RAP Retreat Executive Summary 2009

RAP Retreat Executive Summary 2009

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Recruitment, Admissions, and Preparation Knowledge Community

Retreat Executive Summary

April 22-23, 2009

Washington, DC

Rapid changes in international student mobility coupled with the increased importance of international enrollment management dictates that Recruitment, Admissions, and Preparation (RAP) Knowledge Community (KC) needs to be well-positioned to contribute to the goals of NAFSA and the needs of international educators.

In the spring of 2009, a group of international admissions and enrollment management experts met to discuss the mission of RAP and its audience within NAFSA. The participants included five members of the RAP KC team, a current NAFSA Board member and the Vice President for Education and Professional Development, invited experts in international enrollment management (IEM), admissions, and NAFSA staff with RAP portfolios. The retreat was facilitated by a consultant knowledgeable about NAFSA’s organizational culture.

The retreat was informed and guided by the International Enrollment Management (IEM) Task Force, which completed its work in 2007. Prior to the retreat, the consultant conducted 17 interviews, which included a wide range of RAP and IEM knowledge leaders, including members of the IEM Task Force.

An important result of the retreat was the framing of a RAP Mission Statement. Although RAP has operated under several “purpose statements” it has not had a unifying mission statement. This mission statement was affirmed by the RAP KC team at the 2009 NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo:

The RAP KC is a dynamic community that provides leading-edge knowledge for international education professionals in recruitment, admissions, preparation and international enrollment management.

Listed below are five priority areas, identified by the retreat participants that will guide RAP’s work for the next three to five years:

1.  RAP KC Development: Re-launch RAP

RAP is composed of related but distinct areas of specialization and professional identities. The re-launching of RAP can be seen as an opportunity to “re-invite” the members into the KC as the KC renews it sense of focus and direction. A communication strategy to re-launch RAP will be developed.

2.  IEM and Campus Internationalization: IEM as Strategy

A comprehensive view of campus internationalization would include IEM - the people and processes that precede the international student’s arrival on campus.

3.  Manage IEM: Measure Value of International Students

1. Measure ROI

RAPers and their institutions benefit from robust measures of how the investment in the people and processes that facilitate the ultimate success of international students pays off.

1. Develop Recruiting and IEM Process Models

The diversity of institutions and the range of sophistication in how processes are monitored require a “no-formula” approach. What is needed is a framework for mapping IEM and the process for each of the major components.

1. Develop Dashboard Indicators for IEM

The ability to portray “at-a-glance” critical measures of IEM would be a high-value service to senior administrators. This information is an aid to planning and decision making, which can position the RAP professional to make important contributions to their institutions’ strategic thinking and to be an on-going part of the IEM implementation process.

1. Use Data to Influence Institutional Policy

The leap from data to policy formulation is challenging. RAP professionals are often in possession of important data but lack the opportunity and/or skill to convert what they know into working knowledge that can shape institutional policy.

4.  The Partnership Interaction in IEM

1. Effective Overseas Counseling and Advising Partners

As a term “Overseas Counseling and Advising Partners” embraces a broad and varied group of individuals and organizations that support study in the U.S., and that link to IEM strategies on campuses. These individuals and organizations are partners in the sequence of events that provide access to higher education for many international students.

B. Examine New Models of RAP Services

Institutions outsource a variety of campus services - book sales and food service are two examples. Some foresee an increased use of outsourcing partners in international student recruitment, counseling services, language study, and academic bridging programs. Knowing when and how to ask if outsourcing is the right strategic option for an institution is a professional response to a complex issue, especially during a time of financial stress.

5.  Professional Development for Transfers into RAP

The world of enrollment management can require professionals to move into new areas of responsibility sometimes shifting from domestic to international admissions or from the work of student advising to IEM. Though these responsibilities may reside within the same organizational structure, the skills and working knowledge needed to be effective are quite different.

The RAP KC will develop resources to facilitate this transition. These initiatives will form the basis of the RAP KC’s work plans over the next few years, serving new and seasoned international educators. Some of the new initiatives are “repackaging” of current resources; others will require development of new products and services.