Fort Schuyler Magazine Fall 2020

recognize the challenges that will come with recruiting solely online. “This form of recruitment is new for many of us. In the past, we were accustomed to some form of recruitment online, but students will now have to fully complete the recruitment

process online.”Online recruitment presents its own share of challenges. For example, students are presently unable to sit for standardized exams in the same testing environment as in past years. Howell indicated that as these exams are required in the decision-making process, many colleges and universities

families have expressed appreciation for the level of availability on the part of Admissions staff during the COVID-19 crisis. Events are well attended and held at various times of the day rather than only during business hours. In-person campus tours, a highlight for many students considering attending Maritime College, have become virtual. Information sessions are hosted by Admissions counselors and student ambassadors conduct the tours. A campus tour app has allowed students to take a self-tour. “Admissions has always taken a traditionally social approach to recruitment and digital marketing. We never held live virtual sessions. COVID-19 has forced us to step outside of the box and hold smaller, more frequent online events.” Howell is extremely proud of how his team managed to effectively meet the challenges head on and work together to find the solutions that allowed operations to continue. “We took a deep breath, developed a plan, executed that plan, adapted and kept our students safe in the process.”

schools may need to adopt new policies of acceptance due to the lack of standardized test options. The amount of information now available to students and families online is far greater than in previous years, a direct outcome of COVID-19. Student engagement

has also increased exponentially and

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