A meeting was held with Theresa Cann from International Programs to review information requirements for incoming and returning international students. Theresa shared several suggestions about how and when to communicate very complicated and sometimes bewildering information about taxes and employment to students, as well as ways to improve service to international students in the undergraduate and graduate schools.
November 20 2009 | Survey Response Working Group |
ADMISSIONS WORKING GROUP REPORT
- Update on Working Group goals
- Develop a new on-line graduate application.
A core data catalog was created which consists of the various application fields shared by the graduate schools. Additional application supplemental questions were sent in a separate data catalog. In addition, a document was created that provides Hobson’s with general guidelines for the layout of the application. We are on schedule with the development of this new on-line application.
- We will seek to leverage the resources across the units to streamline inquiry response, application completion and admission processing to create a stronger service model.
UG admissions is the only admissions office with PeopleSoft Super Users.
Investigate possibility of electronically uploading GRE test results and SAT and ACT test results. UG admissions is loading ACT & SAT test results. The reason it is not currently done in the graduate schools is the cost to have the electronic file sent. Would it be more cost effective if they were all received in a combined group and uploaded?
- Automate reporting of summary data to provide performance metrics for assessment of effectiveness.
Develop standardized data dictionaries and People Soft queries to populate the institutional research data warehouse for reporting of key admissions statistics.
Centralize reporting of standard admissions metrics under the Office of Institutional Research to populate relevant areas of the Bryn Mawr online factbook. .
As far as is practicable, clean past years’ of admissions data and populating the data warehouse with them in order to facilitate historical analysis and strategic planning in this area.
- Update on progress reviewing business processes
- Review and evaluate the current business processes of the undergraduate, GSAS, GSSWSR and Post-Bacc admissions operations to create efficiencies and optimize results and students services for all programs at the College.
Sub group was developed specifically to look at Application Processing. The members made site visits to each of the four programs to view each other’s operations.
Reviewed the application completion and review process.
Created queries to review data entered in PeopleSoft for the different admission operations.
Discussed what other offices were doing that would work and be beneficial to processing applications in each group.
The power point slides (created for the larger transition team) were shown to full Admissions Working Group.
Reviewed the progression of prospective students through stages of suspect, prospect, applicant, admit, and matriculant.
Inquiry/recruiting, prospect cultivation practices were reviewed.
Reviewed BMC web page “Admissions” tab from perspective of graduate student; demonstrated that it is not user friendly for graduate students.
Discussed how business processes would be affected by the new on-line graduate application.
Overarching Best Practices: (please see attachment)
The strategic use of analytical and historical data to drive informed decisions.
Timely personalized recruitment and application messaging supported by technology.
Establish necessary documentation for all communication and operation calendars, budget and personnel administration and end of year reports, etc.
Develop operational systems to create databases, to cultivate prospects, to process applications, to plan events, to update websites, to train and develop staff, and conduct assessment and reporting.
Continually develop and enhance a customer service environment.
The technology subgroup reviewed many of the technology - driven processes used by undergraduate, graduate, and post-bacc program admissions offices and attempted to identify more efficient workflow methods, more efficient data processing, and areas where universal technology solutions might be possible.
Has recommended enhancements to website to improve experience for all undergraduate and graduate prospective students.
Served as a technical liaison to Hobson’s for the development of online graduate and postbacc program applications to reduce manual data entry.
Image logos for web applications - propose a simplified seal and text image that can later be replaced by college and program-specific “branding logos”.
Discussion of data migration to PeopleSoft, including timing of migration.
Investigate self service functionality for areas not currently using (e.g., Post Bacc may want to use an application check list)
- Update on any proposals for new/changed processes
Application processing - mass assigning of checklist.
Set up automated checklist update processes to reduce data entry.
Mass assigning of communications to generate letters.
Documentation and unified data standards for the manual entering of applications and supporting materials. (The upload process for the online Grad App will standardize the data recorded and afford the opportunity to capture application data not currently entered that could be used to recruit and yield a class.)
Assigning additional Self Service roles to applicants & enrolling students.
Investigate the possibility of recording GSAS fellowship/scholarship data in the General Application Evaluation area. (Currently this information recorded & maintained in an excel file during the GSAS reading process.)
Develop PeopleSoft queries to create letters, folder labels and applicant data/evaluation reports.
Develop process with queries and checklist to reduce the manual dunning and completion of admission files.
- Update on support or resources needed to continue to move forward
This goal is focused on during Phase II.
November 18 2009 | Admissions Working Group |
The Transition Team met with David Consiglio from IS to review the April 2009 survey and to discuss the Spring 2010 survey. David helped the team to understand the April 2009 survey instrument itself as well as the survey results. There were quite a few questions and concrete suggestons about how to structure the next survey, which will reflect the insights and information gathered by the team in the past year and serve as a baseline for evaluating student satisfaction with specific services in the future. The conversation with David helped to trigger some ideas about how to get students involved in the survey process other than their role of being surveyed. The conversation also led to the recognition by the team that it is equally important to continually gauge the satisfaction of the people providing the services to students in order to continue making customer-focused decisions and process enhancements.
November 12 2009 | Survey Response Working Group |
The new on-line graduate application templates are finished and are awaiting final review by the staff of Post-Bacc, GSAS and GSSWSR. They will then be sent to Hobson’s in order to continue the process of building a new on-line graduate application for BMC. A special thank you to Annmarie Hoffman and Darnay Campbell for their leadership with this project. Also, the technolgy solutions sub-group met to further refine their technology solutions to enhance services to students. In addition , the best practices sub-group is hopeful of having a draft plan developed by the November 11 total group meeting. The best practices sub-group has sought broad campus input into the development of this plan.
October 29 2009 | Admissions Working Group |
The Student Financial Services (SFS) Workgroup met on October 6 and reviewed a draft of a Mission Statement and Goals developed from the visioning exercise from their first meeting. The group edited the draft, and made changes. Once the draft is updated, it will be circulated to staff members of the Controller and Financial Aid Offices who are not members of the work group, but who will become the new Student Financial Services Office. The SFS working group established a subgroup to address graduate school financial aid needs.
October 6
Graduate Subgroup
The graduate subgroup met on October 6 to clarify the assignment of investigating other graduate schools. The scope of the assignment was broadened to not only examine the best business practices of how other graduate schools interact with their financial aid offices, but also to explore how other graduate schools go about awarding their own departmental/institutional scholarships.
The group discussed the procedural differences between how aid is processed for GSAS and GSWR.
- Both GSAS and GSWR select the recipients for their own funds.
- GSAS awards on the basis of merit aid without regard to need and without input from the Financial Aid Office. The GSAS selection process is spread across a number of departments.
- GSWR awards with consideration of need and with input from the Financial Aid Office.
- The Financial Aid office processes all federal and alternative loans for both GSAS and GSWR.
- Only a small number (21) of GSAS financial aid recipients apply for federal loans.
- A much larger number (153) and percentage of GSWR financial aid recipients apply for federal loans.
- GSAS and GSWR financial aid is posted through PeopleSoft
- GSAS is authorized to enter its scholarships/fellowships directly into PeopleSoft. They face the problem of not being able to post summer fellowships because of the PeopleSoft requirement that students must be enrolled for an award to be posted; GSAS students are not enrolled during the summer.
- GSWR sends scholarship lists to the Financial Aid Office to enter into PeopleSoft on a rolling basis. GSWR only receives awards when they are enrolled.
- Award Letters
- The Financial Aid Office sends award letters and tracks them through PeopleSoft for GSAS and GSWR students receiving federal funds.
- GSAS and GSWR send their own award letters for institutional scholarships that are not run through PeopleSoft
October 22 2009 | Student Financial Services Working Group |
The four staff members from the Controller’s and Financial Aid Offices who attended the PASFAA (PA Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators) Fundamentals Financial Aid Workshop on October 3rd and 4th met with Ethel to review what they had learned at their training and how what they learned is implemented at Bryn Mawr. Lots of great questions were asked and answered about Bryn Mawr’s packaging policies, admission policies, loan refunds, fiscal reporting, etc. Everyone’s learning!
October 22 2009 | Student Financial Services Working Group |
The Unified Student Services working group meets on Wednesdays from 9-10 . We are focusing initially on our on-line student services, both those we offer through PeopleSoft Self-Service - virtual Bryn Mawr and others.
In our first meeting we actually toured virtual Bryn Mawr together as if we were a student sharing what students can do in each area, Admissions, Financial Aid, Student Financial Services and Student Records.
In our second meeting we answered the following questions:
1. What do we have students do in virtual Bryn Mawr?
2. What isn’t done through virtual Bryn Mawr that should be, that could be?
3. What pieces of Student Services are not included in virtual Bryn Mawr by choice
In our third meeting with invited Maria Wiemken of the Survey Response Working Group to help us look at the survey data and help us think about how we can incorporate it into our review.
In our forth meeting we began to look at next steps and short and long term solutions. Some areas of discussion were:
1. Advertise what we already have - some of the survey responses were asking for services that we already provide on-line, so clearly getting that information out is an important step.
2. Better instructions for easier usability - there are often multiple ways to accomplish the same end through virtual Bryn Mawr. Clear, easy to follow, easy to access instructions for the most user friendly method will help make the user experience better.
3. How do we get there from here - putting access to on-line services where students already go. Student Services ” portal”
4. Behind the scenes - business process review, version 9.0 upgrade and new functionality
For our next meetings we will review the survey data by student type, review the version 9.0 release notes for areas of interest, and begin to talk about how we assess our current dispersed model of student services beyond the virtual world.
October 22 2009 | Unified Student Services Working Group |
Progress continues with the survey item related to fellowships and taxation. The Unified Services Working Group spent a considerable portion of its 10/13/2009 meeting reviewing survey responses. One suggestion from that meeting resulted in a summary report of survey comments identified by student group. This new report was sent to the group conveners on 10/16,2009. On 10/15/2009 there was meeting with David Consiglio to lay the groundwork for the Spring 2010 student survey. One goal is to incorporate feedback from the conveners into the 2010 survey. David agreed to speak to the Transition Team sometime in the months ahead.
October 21 2009 | Survey Response Working Group |
Kim Folkes, correct me if I’m wrong, but were you the lead, weekend, anchor for a Minneapolis News Station in 1991? 
“No, it was actually WBGU in Bowling Green, OH in 1983. My broadcast journalism degree has lead me to many places. None of which have been in the field of journalism. Who would have guessed Bryn Mawr would be a part of my life’s journey!”
Kim Folkes
Associate Director of Financial Aid
Financial Aid Database Manager
October 21 2009 | Who is that? |
The admissions working group has developed several sub-groups that will focus on the different strategic initiatives that are under review. The members of each subgroup are listed below.
SUB -GROUPS FOR THE ADMISSIONS WORKING GROUP
IDENTIFY TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
DIANE CRAW, DARNAY CAMPBELL, ANNMARIE HOFFMAN, MARY BETH DAVIS
IDENTIFY BEST PRACTICES
MARJE TORCHON, SHEILA GILLIN, ANN ECCLES, LEA MILLER, NANCY KIRBY, DIANNE HULL
PROPOSALS FOR NEW CHANGES AND PROCESSES ( INFORMED BY BEST PRACTICES AND TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS )
NANCY KIRBY , MARJE TORCHON
EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT
MARK FREEMAN
APPLICATION PROCESSING
ANNMARIE HOFFMAN, DARNAY CAMPBELL, LEA MILLER, PAULA DUBIN, LESLIE WOOD
GRADUATE ON-LINE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
DARNAY CAMPBELL, ANNMARIE HOFFMAN, DIANE CRAW, MARY BETH DAVIS, MARIAN BRILL, LEA MILLER, CHUCK RICKARD
IDENTIFY NEW/CHANGED POSITIONS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR LOCATION OPTIONS
CHUCK RICKARD
CREATE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN (RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS) ENTIRE GROUP
October 14 2009 | Admissions Working Group |
Next »