Lauren Oliver

Discussion Comment

Audits can be helpful and rewarding to a degree. They signal weaknesses and strengths as well. As a whole, our organization welcomes audits, they help us evaluate what we are doing. We try to be as organized and prepared as well. We also implemented a checks and balance so there is a peer review.

Lauren Oliver

Discussion Comment

Program Review

I firmly believe that if you meet regulation requirements then a program review is able to be avoided. However, there are times when accrediting bodies come to inspect the school and those cannot be avoided. I think as in most things, by being prepared then there is nothing to fear. Inspections and audits can come and go if one is prepared and not have a problem.

Lauren Oliver

Discussion Comment

R2T4

When the R2T4 process changes, it was tedious to get adjusted to the new changes, but now it has become quite easy. We had to regroup and once it was clearly explained it became second nature. Another issue that has been recently occuring at our facility is the difficulty to receive the exit counseling when a student withdraws. It has been extremely difficult to get students to comply once they have decided to leave the school. Any suggestions on how to have students comply?

Lauren Oliver

Discussion Comment

Financial Aid

One of the biggest issues we have is that the financial aid officers struggle to give good service yet finish things on a timely basis.We try to stress the fact that prompt service is often not worth the issues created by careless errors. However, the students do not understand the internal framework that entails. We currently have a checks and balance put in place in order to avoid mistakes. This works well because the advisors work in pairs and check each other's work.

Lauren Oliver

Discussion Comment

Community Programs

We have recently begun a professional development program at our facility. The staff enjoyed it despite the fact that it took place on a Sunday. We gave surveys to assess satisfaction and the scores were high. We also have career day at high schools, participate in health expos, and job fairs. Last year, we partook in a few blood drives and the turnout was not the best but it still helped a great cause. We also At least once a year we have a Blood Drive to help the shortage of blood in our community.Additionally, a food and clothing drive… >>>

Lauren Oliver

Discussion Comment

Marketing

The student uniforms and Ids have the logo of the school. We also recently gave them lanyards to hang their ids with the name of the school. Additionally, the students received bags, pens and coffee mugs with the school name and logo. We also have buses and bench around Miami with the school information listed on them. We have been working actively to increase our name in the community. We are also looking to attend and participate in more health fairs. We had a Television commercial in the past and are exploring developing another one. Additionally, we also have contacted… >>>

Lauren Oliver

Discussion Comment

Reaching out to the Community

As mentioned in my previous post, we have strong ties to the community. We currently attend and partake in job fairs and presentations at high school. We have opened a facebook page and that has opened several doors for us. We have a plan set in motion and we have ensured that it is carried through. Consistency is key in our company. We have a PR chair and she is responsible for managing the marketing and community events. Additionally, we have a team that works together to do the job fair or the talks at the high schools. Furthermore, we… >>>

Lauren Oliver

Discussion Comment

Publicity

Discussions (Week/Topic 1): What publicity and public relations efforts does your school already have in place? What is working and what is not? What changes do you think you can make to improve your results? I think that building strong relationships is essential. Every member is crucial and important in building the marketing efforts. We currently have strong relationships amongst the staff and within the community. We work closely with South Florida Workforce and Vocational Rehabilitation. We attend and participate in job fairs and health forums. We also work with local high schools with job fairs and career expos. Outreach… >>>