Sam Houston State University (SHSU) publishes admission policies consistent with its mission. Recruitment materials and presentations accurately represent SHSU’s practices, policies, and accreditation status. Further, recruitment materials and presentations accurately represent the University’s practices and policies for all potential students and degree programs, regardless of the method of delivery (e.g., face-to-face, online). All recruitment pieces are updated regularly (annually for catalogs and other printed materials and frequently throughout the year for online information). SHSU does not employ independent contractors or agents for recruiting purposes.
Undergraduate Recruitment
The primary undergraduate recruitment pieces disseminated to prospective students through the Office of Admissions include the following:
Additionally, applications and information detailed in these publications are available to prospective students through SHSU's admissions website [17].
Admissions counselors from the Office of Admissions travel throughout Texas continually from September through February of each academic year to recruit new students to SHSU. The University employs several regional counselors that recruit in the Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, and the South Texas regions; in-house counselors that work primarily on the main campus but recruit in the other parts of Texas; and transfer counselors who specialize in the specific needs of transfer populations. All counselors are cross-trained to handle the questions of any student, but their main focus is recruiting students from their region or specialty. Counselors participate in college fairs to discuss University practices and policies with prospective students and parents. They also make individual visits to public and private schools and community colleges to meet with counselors and students who have expressed an interest in SHSU. Counselors also host annual conferences for high school and community college counselors on SHSU’s main campus. Recruiting is also performed via SHSU’s prospective student database [18], online chats [19], and various social media methods [20] [21].
Admissions counselors also help identify students that might be a good fit for specialized scholarship programs within the University through calling campaigns and online outreach. Each semester, representatives from Admissions meet with deans, directors, and other academic and non-academic program representatives to discuss changes in curriculum and support programs within the various colleges and divisions at SHSU. When counselors are not out recruiting students, they focus their efforts on encouraging students to complete the application process and enroll at SHSU. This is accomplished via personal correspondence and calling campaigns. The goal of admissions counselors is to increase both the quantity and quality of SHSU applicants.
Hobson’s Connect has been the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool used by Enrollment Communications and Admissions in recent history and for the majority of the 2017-2018 academic year. Based on funding, technical support, and product features, the Connect tool is being phased out, and Campus Management’s Radius, a new CRM, has been implemented. Both systems have hosted prospective undergraduate student and applicant communication plans. As part of the admissions recruitment process, various email communication plans are used to reach student populations. These plans, which can be updated as often as necessary, consist of a series of emails outlining programs and services. Communication plans focus on all applicant prospects, starting at the age of 13. Printed pieces are mailed to high school prospects, starting with their freshman year. Emails and printed materials are sent to prospective transfer students as well. The email communication plans present information about exploring college, affording college, getting involved, exploring the SHSU campus, being academically successful, applying, and enrolling [22] [23]. Accepted students also receive a personalized video entitled “Welcome to Sam Houston State University” [24]. This 1-minute video gives a snapshot of what SHSU has to offer and welcomes the new student to the Bearkat family.
Graduate Recruitment
The recruitment materials and presentations of SHSU’s Office of Graduate Admissions accurately represent the graduate programs offered within the seven academic colleges. All recruitment pieces are updated regularly. Admissions-related catalog content is coordinated between the Office of Graduate Studies and the Office of Admissions and is updated annually. All printed materials are placed on a schedule to be updated annually. Online materials are updated frequently throughout the year. The goal is to ensure that materials accurately represent the respective graduate program admission requirements as outlined by the respective academic programs within the Division of Academic Affairs. All printed recruitment materials are reviewed by the appropriate college, office, or division.
The primary recruitment pieces disseminated to prospective students through the Office of Admissions include the following:
In addition, the application/program information available in printed publications is also available to prospective students on SHSU's website through program-specific landing pages. Example pages include the Master’s of Business Administration [30], Master’s of Science in Biology [31], and Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education [32].
Graduate recruiters from the Office of Admissions travel throughout Texas from September through July of each academic year to recruit graduate students to SHSU. They participate in college fairs and conferences at which they discuss University practices and policies with prospective students. They also make individual visits to universities throughout Texas to meet with students who have expressed an interest in SHSU. During the summer, they attend conferences that might provide opportunities to recruit quality graduate students.
The Office of Admissions uses the Ellucian Recruit CRM tool. This database hosts communication plans for prospects [33], applicants [34], and accepted students [35]. The plan can be updated as often as necessary and consists of scheduled, ad hoc, and targeted emails.
Each spring, the Office of Admissions hosts a spring fair [36], which encourages all current SHSU students, staff, and alumni to visit various booths staffed by representatives from each graduate program. Graduate recruiters visit The Woodlands Center off-site location weekly to conduct individual advising sessions. Additionally, recruiters participate in calling campaigns to contact applicants regarding their applications and to determine if prospective students have further questions regarding graduate programs.
For prospective students unable to travel to Huntsville or The Woodlands Center, an online instant chat tool [37], available via the Graduate Admissions webpage, is hosted during normal business hours. Students can utilize this service to speak directly with a graduate recruiter.
Visitor Services
Visitor Services, located in the John R. Ragsdale Visitor and Alumni Center, is the “front door” to the University [38]. For many prospective students and their parents, their first contact with the University is through the Visitor Center. Prospective students learn basic information about SHSU via digital displays, computer stations, and University personnel. An informative film about academic programs and student life is shown on multiple plasma screens in the center’s state-of-the-art auditorium.
Guests who come to the University through the Visitor Center receive a Campus Visitor’s Guide [39], maps of SHSU and the City of Huntsville, information about local attractions and restaurants, and brochures from a variety of University departments with information to assist prospective students. Updated information is also offered on the Visitor Services website. Twice a year, once during the fall semester and once during the spring semester, Visitor Services hosts Saturday@Sam for prospective students and their parents [40]. These campus preview days provide prospective students with tours, visits with University officials and academic administrators, and opportunities to ask questions about the academic and cultural life at SHSU.
Walking guided tours of the central campus are provided to individuals, their friends, and their families by “SAMbassadors” [41]. Participants receive a general presentation about SHSU providing information regarding costs, admission requirements, housing, etc., followed by a video and a walking tour of campus with a current SHSU student. Tours are available in Spanish and also for groups of high school and middle school students. For students unable to travel to Huntsville, the Visitor Services website hosts a 360° Virtual Tour that showcases main campus, athletic facilities, and off-campus facilities [42]. Visitors may also view various videos of campus virtual tours that showcase a sample of what SHSU has to offer.
The University also employs a mobile Go Center [43]. The Go Center is a 42-foot trailer that travels across the state promoting higher education in Texas and at SHSU. The Go Center provides current college-related information and assistance to prospective students and their families. The trailer has 21 laptop computers and a satellite internet connection. This mobile unit visits county fairs, high school athletic events, community festivals, major livestock shows, University Interscholastic League (UIL) music and track meets, and other family-oriented events. Targeted audiences are those that are not likely to attend traditional college programs. There are many economically disadvantaged students who do not have college-going traditions in their families. The Go Center provides a setting in which parents and prospective students can feel comfortable asking questions and receiving assistance regarding the college preparation process. The Go Center provides access to important resources in college admissions, as well as financial aid applications.
Texas Reality Check is also available to students as a tool for exploring careers and determining the education required for each career [44]. The online questionnaire helps prospective students match careers to their interests. Further exploration provides the common educational requirements (and identifies colleges that offer certain degrees) and the expected wages for the chosen occupations.
On-Campus Recruitment is housed within Visitor Services and serves the University by coordinating on-campus events, youth programs (summer camps, Scouts@SAM, Jr. Bearkats [45]), and Exploring College Education and Life (ExCEL) programs. The annual Scouts@Sam event brings local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops to campus to learn about the University while earning scout badges. Staff members also work with academic departments and programs to host recruitment events involving prospective students who visit campus. This is to maximize recruiting opportunities at these events. The Jr. Bearkats program, a recruiting program for youth aged 13 and younger, hosts events on campus and in surrounding cities to get youth involved with the University at a young age in order to develop loyalty and identification with SHSU. These events can include athletic, academic, service, or recreational activities. On-Campus Recruitment also works with the Alumni Association in order to encourage alumni to get their children, grandchildren, and young family members involved with the University. The ExCEL programs offer students a chance to explore a specific academic area of SHSU. Prospective students can visit with faculty members and current students, learn about how to become a student at SHSU, and explore what it might be like to study in their academic program of interest.
Office of Marketing and Communications
The Office of Marketing and Communications (Marcom), housed within the Division of University Advancement, supports the institution’s goal of “enhanced marketing outreach and visibility to include academic and scholarly activities through consistent and integrated messaging while optimizing communication channels” [46]. Through an integrated branding strategy, the department produces robust content illustrating the University’s mission and values. Content is delivered through traditional, online, and social media channels.
Marcom also maintains and monitors compliance with brand guidelines and the proper usage and licensing of University marks and logos, as well as creates and coordinates media communications. Brand guidelines for both the University [47] and the Texas State University System (TSUS) [48] are published online. These guidelines detail the policies and procedures for ensuring all collateral materials adhere to established standards and uphold and emphasize the SHSU brand. Although much of the individual academic program materials are approved by the appropriate college, office, or division, Marcom has instituted controls at the production phase that afford opportunities for final review of adherence to guidelines and policies [49]. All printed material must be coordinated through the on-campus press operations, where artwork is reviewed for adherence to graphic design standards. All merchandise is fabricated by licensed vendors, and artwork must be submitted for online approval. The University branding is integrated with the TSUS guidelines published online, and adherence is monitored per controls previously mentioned.
Marcom operates as an in-house agency, providing services and support for areas targeting key external audiences (e.g., alumni and prospective donors). The department is also a resource for any University department in need of marketing and communication expertise. Services include strategic planning, project management, creative conception, design, content development, public and media relations, photography, videography, and social media.
Admissions Policies
SHSU’s mission statement states, in part, that it provides “high quality education, scholarship, and service to qualified students for the benefit of regional, state, national and international constituencies” [50]. The undergraduate and graduate admissions policies are consistent with this mission in that they promote standards that ensure scholarship and excellence.
Undergraduate admissions policies are published in the undergraduate catalog [51] as well as on the Admissions website [17]. These policies describe minimum acceptable test scores and high school/college GPA, as well as required documents for beginning freshmen, graduates of a home school, early admissions students, students who earned the GED, transfer students, and international students. Undergraduate students who transfer from a college or university (accredited by an agency recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board [THECB]) with fewer than 12 transferable hours must meet the standards for beginning freshmen students.
Freshman applicants who do not meet minimum requirements for admission might qualify for the Individual Review process [52]. Upon acceptance through this process, students are required to complete UNIV 1301, which is a college transition course. For the fall 2017 semester, SHSU reviewed over 17,000 completed undergraduate admissions applications for an admission decision [53]. A review of these admissions decisions demonstrates adherence to published admissions criteria.
As part of the Policy Review and Revision Process [54] within the Division of Academic Affairs at SHSU, admissions policies are reviewed periodically by the division administration, the Council of Academic Deans, the University Faculty Senate, System’s Legal Counsel, and the Academic Affairs Council, with input from other relevant constituents as needed. Academic Policy Statement 840502, Admission Standards for Undergraduate Students [55], is published online in the Academic Policy Manual [56]. Admissions policies at SHSU align with the Texas Uniform Admissions Policy governed by Texas Education Code 51.803-51.809 [57]. The THECB’s Common Admission Application for freshman, transfer, transient, returning and graduate students, ApplyTexas, is used by SHSU [58].
Graduate admissions policies are published in the graduate catalog [59] and on the Admissions website [60]. These policies describe the application process, required materials, admission standards, admission types, admission classifications, and information for international students. Admission requirements and materials vary by college and/or program and are described in the sections of the graduate catalog that pertain to each program [61]. For example, the admission requirements for the Master of Science degree program with a major in Criminal Justice are listed within the College of Criminal Justice section of the graduate catalog [62]. Additionally, program landing pages for master’s degrees [63], doctoral degrees [64], and graduate certificates [65] are accessible from the Graduate Admissions website, as well as from the Majors and Programs link [66] located on SHSU’s homepage. Each program landing page contains a program overview, admission requirements, information on how to apply, links to the catalog, and contact information. The Master of Science in Criminal Justice program landing page [67] has been provided as an example. The faculty within individual academic departments in which the graduate program is housed set criteria for admission to graduate programs and review them annually as part of the graduate catalog update process. Individual student admission recommendations for graduate programs are also made by the respective program faculty, with the final admission decision resting with the respective academic dean [68].
The admissions standards for both masters and doctoral programs are initially reviewed by the THECB as part of the proposal for degree approval [69] [70]. Further, as a supplement to the annual review of admission criteria, the Texas Administrative Code requires that all master’s and doctoral programs offered by public universities must undergo a formal review at least once every ten years [71]. The graduate program review process includes a review of admissions criteria [72] through a self-study process and evaluation and feedback from an external review.