I would attempt to collaborate with another massage school or community college if my school did not have the resources to handle this. There might be a way to hire a consultant or someone who had experience in these areas.
Understanding how others manage this area of their massage school would be helpful. I believe networking is one of the best ways to learn new things and to discover what others have overcome or used to make a situation work.
I have just the opposite problem however! Here at the college, we have lots of people involved every step of the way. The downside to this is that a student may not get the correct information about the massage program unless the other contacts send them to me for advising. I make sure I speak to everyone of my incoming students and that the students understands our program requirements, enollment requirements, and costs. Many want to do it on the phone or by email and I will only advise in person!!
Stephanie ,
Good idea for in-person interview - especially for massage therapy. We have found it is essential that prospective students understand the program - how challenging A & P might be, that they are working on their fellow students, that there are levels of undress. And we feel it is a must that prospective students have a massage. Surprisingly many haven't. To head off wrong information being given, you might want to consider a book of do's and don'ts and musts and must nots. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Stephanie ,
Good idea to learn from both the successes and challenges of others. Then make improvements.Many school owners are discovering the benefits of active alumni. Alumni are usually are happy to assist the school in all areas of operations starting with admissions. Just make the alumni feel valued and needed and provide lots of rewards and recognitions. MaxKnowledge has a course on Alumni Community development. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Reaching out to previous graduates is always a great way to mentor and assist the current student body. Alumni's can serve as speakers and advise the current student body.
Current student body can also be incorporated to facilitate student services. They can create a student goverment and promote student events.
Jeanette,
You are right - alumni impact so many areas of the school. They can refer friends, family, and co workers and therefore increase enrollment. They can help students and instructors in class and increase retention. They can tell you about job openings and new training needed. MaxK offers a course on developing return on investment from Alumni. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
As professionals we should always network. Whether we are on or off the clock our business card is a very effective tool. Recently at a Job Fair, I was able to build relationships with several organizations in the community who never heard of our school but has resources for our students such as: bus passes, food shelter allowances for those who qualify and some even give a monthly stipend for school as long as the student is actively seeking employment. This did not cost any money but provided substantial resources to our students simply through networking.
Michelle,
We agree. In fact, we think that one person on staff should be assigned Community Outreach and be charged with meeting employers, organizations, and more. Everyone on staff should be asked what organizations they belong to and if they are willing to talk about the school at the next meeting or event. There are so many ways for your entire community to learn that your school is THE place for training and staffing. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
I couldn't agree more, Dr. Schulz. We had acquired the school that I am currently at back in 2007. The school had primarily been offering paralegal prior to the acquisition and name change. While we kept the paralegal programs, we also rolled out seven allied health related offerings; and over the years, the school has become more known for those, than for paralegal. Consequently, enrollment and placement began declining for paralegal. With thousands of prior grads working in the local legal community, we decided to form an alumni assoc...and it has made all the difference. The alumni attend regular functions at the school, mentor current students, help to market the program and find/supply job openings. It's been a real shot in the arm for the program..enrollment is up as well.
jeff,
Thanks for the feedback. It is amazing the impact Alumni make on a school. The time and effort Alumni are willing to give often offsets salary costs, for example. Alumni want to make a difference in their school - another reason that all students should have a great experience and want to maintain their involvement. Many alumni directors tell us the increase in enrollment, retention, job openings, and lots more as a result of their Alumni Communities. MaxKnowledge offers an online alumni course facilitated by one of the best Alumni Community directors. Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
We have a designated area in the Resource Library dedicated to career services. Students have unlimited access to this area. The internet is the main source of information in this area. Publications and other resources are available along with employers who offer chat sessions. Technology is an extremely useful tool that can be available with a live person on the other end thus eliminating the requirement for the presence of additional personnel.
Carrie,
Your career resources library sounds great. We also find that the internet is a great resource. We like to provide a list of urls and keep updating it. It's fun to ask everyone to contribute to the list. Perhaps employers can be asked for industry and association publications too. There are also online interactive tools to help students improve their interview skills. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
I think that a creative way would be for the school to utilize alumni or students that are nearing graduation as interns to assist around campus.
With their assistance they are able to free up staff to assist the students with student service issues.
Roselyn,
You are sooo right. In our opinion Alumni are extremely valuable to a school. It is of course a two way street. Offer alumni lots of benefits and reasons to stay affiliated with your institution. Then it is easy to ask them to assist in the classroom, talk to prospective students, help with placement, run workshops, and more. You'll see an increase in enrollments they refer, in retention, and in job openings they tell you about. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
I have found that you can always find organizations that would be willing to trade services with you. I am constantly looking for ways to network with other companies or programs. This allows for a greater awareness of the public to your program and also use of less finances for other services for something that you already do.
Don
A department such as student services can operate with limited financial resources by having compassionate individuals with good problem-solving skills. If you have the right people in place the department can run effectively and smoothly as possible. The student services department is the heart of every student and functionality of the school. Students look to the human services department for wisdom and support to help them be successful students. It takes a special individual to be able to perform that job function.
Some creative ways a student services dept can function is by offering workshops, mentoring programs, and having community resources available at a words notice. I know in our school we have many students struggling financially and look to our department for help.
if you have the right individual to manage the student services department and a department vision, lack of Financial funding will not be too much of a hardship to bear.
Don,
Great points. There is no need to be limited. There is a need to look for creative solutions and it looks like you are doing just that. Trading services can be great. You might also consider how Alumni can assist. If you stay in touch with your grads and they have had a great experience at your institution, they will be happy to return to help out. We know schools where grads are a constant part of their admissions, career services, and education departments. They volunteer to help out at no cost. Alumni can be great resources. All it takes is staying in touch. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
marissa,
Having the right people in place is a challenge in itself! You are right that the right people do make a difference. Everyone at a career school needs a heart. You have a good point that group workshops and mentoring programs can fill in the staffing gap. Many schools look to their graduates and Alumni to volunteer their time. If grads had a great experience at your institution they will want to help out. Alumni can mentor, bring students to work, help out in the classroom and more. MaxKnowledge has a great course on how to set up and develop an Alumni Community. Best wishes, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Yes, we are able to use our graduates and they have worked out very well. Sometimes our students hear what their peers say alot more then what we can tell them. Great suggestion.
Don,
Good point. Yes, students listen to other students and recent graduates. Peers are more credible. The value of Alumni is everywhere ! Instructors are pretty credible as well. They work in the field and can talk about life on the job. It is easy for instructors to build rapport with students. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
