**4. Harness the power of academic advising**

Applicants do not contact an institution because they want to major in admissions. They contact an institution because they are interested in a program of study. International recruitment that ignores contact with program faculty will be limited. Program faculty are your key allies in the recruitment process. They can also constitute a negative factor just as the wrong members in your staff can discourage prospects. Choose your allies wisely. Develop a list of those who will work with you. These are generally the faculty in programs demonstrating healthy enrollments. These programs are healthy for this very reason. The programs are healthy because the program faculty are open to recruiting new applicants and are willing to meet their needs.

#### **4.1 Academic advising as a recruitment tool**

While academic advising has long been shown to play a major role in student retention [5], academic advisement also plays an import role in student recruitment. Such is particularly true in regard to international recruitment. Academic advising is about building human relationships. Human relationships are at the very heart of

international recruitment efforts. Your tracking system should be able to gather lists of applicants by program. Introduce the applicant to the program faculty contact. Let the faculty contact know in advance that the applicant has only submitted interest in the program. Let the applicant know that the faculty contact is there to answer their questions if needed. Introduce the applicant's parents to the program faculty contact. Let the faculty contact know in advance that the parents may have questions about the program. Engender dialog. Monitor those faculty program contacts who do not engender dialog and avoid them. In these cases, recruitment staff may seek answers for the applicant and parent. Though every faculty member will not want to participate, those who do will be rewarded with increased enrollment.

#### **4.2 Set up periodic meeting with academic advisors**

Make every effort to positively reinforce those faculty advisors that actively seek to serve prospective students. Periodic meetings should be held with academic advisors and department heads to keep them informed and hear their concerns. If a concern is voiced, take the concern seriously. Act on it then let the academic advisors know what was done. You may want to give them a personal call to thank them when they have gone out of their way to help a prospect. You may want to provide them a coffee cup or a t-shirt. Sometimes, just a word of appreciation will suffice. Make certain that you take the time to express your gratitude. Faculty are people too. They are very busy teaching and are actively engaged in many activities. While advisement is also part of their job, all people enjoy hearing that they are performing above expectations. You must do your part to support and nurture your good academic advisors. Make a concerted effort to reach out to new members of the faculty. They will appreciate the contact. Engaging and developing academic advisors as recruitment partners will help your international enrollment numbers grow.

#### **5. The dangerous currents of registration**

For almost all students, navigating registration is the most ominous, frustrating and terror-laden event they will face in their academic careers. Where do they go? Who do they see? How do they get their classes? How will they pay? In 1974, the author stood in line for 2 days to register for classes. The advent of the digital age has changed this scenario and registration is no longer the same. Now many students wait online from 3 days to 4 weeks to complete their registrations. Since mankind was able to land on the moon in 1969, one would suppose that registration has been improved. This supposition may not be correct.

Consider the plight of an international student who is now a stranger in a strange land. While struggling to discover the difficulties of obtaining a phone and learning how to buy groceries, this student must now face the frightful experience of registration. What is to be done? How do we make this experience bearable? How do we get them advised? What about their visa? How do we get them through the gauntlet alive? These are our challenges if we are to grow our international enrollment. We now have the opportunity to become a peer mentor and demonstrate that we are their friends. We are their advocate. At least those of us with increasing international enrollments are their advocates. The remainder is seeking another profession.

#### **5.1 Hello, I am your peer mentor**

In difficult times, everyone needs a friend. What better friend than a peer to mentor you through the difficult experience of registration? Notice the word,

**45**

*Full Funnel International Enrollment Management DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84755*

ence less terrible and more rewarding.

**5.2 Empower registration as a recruitment tool**

across the minefield of despair.

be generated. Everyone will be happy. Right?

peer. While there exists a time and place for potentates and demigods of authority, peers are colleagues. Peers make the journey with you. Peers are there to help you as needed. A peer can assist in navigating the student through the dangerous and threatening landscape of registration. The peer may be a fellow student. A peer may be a staff member from international student affairs. A peer may be a member of the Registrar's team. A peer may be a student ambassador. A peer may be the academic advisor. The peer may be the administrator over all of student services. Or, the peer may be all of the above collaborating to make the registration experi-

To clear registration, the student must complete their immigration visa. They must be housed. They must be advised. They must be registered into an appropriate schedule of classes. They must pay. To pay, they are to likely transfer of money from another country. What if their credit card encounters difficulty? They may need to interact with their parents. They may need to go to a bank or open an account. Have you mapped out the registration process in order to guide them? Do you know where the bottle necks occur? Do you have a plan for making it through these bottle necks? Have you prepared a team of peer mentors to assist these students in navigating the waters of registration? Do they feel comfortable letting you know that they are encountering problems? Can you smile and be their friend? Or, do you plan to fiddle while Rome burns and seek another occupation? Sometimes other occupations are hard to find.

Registrar's often focus on dates, rules, and the limitation of any exceptions. International recruiters recognize that making registration easy for international students increases the university enrollment. When enrollment increases, the university makes more money. Revenue projections are met. People are happy. Accordingly, plans must be made to handle the influx of international students. Keeping them out of lines and the away from the other evils of registration will pay off. Registration must be transformed into a friend. Efforts must be made to register these students as quickly as possible. In the ideal situation, they will be registered before they arrive on campus. In the second-best scenario, they will be registered under the VIP system by their beloved peer mentor. In the worst scenario, they are left to wander the campus to find their own way through the endless lines and

Consider the scenario where the international applicant interfaces with his or her peer mentor. The peer mentor helps the applicant establish contact with his or her academic advisor. The academic advisor visits with the student applicant, shares insight regarding the program of study, and suggests the appropriate schedule for the current semester as outlined in the degree plan. The two then share pleasantries and return to their tasks. At this point, the peer mentor helps the student register, either online or in-person, whichever is necessary. The peer mentor becomes the staff member who guides the student through the process. Classes are entered. A schedule is obtained. The peer mentor ensures that the student has paid his or her tuition and is available if difficulties are encountered. The new international student is shown the location of the classrooms by the peer mentor. The student is prepared for the first day of class. Books are purchased. The library is visited. What if all of this occurred outside the regular registration arena? What if it occurred at the peer mentor's duty station? What if international registration was designed to facilitate the student rather than the needs of the Registrar? Would not that be nice? Why is it not being done? The student will have a good experience. The student will obtain a good schedule. The institution will increase its numbers. More money will

#### *Full Funnel International Enrollment Management DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84755*

*Education Systems Around the World*

**4.2 Set up periodic meeting with academic advisors**

**5. The dangerous currents of registration**

has been improved. This supposition may not be correct.

**5.1 Hello, I am your peer mentor**

international recruitment efforts. Your tracking system should be able to gather lists of applicants by program. Introduce the applicant to the program faculty contact. Let the faculty contact know in advance that the applicant has only submitted interest in the program. Let the applicant know that the faculty contact is there to answer their questions if needed. Introduce the applicant's parents to the program faculty contact. Let the faculty contact know in advance that the parents may have questions about the program. Engender dialog. Monitor those faculty program contacts who do not engender dialog and avoid them. In these cases, recruitment staff may seek answers for the applicant and parent. Though every faculty member will not want to participate, those who do will be rewarded with increased enrollment.

Make every effort to positively reinforce those faculty advisors that actively seek to serve prospective students. Periodic meetings should be held with academic advisors and department heads to keep them informed and hear their concerns. If a concern is voiced, take the concern seriously. Act on it then let the academic advisors know what was done. You may want to give them a personal call to thank them when they have gone out of their way to help a prospect. You may want to provide them a coffee cup or a t-shirt. Sometimes, just a word of appreciation will suffice. Make certain that you take the time to express your gratitude. Faculty are people too. They are very busy teaching and are actively engaged in many activities. While advisement is also part of their job, all people enjoy hearing that they are performing above expectations. You must do your part to support and nurture your good academic advisors. Make a concerted effort to reach out to new members of the faculty. They will appreciate the contact. Engaging and developing academic advisors as recruitment partners will help your international enrollment numbers grow.

For almost all students, navigating registration is the most ominous, frustrating and terror-laden event they will face in their academic careers. Where do they go? Who do they see? How do they get their classes? How will they pay? In 1974, the author stood in line for 2 days to register for classes. The advent of the digital age has changed this scenario and registration is no longer the same. Now many students wait online from 3 days to 4 weeks to complete their registrations. Since mankind was able to land on the moon in 1969, one would suppose that registration

Consider the plight of an international student who is now a stranger in a strange land. While struggling to discover the difficulties of obtaining a phone and learning how to buy groceries, this student must now face the frightful experience of registration. What is to be done? How do we make this experience bearable? How do we get them advised? What about their visa? How do we get them through the gauntlet alive? These are our challenges if we are to grow our international enrollment. We now have the opportunity to become a peer mentor and demonstrate that we are their friends. We are their advocate. At least those of us with increasing international enrollments are their advocates. The remainder is seeking another profession.

In difficult times, everyone needs a friend. What better friend than a peer to mentor you through the difficult experience of registration? Notice the word,

**44**

peer. While there exists a time and place for potentates and demigods of authority, peers are colleagues. Peers make the journey with you. Peers are there to help you as needed. A peer can assist in navigating the student through the dangerous and threatening landscape of registration. The peer may be a fellow student. A peer may be a staff member from international student affairs. A peer may be a member of the Registrar's team. A peer may be a student ambassador. A peer may be the academic advisor. The peer may be the administrator over all of student services. Or, the peer may be all of the above collaborating to make the registration experience less terrible and more rewarding.

To clear registration, the student must complete their immigration visa. They must be housed. They must be advised. They must be registered into an appropriate schedule of classes. They must pay. To pay, they are to likely transfer of money from another country. What if their credit card encounters difficulty? They may need to interact with their parents. They may need to go to a bank or open an account. Have you mapped out the registration process in order to guide them? Do you know where the bottle necks occur? Do you have a plan for making it through these bottle necks? Have you prepared a team of peer mentors to assist these students in navigating the waters of registration? Do they feel comfortable letting you know that they are encountering problems? Can you smile and be their friend? Or, do you plan to fiddle while Rome burns and seek another occupation? Sometimes other occupations are hard to find.

#### **5.2 Empower registration as a recruitment tool**

Registrar's often focus on dates, rules, and the limitation of any exceptions. International recruiters recognize that making registration easy for international students increases the university enrollment. When enrollment increases, the university makes more money. Revenue projections are met. People are happy. Accordingly, plans must be made to handle the influx of international students. Keeping them out of lines and the away from the other evils of registration will pay off. Registration must be transformed into a friend. Efforts must be made to register these students as quickly as possible. In the ideal situation, they will be registered before they arrive on campus. In the second-best scenario, they will be registered under the VIP system by their beloved peer mentor. In the worst scenario, they are left to wander the campus to find their own way through the endless lines and across the minefield of despair.

Consider the scenario where the international applicant interfaces with his or her peer mentor. The peer mentor helps the applicant establish contact with his or her academic advisor. The academic advisor visits with the student applicant, shares insight regarding the program of study, and suggests the appropriate schedule for the current semester as outlined in the degree plan. The two then share pleasantries and return to their tasks. At this point, the peer mentor helps the student register, either online or in-person, whichever is necessary. The peer mentor becomes the staff member who guides the student through the process. Classes are entered. A schedule is obtained. The peer mentor ensures that the student has paid his or her tuition and is available if difficulties are encountered. The new international student is shown the location of the classrooms by the peer mentor. The student is prepared for the first day of class. Books are purchased. The library is visited. What if all of this occurred outside the regular registration arena? What if it occurred at the peer mentor's duty station? What if international registration was designed to facilitate the student rather than the needs of the Registrar? Would not that be nice? Why is it not being done? The student will have a good experience. The student will obtain a good schedule. The institution will increase its numbers. More money will be generated. Everyone will be happy. Right?
