent as the most significant influence but selected the guidance counselor. Hope College communication materials influenced students positively in their decision to apply as 78.1% of the applied students indicated. Further investigation showed that Hope information influenced positively in the decision to enroll in Hope as seventy-one percent of the applicants said that Hope information influenced their decision to enroll. Implications The study provides resources of a general nature that are helpful to the Hope College recruiting program and inforsaticn development. One such item is a definitive picture of the time in which the respondents make decisions on college selection. Students begin making the selection 159 in the aiddle of their junior year and finalise plans late in their senior year. The implications are that Hepe College should begin con- municating in the middle of the junior year with followdup procedures beginning in the early part of the senior year. There is an extremely high interest in student-to-studsnt cons tact with low interest in phone calls from faculty and parents of cur- rently enrolled students. Further efforts should be made at Hope to develop more student-to-student contacts. i.e.. telephone calls or let- ter writing. in order to meet student needs and perhaps low priority items such as the phone calls from parents and faculty should be re- duced. The overpowering influence of the parents in the decision making on college selection suggests a need for Hope to communicate with parents. Perhaps a brochure or letter on a regular basis to parents to satisfy their information needs and reinforce their interest in Hope College is necessary. Although nothing definitive is known.about the information needs of parents it may be a fertile area for further research. The biggest attraction to students looking at a college is the catalog. Although usually expensive. the student reliance on the catalog suggests that it should be lads accessible to them. Perhaps items which students find less attractive should be cut from the communication pro- gram at flaps to allow funds for more catalogs. As students like to receive letters from all of the groups listed. Hope should continue its program of mailing regular personalised letters to prospective students. 160 Brochures are a preferred piece. next to the catalog. but their content should be a mixture of pictures and brief facts. Currently the general brochure. written by HOpe College students. has descriptive sentences and no pictures. This has inplications for changes needed in the brochure. Hope College does not provide several items of specific infor- mation that students desire. Infermation wanted but not offered in- cludes: job placenent of graduates. housing. class schedules, nearby town. and fresh-en grade point averages. The infornation should be gathered. put into either letter or brochure fern. and provided to stu- dents with an interest in Hope to more adequately meet their needs. Telephone calls fron alumni and parents of currently enrolled students have little appeal to prospects. These can be curtailed to yield dollar savings which provide funds for the sore preferred iten. the college catalog. As Hope College information is influencing students positively. both in applying and enrolling, the progran of student infbrnation now utilisied by Hope is a good one and should not undergo drastic change. Further. the Hope material is viewed as average or better by over ninety- five percent of the respondents when conpared to naterial from other col- leges. Such a large percentage regarding the information pieces so highly again inplies that no najor changes are needed. The survey provides data concerning the quality of the nailing list. i.e.. its potential for providing the type of students wanted by the college. A review of the grade point averages of the respondents 161 reveals that over ninety percent of the students have a 0+ or better. As the admissions statement of policies and practices identifies this type of student as desirable the implication is that the mailing list is an adequate one. Further corroboration cores free the fact that over ninety percent of the respondents are going on to college; again. an indicator that these are the kinds of students in which Hope has an interest. Recoaaendations This study was an effort to determine the information needs of those who corresponded with Hope College. One iaportant finding was the significant influence of parents on the decision raking of stu- dents. particularly in light of the fact that little is done to court this audience and heighten their interest in Hape. Little is known about parent information needs and how they might best be approached. Indeed. the entire communication formula of who says what to whom, when. and how and with what effect can be pursued in a study of parents and perhaps provide directionfor communicating with then. The long run implications are that better data on parent needs will allow a closer alignment of college naterials with parent concerns and raise parental interest in a college along with that of the student. This can result in greater reinforcement of the student's final decision to enroll and perhaps increase the enroll-eats in favor of the college who has and utilises the data. 162 The Hope College adnissions personnel should seriously review the results of the study and make the changes suggested. As indicated in the section under ”Conclusions.” radical changes are not recomnended. Hepe information appears to be doing an adequate Job of meeting student information needs but there is evidence that it can be improved. Items that are currently missing should be included and adjustaents in the timing of correspondence should be made to more closely align with stu- dent decision making times. Information requests from the groups who have the different needs should receive unique information pieces to more adequately address their specific concerns. As there are information need differences between those going to Hope College. the junior college, and other four-year colleges. there may be roon for another research project on each of these groups indi- vidually. Those with the Junior college interest can be better served by the institution if their specific information needs are met. Those going to other four-year colleges may be more knowledgeable by meeting specific information needs in their student market to not only improve enrollnents but to satisfy the governaental demands for better informa- tion for the consuner. It would be helpful for other colleges to pursue a similar study as this to persit conparisons of information needs and development of pervasive student interest guidelines which may serve all institutions of higher education. and their prospective students. with better communication. BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Agor. Heston H. Financing Ind gendent Higher Education in Michigan: Staff Report Analysng Recent Enrollment, Cost and Revenue Trends with Projections to 1980 and 19 J. 2nd Edition. Lan- sing. Michigan: Michigan Education Management Services. 1975. Andrew. Barry M. and Moir. Romld E. Information-Decision §ysteas in Education. Illinois: I". E. Peacock, Inc.. 1W0. Bowen. Howard B. and Minter, John H. Private Higher Education. 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Vol. 51, no. 320 (Septenber. 1967). PP e 79.92 e 171 Wolf. Jack S. "marketing Admissions Using Modern Business Techniques in Student Recruiting." College Board Review. No. 89 (Fall, 1973). pp. 3-4 and 23-2n. Woodward. Thomas M.. Jr. "Ethics in Student Recruitnent in the 1970's.” Journal of the National Association of College Admissions Coun- selors, Vol. 17. no. 3.(January. 1973), pp. 1-3. Presentations Ivens. Steven H. "A Strategy for Survival.” Address delivered at the Council for Advancenent and Support of Education conference. Stouffer Hotel. Atlanta. Georgia. October 19. 1976. Lindenmann. Halter K. "Using Research for Greater Conmunications In- pact.” Address delivered at the Council for Advancenent and Support of Education conference. Stouffer Hotel. Atlanta. Georgia. October 19. 1976. Appendix A National Association of College Admissions Counselors Statement of Principles of Good Practices 172 Statement of Principles of Good Practice Developed by the Admission Freed“ and Procedures Committee o! NACAC over a period of we years oflcislly by the Assembly in Sen All” in October, 1912. The the dignity. the worth. and with whom he student: to institu human mureIto recs. the u all high school and college admissions counselor believes in epotentialities of each student assis tions of leaning are ultimately onlv as strong as are of the individual student is the most rtsnt consideration in ml-‘ollbwing Is a Statement of Principles of WI V'utio nsl Association or' College Admissions Counselors: .2 n. ..e this counseling relationship. Good Practice lor L Admissions Promotio- ass [semifinal A. College and University Members Agree: 1. Admissions are p o their institution's staff As professionals. they receive rem era ' lary. co sion or bonus on the n mber o N Admissions ofllcsrs are responsible for the development of "publications used for pro romotio recruitment These publications should: ¢. Sta early and prseissly requirements as so mum. and 9‘ ‘ .c : cue informatws about opportunities and requirements [or financial aid. In detail any special prom prams such as P a. E. O. overseas study. Mr V decision. early admission, credit omi tion. or adtan ed placement. a. Coma turn is us ts o/ the and continuum! that are an r nent reality. as who ome involved In t admissions pro- otional - a it ant a i (i . a.lu i. coaches. stu en .facul ty) and for educating them about a v n- 3 h pective tu en is- sim e selor adheres to the fol o a. blue clearly (Ill nquIremmts and at t I). Make clear a canon. an tr reply. for both admins-ions andfiacncialoid. emit data descriptive of currently enrolled d. A Is emporium of institutions. 5. The Admissions Counselor avoids unprofessional pro- Inotio nsltactics cs. such a. Con tructrng with liinI-schodoiu personnel [or n- m‘icss that require a fee [rem (lie Institutwn .Ior each student enrolled. c. Encouraging a studs-n runs/e1- i/ the student msnel/ use not indies: sdt trons/null mu. 3. Secondary School Personnel Agreets of counseling which does justice to rtmunities sought and a E courage the student and his pare rents to tan tiative in learning abov t co invite co e and'un In co unseli the college .v-rwio rsity representatives (cg. alumni coaches. S" Refuse any rem ard or remuneration from a college. uni- versity. or priv ste counseling service {or placement at i C. Collelge clearinghouse and matchill Illg services Which vide lisison tween colleges and universitiess Id students shall he considered a itive eapsrt ohlt e admins-ions process it electzielv supplement other high-ac hool guinoeds activities sndia eto the Pr ioneiples Good Practice with ned here National ACAC journal. 174 1. 2. 3. ll. Appllcstioa Procedures A. Colleges and Universities Agree to: Accept full responsibility for admissions decisions and for proper notification of those decisions to candidates and. where possible. to secondary schools. Receive information about a candidate In confidence and he; respect completely the confidential nature of such ta. Notify high-school personnel when using students on admission selection committee. Not apply newly-revised requirements to the disadvan- ot‘ a candidate whose secondary-school course has been established in accordance with earlier require- ments. Notify the candidate as soon as possible if the candidate is clearly inadmissible. Not deny admission to a candidate on the grounds that it does not have aid funds to meet the candidate's ap- parent financial need. foreign students excepted. Not require a candidate or his school to Indicate the order of the candidate’s college or university preference. early decision plans excepted. Permit the candidate to choose without penalty among otters of admission until he has heard from all colleges to which the candidate has applied or until the candi- date's reply date. Not maintain a waiting list of unreasonable length or for an unreasonable period of time. 8. Secondary School Personnel Agree to: l. 2. 3. Provide an accurate. legible. and complete transcript for its candidates. Describe its marking system and its method of dates- minin rank in class. ‘ Descrl clearly its special curricular opportunities leg). honors. advanced placement courses. aminass. etc. . Provide an accurate description of the candidate’s per- sonal qualities that are relevant to the admission process. Report any significant change in the candidate’s status or qualification: between the time of recommendation and graduation. , Urge the candidate to recognize and discharge his re- sponsibilities in the admissions rocesa. a. Complying with requests [or additional informa- tion in a timely manner. 5. Responding to institutional deadlines on admissions and refraining from stock-piling acceptances. c. Responding to institutional deadlines on room reservations, financial aid. health records. and pre- scheduling where all or any of these are applicable. Not. without permission of the candidate. reveal the can- didate's college preference. 1. 2. Ill. Financial Assistance: (More Snell Assistance is Bases apes Need) A. Colleges and Universities Agree That: . Financial assistance consists of scholarships. grants. loans. and employment which may be offered to students singly or in various toms. They should strive. through their publications and com- munications. to provide schools. parents. and students With factual information about its aid opportunities. programs. and practices. inancial assistance from colleges and other sources should be viewed only as supplementary to the eil'orts of the family. In determining the financial contribution of the candi- date's family. they use methods which assess ability to pay in a consistent and equitable manner such as those developed by the College Scholarship Service and the American College Testing Program. They should clearly state the total yearly cost of atten- dance and should outline for each student seeking as- sistance an estimate of his need. They should permit the candidate to choose. without ty. among ofl'ers of financial assistance until he heard from all colleges to which the candidate has applied or until the candidate’s reply date. . They should clearly state policies on renewals. . They should not announce publicly the amount of finan- cial award on an individual candidate because it is a re- flection of the family's financial situation. 8. Secondary School Personnel Agree to: 1. r) Refrain. in public announcements. from giving the amounts of financial aid received by students. Advise the student who has been awarded aid by non- college sources that it is his responsibility to notify the colleges to which he applied of the type and amount of such outside assistance. . Provide adequate opportunity within the school for all able students to receive a special recognition for their accomplishments. thus making It unnecessary for col- leges to rovide such honorary recognition through their financial-assistance programs. Vol. 17, No. 3 Appendix B John Minter'e Taxonomy of Student Infornation Needs 175 II III ‘176 APPENDIX B A Taxonomv of Questions to Facilitate the Comparison of Educational Programs (from Minter, l972) Locating Educational Programs 1.1 1.2 How can I locate institutions that offer the kind of learning program I want? How can I be sure the institution really offers the program listed? Comparing Program Results What skills and knowledge have students completing the program actually acquired? What degrees are awarded by this program,and how many are awarded annually? Who hires students completing these programs? What beginning salaries are offered students completing this program? What are the average lifetime earnings for graduates of this kind of program? Where do graduatesof this program go for additional study? How many graduates continue to advanced study? What values does the program develop or reinforce in students? What are the probabilities of my completing the program successfully? Comparing Program Requirements 3.1 3.2 What skills, knowledge, credentials will I need to qualify for the program? What must I achieve to complete the program successfully? Comparing Program.Costs and Financial Aid 4.1 5.2 4.3 What will be the total costsof this program (tuition/fees, food-housing, personal-medical care, textbooks and supplies, recreation, transportation, misc.)? Is financial aid available for this program? Will I qualify for financial aid? Comparing Instructional Staff, Services, haterials and Facilities 5.1 5.2 How do faculty salaries compare with similar programs or institutions? How does this department compare with its counterparts in other colleges and universities? VII “vuuuuu e 177 Is the program adequately staffed? What is the quality of instruction provided by the program? What kinds of instructional material are used in this program? What instructional facilities are available to this program? Is tutoring aid available? Are adequate study or rehearsal facilities available? How long is the program? What is the average time to completion? Comparing Research Staff, Services, Materials, Facilities 6.1‘ mo 0 . fi UN 0‘ o How many staff members are engaged in research and what are their qualifications? What research services are available to the program? What research facilities and materials are available to the program? What library services and materials are available? Comparing Program Environments Intellectual Environments A.1 A.2 A.3 How many students will be in my class? How academically able will members of my class be? ‘Bow many students will be in my field of study? Cultural and Social Environments 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 a. 9 3.10 lLll But! What is the ratio of men to women in the program? What is the ratio of residents to commuters in the program? What cultural and social values seem dominant among the persons connected with this program? What major student subcultures are represented by students associated with this program? What ideas are popular in campus reading and discussion? What events of a cultural nature are typically available to students in this program? What events of a social nature are typically available to students in this program? What seems to be the degree of political and social awareness among students in this program? What social organizations are affiliated with this program or institution? Is religion emphasized in the program? Is a congregation representative of my religion available? What kinds of regulations govern student behavior in the program? What kinds of regulations govern authorized living units? What seems to be typical informal dress for students in the program? 178 VIII Comparing Auxiliary Services 8.1 What kinds of housing. and housing services are available? 8.2 What health services are available on campus and in the cosamxnity? ' 8.3 What recreation facilities are available for individuals and groups? 8.5 Does the institution or program offer a placement service ' .for graduates? II Comparing Geography and Climate - 9.1 What kind of community is the program located in? 9.2 What is the typical weather and climate? Appendix C Edward Brogly'e Taxonomy of Student Information Needs 179 l. 2. 6. 18C! APPENDIXt: manor: mromunou wmsn 3v swarms As Drum 32 BRCBLY (1967, pp. 102-106) §§§QQ§ LOCATION. a. How far is the school from my hometown? b. How large is the town or city where the school is located? c. Is the school located in the country, in town, or in a city, and are the buildings around the school mostly homes, businesses, or factories? d. How close to the school are places to live, transportation, churches, and recreational, shopping, and medical services? :5; TRAINING PROGRAM. a. What percent of the students entering the training program.complete it? b. What is the training program like in terms of starting times, required courses, length of program, and the ways in which students are graded? c. What.special skills or high_school courses are suggested or required in order to enroll? ‘ d. What organizations and agencies recognize or approve the program? (Governmental agencies, businesses, industries, trades, or professions) e. Can a student who doesn't like or do well in a program transfer to another? m- a. What is the detailed breakdown of all student coats? b. What help is available in the form of loans, scholarships, grants, and part time work or summer jobs? c. How difficult do students find it to pay costs? d. How much do students earn on part time jobs? e. How do students pay costs? (Sources of money) f. What are the various schedules of payments that can be arranged to pay school costs? :3 SCHOOL m 311; EQUIPMENT. a. Is the equipment at the school as modern and as complete as that used on the job? S. b. Ce d. Are there enough laboratories, study areas, libraries, and equipment? HOUSING. . a. Where do students live? (Dormitories, apartments, private homes, etc.) b. How satisfied are students with their housing? c. How far from the school do students live while attending school? d. How difficult is it to find a place to live? INSTRUCTORS. I a. How do students rate their instructors with high school teachers they ' have had? b. How much effort do teachers make to try to know each student well? c. How qualified are the teachers to teach the courses they offer? d. How able are the instructors to answer questions? e. How often do instructors teach things that you can do on the job? INSTRUCTION. I. Do teachers use various methods to make things clear to students? b. How available are instructors for individual help? c. What is the average class size? d. How fast do instructors sq in their teaching? 23; STUDENT QQQZ. a. What are the students like in terms of age, ratio of boys to girls, and percent of married students? b. How far and from what size hometowns do the students come? c. How many of the students are high school graduates, and where did they rank in their graduating class? d. How much full time work experience have the students had before coming 181 Is the school and its equipment kept in good shape? Are things such as equipment, laboratories, study areas, and libraries available when students need to use them? to school? 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 182 men LE1- a. How much time is spent by students in such activities as class work, home work, part time work, and social and recreational activities? b. What chances for getting together for social and recreational activities are provided by the school or the community? c. What seryices are offered by the school? (Counseling, cafeteria, recrea- tion, and help in finding part time jobs and housing) d. What kinds of treatment do students receive from the school in such matters as attendance, student conduct, and student-teacher relationships? gypsum OPINION g: m IMINING PROGRAM. 0 a. How difficult do the students believe the training program to be? b. How does the training program compare with what the students expected? c. How much of what the students study is new information to them? d. How would the students rate the training program if high school students asked? ammo JOBS Amp. cpsngénon. a. How easy is it for graduates to obtain jobs? b. How'much help does the school give the graduates in finding jobs? c. How satisfied are students with their first job after graduation? d. How do graduates first hear about the jobs they find after completing training? 19; OPPORTUNITI’S F95 GBAQQATE§. a. Ebw'much demand is there for graduates of this training program? b. Where, and in what kinds of full time jobs are graduates of this training program first employed? c. How much do graduates earn in the first full time job they hold after graduation? . d. What opportunities are there for graduates of this program to advance in their job? GRADUAIES' OPINION 9: THE TRAINING PROGRAM. a. How much of what the graduates do on the job is related to the training they have had? 183 b. How well did the training program prepare the graduates for their first full time job? ' c. How do the first full time jobs held by graduates compare with what they expected? d. How do graduates rate the training program after they are employed in .their first full time job? ' Appendix D Mary Kinnick's Taxonomy of Student Inforeation Needs 184 185 A IAXONOHY OF INFORMATION NEEDS OF MPEC‘IIVE STUDENTS ABOUT POST- SECONDARY EDUCATION (KINNICK, 1975) (pp 165-178) I. 001. on momma m Y A- W * 1. What are the minimum requirements I must meet to be admitted? * 2. Are the minimum requirements the same for all terms? 3. Can any or all of the minimum requirements be waived? * 6. What grade point average is needed? * 5. What test scores are needed? * 6. What courses and/or credits are needed? 7. What high school courses will prepare me for various majors? 8. How do you qualify as a resident or in-district student? 9. What registration procedures do I need to follow? * 10. What is asked for on the admission application and when is it due? * 11. When are required tests and transcripts due? Domain 1. How selective.is the school or program?(e.g. does the school admit everyone who applies?) 2. What kind of student is the school looking for? e 3. What are my chances of getting in? e 4. Will I have a harder time getting in if I stay out of school a year or so? e 5. How many qualified applicants get in? 6. Is it easier or more difficult to be admitted Fall y; Winter 3; Spring 3; Summer term? 7. Has it been getting any easier or more difficult to be admitted? *-items on the preliminary or final questionnaire . s. c. 1. * 2. . 3. . A. s. 1186 How hard will it be to get into the specific program I'm interested in? o dit What credits will the school or program accept? Which courses offered at one school transfer to another school? Will I lose credits if and when I transfer schools? Can I use Advanced Placement, CLEP or other means to earn credit? and if so, what must my scores be or what standards must be met? Is it better to take courses or use tests and other available means(e.g. work experience) to earn credit? D. ggtaining More Information * ' l. 2. 3. ‘4. Where can I go, who can I see, to get reliable infor- mation about the school or program? How can I arrange for a campus representative to visit my high school or community college? How can I arrange a visit to the campus? Where can I find a description of the step by step procedures for getting into a particular school? 5. Is there an orientation program? and if so, when is it and how long does it last? II-.EQ§Z§ A. £311 goats * 1. What are the full costs involved, including costs for tuition, fees, books, housing, transportation, parking, etc.? 2. What will each course or credit hour cost? * 3. What will it cost to complete the program, the degree or the certificate? k. What are the costs for each team? for each year? 5. What are the costs for a regular term? for a summer term? 6. What are the costs for residents and non-residents? for in-district and out-of-district students? 2187 * 7. low much does an average student spend while at the school? * 8. What does the tuition and fee money pay for? B. 90:; Changes and ggggggigong * 1. How do the costs at one school'compare with those at another? ' * 2. How much might the costs increase while I’m attending the school? ‘ 3. How can I compare costs with quality? C. Flying the Costs * 1. Do I have to pay for everything all at once? and if not, what other payment arrangements can be worked out? 2. If I don't stay in school for the whole term, will I get some of my money back? III. EINANCIAL AID AND EMPLOYMENT A. v abil o and alification or Rec ivin G ants, .§cholarshigs and Loans * . 1. How much and to whom does each school award financial aid? * 2. Specifically, what grants, scholarships and loans might be available to me? * 3. Who is eligible to receive each kind of financial aid? 4. Are the chances for receiving aid greater or less for particular students?(e.g. erhnic minorities; men 31 women; middle-income students; etc.) 5. Given my circumstances, how much financial aid might I be able to get? 6. low much of the cost could I pay for with financial aid? * » 7. How much in grant.or scholarship money compared with loan money could I get? ' 8. Are special scholarships available by field of study? 9. Can I get financial aid for overseas study? * 10. Will I have more difficulty receiving financial aid if I skip a year or more of school? 1188 * ll. What are the financial aid application procedures and deadlines? B. Einancial Aid Comparisons and Condition: 1. Will grades effect my ability to keep a scholarship? 2. Under what conditions is it unwise to accept financial aid?(e.g. is it wise to take out a loan when I'm presently unemployed?) * 3. Can I get more financial aid from one school than from another? 4. Are there restrictions on how I can use the financial aid?(e.g. if Isget it, can I leave school for a while and then come back later and use it?) * 5. What kinds of arrangements can I make to pay off the loan money I receive? how much will I need to pay over what period of time? C. Emplovment Opportunities 1. What full-time and part-time'employment opportunities are available on the campus or in the area? 2. How available are part-time jobs on and near the campus? 3. What work-study opportunities are available? 4. How much do various kinds of student jobs pay? IV. §§§§RAL DESCRIPTION OF THE SCHOOL A. Physical and Community Setting * 1. What does the campus look like?(e.g. is it spread out? are there trees? etc.) * 2. Where is the school located? * 3. What is the area around the campus like?(e.g. how big and what is the town or city like? how far away are stores, churches, transportation? is the area pretty? are there parks? etc.) * 4. How is the weather? 5. How good are the local public elementary and high schools? 189 How are the relations between the school and the community?(e.g. is the school part of the community or isolated? how do community residents feel about the students?) mm 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. IO. 11. What is the male-female ratio? What are their social, political and religious attitudes? “at are their socio-economic backgrounds? How much diversity is there? What are their academic abilities? Are there many ethnic or racial minority students? What do they major in? How many work? How many commute? how many live on campus? How old are they? How many come from my hometown area? C. fiocial Life and §§tgscurricular Activities 1. 2. 3. 6. 3. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Will I be expected to behave in certain ways?(e.g. are there conduct codes? dress codes?) What extracurricular activities are available? What kinds of social pressures are there, if any? (e.g. for joining sororities and fraternities; for using drugs; etc.) What do students do when they're not studying? What is the night life like? Do teachers get involved in student activities? What sports or athletic activities are there for men? for women? Is there an opportunity for Christian fellowships? What do the students wear? Is it easy to meet other students? 190 mums. l. 2. 3. 6. 3. 6- 7. What are their qualifications? What kind of reputation do they have? What are their primary interests? how old are they? What are their attitudes?(e.g. political, etc. as well as how they feel about the students) Do students find that it's easy to meet and talk with the teachers? How much turnover is there? Roi—mam 5. 6. 7. a. 9. 10. 11. What teaching methods are used? What grading methods are used? What is the average class size, especially in the beginning classes? What is the student to teacher ratio and what does this ratio represent? Bow academically competitive is it? What are the student-teacher relationships like?(e.g. how are students treated by teachers?) Who actually teaches the courses?(e.g. graduate students? professors?) How good is the instruction, especially from students' points of view? What are the goals of the instruction? Is there a concern with student growth? How many hours will I be expected to study? What is a typical class schedule like? F. §ugport Serviceg(not including housing) 1. how available is academic advising? Will I have my own advisor? 2. 3. 4. 3. 6. 191 How available is personal advising or counseling if Ineedit? low available is career advising? Is it easy to get help with career planning? Are job placement services available both for assis- canoe while I an in school and when I graduate? In large is the library? how good is the library according to.the students and faculty? 7. What kind of transportation to the campus is available? 8. What parking ficilities are available? 9. Are child care services available? 10. Is there a health service? 11. If I have difficulties with a class, can I get addi- tional help from the instructor or a tutor? 12. What testing services are available? 13. How good is the food and food service according to students? 14. What recreational facilities are available? l5. Is there a course available for new students to review programs and help them decide upon which one to enter? a. m l. What kinds of housing are available on or near the campus?(e.g. dorms; coops; family housing; apartments; fraternities-sororities; etc.) 2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each kind of housing? 3. What do students say about each kind of available housing? 4. how easy is it to get housing on or near the campus? 5. Are the living situations good places to study? 6. how much privacy is there? 7. Are students required to live on campus? 8. What do the housing facilities look like? 9. 10. 11. 192 What are the various housing policies? What will living in a particular housing situation be like? If I have a roomate, how will he/she be selected? and how can I change roommates? kW 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 10. What does the school specialize in? What is the school best known for? What unique opportunities are available at the school? ‘Which are the strongest programs in the school? Which are the weakest programs in the school? Is the school accredited? What special awards or recognition has the school and/or its programs received? Is the school in sound financial shape? Is the school having trouble recruiting students and lowering its standards as a result? Should I go to a certain school just because it is strong in the field I’m interested in? I. figgggal Campug Atmosphere 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. According to students, what is the general school atmos- phere like?(e.g. business-like?conservative?easy going or intense?etc.) What does the school emphasize?(e.g. academics? social life? career training? sports?) Is the school a friendly place? Are the students happy? ' Will I feel like a number at the school? How much personal attention can students get if they want it? What kinds of social and academic rules and regulations affect the students? * 8. * 9. * 10. J. . ”1. * 2. * 3. 4. e 5, * 6. .5. 8. 9. V. O 1593 Is the campus experiencing any particular problems or crises? how much academic pressure do students feel lbw much voice does the student body have in determining school policies? e are tic how large is the school?(e.g. how many undergraduates and graduates are enrolled? how many teachers are there?) What is the school's philosophy and goals? Is the school'more concerned about the general education and personal development of students or with providing an education which leads directly to a job? or is it equally concerned with both? Is the school 2 or 4 year? Is the school public or private? Is the school religiously affiliated? how old is the school? How long is a term? When and how long are vacation periods? PROG AND HAJO A. on e 1. 2. 3. a. S. 6. 7. What is the purpose of the course? What is covered in the course? How difficult is the course? How much course variety is there at the school or in a particular program? Who can take the course?(e.g. are there pre-requisites? can you take it if you're not seeking a degree or certi- ficate?) What are the attendance requirements? What do students say about the course? how large is the class? 9. 10. ll. 194 how long will it take to complete the course? how many different teachers can teach the course? What teaching and learning methods are used for each course?(e.g. self-study? lectures? on the job learning?) mm 1. Z. 3. 4. 9. 10. 11. What is the purpose of the program? What is covered in the program? What does the program emphasize? theory? application? What program or groups of courses does a school have to offer for specific careers or kinds of jobs? For a specific career, which program should I enter? On the average, how long does it take to complete the program? How do students rate the quality of each program offered at the school? How many students are in the program? How many instructors teach in the program? How much depth does the program.have? how stable is the program?(e.g. is it new? changing? proven? much faculty turnover each year?) Is the program accredited? How difficult is the program? For each program, which courses are required and which are elective? how many different programs are available at the school? How many schools offer a particular program? Which programs involve students with on the job experience? How can I get the best education in my field but also take other courses for general experience? Is the program unique or aLmost unique to a particular school? 195 20. What_graduate programs are available? 'C. 55123;. I. Do I have to select a major? 2. Why am I required to have a major? 3. What majors are available? 4. Are "njors" the same thing as "programs"? 5. What is a major? 6. When do I have to and/or when should I declare a major? 7. Will I lose credit if I don't declare a major early? 8. Can I have a double major? 9. What can I minor in? 10. How easy is it to change from one major to another?(e.g. how much time might I lose if I switch majors?) 11. With each major, how much choice will I have about the courses I taka?(e.g. which and how many are required?).. 12. How does each course relate to each major? 13. If I'm not certain of a major, should I still enter college? D. Degrees and Certificates 1. What degrees and certificates are available? 2. What are the minimum graduation requirements? 3. On the average,.how long does it take to complete the degree or certificate? 4. How do degrees and certificates relate to programs or majors? 5. What is a credit hour? 6. What is the difference between a B.A. and a 3.5.? .196 VI.‘ RESULIS OF SCHOOL OR PROGRAM PARTICIPATION A. Liklihood of Academic Success l. 2. * 3. * 4. * S. * 7. What are my chances of completing a course, program, degree or certificate? How many students leave before finishing and why? How many students transfer to another school an! why? How many students who enter go on to graduate? What are my chances of earning passing grades? above average grades? Will, and if so how will, working full or part-time effect my educational progress and achievement? If I stop out of school for a while, will this disad- vantage me in any way? ' 3. future Benefits * 1. * 2. 3. 4. . 3. s. * ' 7. s. 9. * 10. . 11. What will I learn? What can I do with'what I learn?(e.g. what will I be able to do?) Will my future job opportunities be improved? What are my Opportunities with and without college? How many graduates of a specific program get the jobs they apply for? What starting salaries do graduates of the program earn? Will further education enable me to earn a higher salary or wage? Will I he in a better position to advance in my career field? Will it have an impact on my social or personal life? on my style? . -. What success do graduates have getting into graduate school? What success do graduates of 2 year schools have getting into 4 year schools? 197 12. Will I lose any of my job skill or ability while I stop out for school? 13. how many students succeed in the field I wish to enter? 14. What kinds of jobs do graduate get? 15. Will more education be a waste of time because of the lack of job opportunities and inflation? - VII. JOB CHARAQIERI§IICS AND THE JOB MARKET ‘9 e 3. e e C. e gob Demand 1. Which jobs and skills will be needed and in demand in the future ? 2. Is there a demand for women in the field I'm interested in? 3. how stable or unstable is demand likely to be over particular periods of time? ngggionship of School to Jobs 1. Does the academic program I'm interested in match well with my career field of interest? 2. What is the value of theoretical knowledge to the world of work? 3. Which school, if any, is preferred by employers for a particular field of work? A 4. In terms of the profession I want to enter, should I go to school in my home state or not? 5. For my field of interest, should I go directly onto the job or acquire more schooling first? 6. With my interests, what job possibilities should I consider? a acteristics o ield of Work I. What are the characteristics of the people who work in the field? 2. What is the work schedule like? 3. What are the employers' attitudes? 4. What promotion/advancement opportunities might there be? ' 5. What is the starting salary and salary range? 1198 * 6. Is.a special degree or certificate needed for success in the profession or career field? 7. What are the job entry requirements? 8. Is travel involved? 9. Where might I have to live if I enter this field of work? * 10. In general, what are the qualifications for entry to each career field I'm interested in? ‘ VIII. STUDENT SELF REVIEW A. g: Abilities and Interests . 1. What are my abilities? What subjects do I do best in academically? 2. How strong is my background in math and english? 3. What teaching methods work best for me? 4. Under what circumstances do I learn best? 5. What kinds of jobs do I think I might be good at? 6. What are my strongest interest areas? 7. How big a school would be best for me? 8. Which program might best suit me? 9. Among post-high school alternatives available, which would be best for me? 10. Would a college or vocational/technical school be better for me? D. 51 Readiness for College 1. What are my reasons for continuing with my education? 2. Am I entering school for myself or my parents? 3. Am I ready to get the most out of college? 4. Am.I mature enough for college? 5. Can I handle the responsibilities? 6. Can I make the adjustments college will require?(e.g. a new town, new people, new pressures, being away from home) Appendix E Survey Instrument 199 2(N) Hope College Holland. Michigan April 30, 1976 Your opinions would greatly help us to better understand how colleges can help- fully communicate with high school seniors. Would you take five minutes to com- plete the enclosed questionnaire and return it in the postage paid envelope pro- vided? The identification number will be used to tell us who has not responded so that we might follow up with them. Thank you very much for helping us learn how to provide useful information to future generations of high school students. Thomas I Laiaugh Director of Admissions 1) Sex: male female 2) What plans do you have after high school? Hope College Another four-year college Junior College Work _Armed Forces _0ther (Please specify) 3) Who was most influential, other than yourself, in planning your future: friends parents brothers or sisters guidance counselor teacher ____college students alumnus ___campus official ___pther (Please specify) 4) When did you begin making plans for fall, 1976: early sophomore middle in the junior year in high school late senior 5) When did you finalize plans for fall, 1976: early sophomore middle in the junior year in high school late senior 6) Did information you received from Hope College aid in your decision to: apply or not apply to Hope? __;Yes A‘_;No enroll or not enroll in hope? .__;Yes ‘___No 7) Of the mail you received about colleges what attracted your attention? posters packets brochures letters postcards catalogs maps fact sheet reply card to request more information other (Please specify) 201 8) What materials would you review to learn more about a college? ___a packet of various information pieces l___personal letters ‘___catalog ___brochures with: ___pictures only ___pictures and brief facts .___brief facts only ___descriptive sentences only ___pictures and descriptive sentences 9) In selecting a college what did you want to know about? (check all that apply) ___college size ___location ___nearby town ___climate ___buildings (type 6 age) ___course offerings . ___fields to major in ‘___tost ___academic reputation accreditation financial aid housing social life job placement of graduates school history degrees of faculty type of students spiritual life rules and regulations attention from faculty student/faculty ratio expected help in course work expected help in personal problems food service class sizes entrance requirements foreign study opportunities class schedule philosophy of the college discussion on liberal arts typical freshman year sports admissions process required courses library student government average freshman grade point student newspaper probable courses to take other (Please specify) 10) From whom and how would you prefer to learn about a college: Parents of Faculty Students Alumni Administration enrolled students Brochure written by Personal letter written by Personal interview with Phone call from Post card from 11) If you received information from other colleges, how did Hope's materials compare? (circle) superior good average below average poor received no other information 12) what is your grade point average? A 8+ B C+ C D+ D MICHIGAN STATE UNIV. LIBRQRIES “HI”WI”‘IIHIIHWIWIHWINVIHI‘HIUINIIWII 31293102223785