President’s Column: Recruitment – An Ongoing Team Effort

By Dr. Allen Burgad, Interim President

At VCSU, we have established a strategic goal of becoming an Institution of Choice. Achieving this goal requires all of us to share our story as a reputable and preferred institution. Telling that story clearly and consistently to prospective students and their families matters.

Our enrollment has grown steadily over the past several years, driven by increases in online enrollment, dual credit, and graduate programs. We are proud of this progress, and it reflects the collective efforts of Enrollment Services, Marketing, and our academic departments. I would also be remiss not to acknowledge the role that every faculty and staff member already plays. For many, this includes meeting with students, sharing information about their academic programs, and discussing engagement opportunities available on campus. For others, it is the simple, yet meaningful interactions that define who we are as a campus. I have witnessed firsthand the welcoming environment our faculty and staff create for visiting students and their families through simple statements of “hello” and “welcome to VCSU,” which leave a lasting impression.

Through our strategic planning, we identified a goal to increase face-to-face enrollment. In doing so, we reaffirmed the important role that online learning, dual credit, and graduate programs play in VCSU’s overall vitality. At the same time, we recognized that strong face-to-face enrollment is essential to the campus experience, the vitality of our community, and the long-term success of our institution.

These conversations led us to reflect on how we share our story and how we align our recruitment and marketing efforts with research and evidence-based practices. As we reviewed our work, we found that many of the strategies already in place at VCSU align well with practices shown to be effective across higher education, including:

• Student and alumni involvement
• Clear program messaging and career pathways
• Meaningful faculty engagement and follow-up
• Clear communication of affordability and value
• Strong digital presence
• Engaging campus experiences during visits
• Timely and personalized communication

Following collaborative conversations with Enrollment Services, Marketing, and our academic departments, it became clear that we are already doing many things well. We also extended this work through intentional discussion and planning with our department chairs, creating an opportunity to learn from one another, identify strategies that are working, and surface areas for continued growth. These conversations have provided affirmation of our work and helped us identify opportunities to be more intentional and aligned moving forward.

As we continue this work, our focus will be on building a clear and coordinated VCSU recruitment and marketing approach that supports our students, reflects our values, and strengthens our ability to serve both our campus and the broader community. Critical to this effort is our ability to share our story, clearly, consistently, and with purpose. At VCSU, our strength has always been our people, and it is often not what we say, but the time we take to say it that leaves a lasting impact on those we serve.