At Division I sports schools, the athletics programs can bring publicity to an institution. But they have a limited direct impact on enrollments. At small NCAA Division III (nonscholarship) and NAIA (scholarship) schools, however, athletics can play a significant role in meeting new student enrollment targets. At such institutions, it is not unusual for as many as 25 to 35 percent of new freshmen and transfers to be participating in athletics and, to varying extents, be coach recruited. Often these institutions will add new sports as a key element in achieving enrollment growth goals. Clearly, the partnership among Admissions, Financial Aid, and Athletics needs to be strong at these institutions.
But that partnership can take a variety of different forms, depending on where recruitment resources are housed, whether athletic scholarships are offered, the rules of the division and the conference, institutional traditions, and other factors.
Communication
Regardless of the form of the partnership, communication among the three departments is critical. Commonly, issues arise due to a lack of understanding regarding each other's needs and goals as well as limitations and constraints.
Just like admissions marketing, athletic recruitment has become more sophisticated.
For example, the coaching staff may see an SAT score that is within range of the institution's average and become frustrated upon finding out that the Admissions office has rejected the student. Speaking with Admissions, the coach may learn that, in fact, the student was failing a course or had other academic "red flags" on the high school transcript that led to the decision. Conversely, it's important for Admissions staff to understand the needs and priorities of the coach. And, typically, neither Admissions nor Athletics pay attention to financial aid strategies until one of their top prospects either doesn't receive a financial aid offer, or receives an offer that is viewed as noncompetitive.
Maintaining those lines of communication can often be as difficult as establishing them. However, as changes occur-such as annual adjustments to both costs and financial aid policies, changes in front-line personnel (i.e., assistant coaches and admissions recruiters), and changes to the profile of the applicant pool-all parties must remain in the loop. For example, if the quality of the applicant pool has improved to the point that students who were once admissible are no longer automatically accepted, coaches need to know before they go on the road recruiting.
Shared Strategies and Resources
Best practice partnerships go well beyond strong communications, and involve mutually supportive recruitment efforts. Barbara Fritze, vice president for Enrollment and Educational Services at Gettysburg College (Pa.), describes their partnership this way:
"Gettysburg College has a strong tradition of academic and athletic excellence. This foundation has enabled the college to build a strong partnership between Athletics and Enrollment. It starts by having the Athletic department report through the same vice president (a unique reporting structure, indeed), but this is only the beginning. Just like admissions marketing, athletic recruitment has become more sophisticated in the past few years. Coaches and admissions counselors now receive training on key marketing messages.
"Most important, all staff members have a good understanding of the scholar athlete profile desired by Gettysburg. We host athletic open houses and this endeavor is a 'true partnership' where admission personnel work hand in hand with athletic staff. Finally, Gettysburg has implemented an 'Athletics Operations Center' similar to what most Admissions offices have in place. All recruitment correspondence is handled by the AOC. It is personalized and customized by sport and is a separate track in the entire communication sequence a prospective student receives from the college. This allows the coaches to focus on what they do best: coach and build relationships one on one with prospective students and families."
The Role of Financial Aid
Although Division III institutions like Gettysburg do not offer athletic scholarships, it is still important for coaches to understand the institution's financial aid policies so that they can talk convincingly with their recruits about affordability. Where strong partnerships exist, Financial Aid staff will frequently provide early aid estimates to help coaches with affordability messages. In addition, when the Enrollment management team is contemplating a change to awarding strategies, it is critical that they consider how subpopulations-like recruited athletes-will be affected.
