The Current

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UB Enters New Territory

UB Grows

The University of Baltimore is proving that you can go home again: In only its second year of hosting freshmen—after a three-decade period in which all students were either transfers or pursuing graduate degrees—this fall's freshmen class has helped UB drive its overall enrollment into record-setting territory. The official count of nearly 4,100 undergraduate students is the largest UB has ever seen, and plans are to bring on board even more students in the future.

The Current recently met with Miriam King, senior vice president of enrollment management and student affairs, to get a closer look at how UB is finding and attracting so many new students.

We saw a net gain of 14 percent in freshmen enrollment this fall. Do what do you attribute these gains?

Applicants were really interested in UB in the second year of the [First and Second Year] program [being offered], and a higher percentage enrolled than in the previous year.

Did you find that recruiting this class was easier or more difficult than recruiting last year's?

There were actually fewer applicants than in the previous year, when the University offered free tuition.

Can you talk a little about whether last year's offer of one year's free tuition for first-year students had an effect on new enrollees for this fall?

The applicants who entered in fall '08 were not impacted by the reality that tuition was waived in the previous year. Interest in the program came late in the cycle, and we believe that the testimony of current students who were experiencing success at UB positively impacted enrollment for fall. 

Name some things that UB did to ensure that we sustained this growth.

Beginning with the freshmen who will enter in 2009, we have a completely new marketing and enrollment strategy. The University has invested in a student search, so that we can target college-bound students directly, and a comprehensive communication strategy is in place. We have invested in new, creative messaging and communication vehicles such as our Visit UB brochure that promotes Baltimore as well as UB. We will be using personalized communication via all state-of-the-art methods, including some direct mail, e-mail, instant messaging and telecounseling.

We have invested in a Customer Relationship Management system, which will help us manage relationship-building activities for prospective students. We will be developing communications for parents and families of prospective students, including some communications in Spanish. We have changed the admission open houses and tours to specifically address the interest and needs of younger students as well as UB's traditional adult student base.

Recently, we officially opened the new Admission Offices in the Academic Center. This state-of-the-art space was designed to appeal to UB's prospective students and make them comfortable as they first experience UB; the design also supports the UB brand and history with a design and furnishings that reflect the Bauhaus and mid-century modern classics. And UB has decided to invest in its traditional-age freshmen with a comprehensive, long-term scholarship program with merit-based awards that range from $1,000 to $7,000.

Was this activity something that, in your experience, was a "must-do"?

All of these investments, which were carefully selected, are "must-do," and were required to move UB into the competitive world of recruitment for traditional-age students.

What has surprised you about this new class—either the freshmen or upperclassmen?

With the ease and availability of information on the Web site, there are increasing percentages of students who are indicating interest in UB to us for the first time with the online application.

There was a slight shift among the counties’ representation among the 2008 freshmen—28 percent of the new class hails from Baltimore County, whereas 36 percent of last year's came from there. Likewise, the number of new students from the city climbed this year. Anything significant to these shifts?

In the previous year, the news of the free tuition attracted lots of interest that spilled out in a larger radius and distinguished UB in the marketplace that year.

Over time, what effect will the freshmen have on UB's name recognition? 

The addition of traditional-age students will enhance name recognition over time.

Are you starting to see any of this effect, or is it too soon to tell? 

It's too early to tell.

A lot of people at UB believe that admitting freshmen was a true game-changer for the institution. There will always be ups and downs in terms of class size, GPA, etc., but overall, do you believe that having freshmen is redefining our campus?

Absolutely! The student body is becoming younger, not just as a result of the FSP. This, together with growth of critical mass and student presence during the day, will make UB more like a traditional campus. However, UB is very student centric, which is one of our distinctions and something we cannot afford to lose.

How will we change again when we become a residential university? 

Residential students will bring UB life and activity—24/7.