Inside Archives
|
November 4, 2005
Student recruitment strategies feature latest
technologies
by Anne Krapfl
Iowa State will use podcasts to recruit high school graduates and first-
and second-year ISU students into language programs. The proposal is one of
15 to receive a grant in a competitive program funded by the president's
office and administered by a committee of the Professional and Scientific
Council. Now in its 12th year, the program will award a total of $30,000 in
grants for projects that more actively involve P&S staff in attracting
and retaining students.
The projects that the committee chose to fund this year "are innovative
and cutting-edge," said Mary Darrow, co-chair of the P&S recruitment and
retention committee. "We're proud of what we get out of that small
investment."
Podcasting is a means of distributing audio and video programs via the
Internet, typically in the MP3 audio format. In this case, a podcast will be
a 5- to 10-minute audio file. Undergraduate students will be hired to help
develop podcasts that present interesting information about ISU's language
programs. Staff in the Foreign Language Learning Resource Center will
coordinate the project. Grant amount: $3,925.
Other proposals to receive funding are:
- Road Less Traveled Project. Fifty middle school girls from
Des Moines and Louisa counties will attend the April 2006 "Taking the Road
Less Traveled" conference on campus to learn about careers in science, math,
technology and engineering. $1,000.
- Journey to Success. Workshops and small group meetings help raise
the GPA and retention of students receiving financial aid whose GPA is less
than 2.0. $2,275.
- FIRST LEGO League (FLL). Iowa State will provide sponsorship
funds and student coaches for four new FLL teams from Iowa communities with
racially diverse populations or underfunded school technology programs and
help them travel to the FLL tournament on campus Jan. 21. (FLL, for
elementary and middle school students, combines robotics with team building,
problem solving and creativity.) $2,925.
- Beyond the B.S.: Engineering Your Graduate School Possibilities.
At two workshops planned for February and March, sophomores and early-level
juniors in the College of Engineering will learn about preparing for
graduate school. The workshops will help students decide how to complete
their undergraduate work to enhance career possibilities. $825.
- Martin Hall Challenge. Activities and events (for example, "study
bucks" and dean's list dinner) for Martin Hall residents that emphasize
academics but include social or community service components, are intended
to foster a community where students thrive. $925.
- Why Opportunity Works: Youth and 4-H, ISU Academic Programs and
Careers Make it Happen. An interactive exhibit (for use at next June's
state 4-H conference) and video stories from ISU staff and alumni will show
the connection between 4-H programs, academic majors at Iowa State and
careers in Iowa. $2,425.
- A Major Fair! Hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences, the February 2006 fair will offer a "one-stop shopping"
opportunity for all ISU students to add, change or select a major or minor.
Prospective transfer students also will be invited. $2,425.
- National Society of Black Engineers 2nd Annual Middle School Science
and Engineering Exposition. NSBE will host a daylong expo on campus in
February 2006 to introduce students from Ames and Des Moines to engineering,
chemistry, information technology and materials science through interactive
demonstrations. $925.
- Engineering Labs Video Tour. College of Engineering staff will
create, for use on the college's student recruiting Web site, videos
featuring interviews with students working in some of Engineering's labs.
The intent is to highlight ISU facilities, show that undergraduate students
get hands-on experience at ISU, and increase the applicant pool of
engineering students. $1,675.
- Wellbody Program. In a six-class series coordinated by staff at
the Student Health Center and led primarily by their peers, ISU students
will learn how healthy eating, physical activity and positive body image can
help them be more successful students. $1,000.
- Ingenieria con Acento (Engineering with an Accent) This is a
proposed first phase in a long-term recruiting relationship with Hispanic
communities in Iowa, Omaha and the Quad Cities. It may include mentoring and
role model opportunities for industry representatives (alumni), ISU student
members of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, faculty and staff
and high school students. $1,425.
- Construction Engineering Recruitment Project: Staying Power. The
department of construction engineering will produce a recruitment CD,
featuring their students and alumni, that will go to all Iowa high schools
and community colleges. Undergraduate students will track recruitment
efforts. $1,425.
- Guaranteed 4.O Workshops. The focus is on retaining first-year
and academically at-risk upper-class students of color. The multicultural
liaison officers in all ISU colleges and the Student Support Services
program will use the national "Guaranteed 4.0" workshops as part of their
academic programming (550-600 students total). Guaranteed 4.0, based in
Dallas, is a method for teaching students to "learn how to learn."
$3,500.
- This is Agriculture? Local activities for high school students
led by ISU Extension staff, a field trip to campus hosted by the College of
Agriculture, and visits to ag-related businesses are intended to expand
prospective students' perceptions about agriculture and help them discover
academic majors and careers in agriculture that match their interests.
$3,325.
|
Summary
The largest grant is $3,925; the smallest is $825. Six of the projects
build on proposals funded last year. Grant recipients will complete mid-year
and end-of-year reports on the outcomes of their efforts.
Quote
"We're proud of what we get out of that small
investment."
Mary Darrow
|