What Do You Know About Your Institution's Organizational Structure?
How do you rate your knowledge about the departments and people who work at your institution? Be specific about what you know and what you still need to learn and how you will do that.
I rate my knowledge at an 8 about my knowledge from all the departments. I know that financial aid must explain the different ways that financial aid can help pay for their education if they qualify and explain the responsibility that comes with obtaining a loan. I know that student services must answer students questions in regarding to aceademic aspects and any other areas that relate to them like references to outside professionals for counseling. Althought i know all of these things i still believe that i can learn more about the instructors and the programs by looking at the programs curricula and speaking with instructors more frequently.
Cynthia ,
As a former instructor, I used to love it when the admissions reps would come and tour my classroom! It gave me and my students an opportunity to share what we were doing. Perhaps your director or manager would allow you time to actually sit in on different classes to really get a feel for what's going on in there. We require all new hires for any department to sit in on classes as well as other departments to really understand how the organization works.
Teachers love to teach...so I highly recommend speaking with them about what they're doing! They'll love that you ask!
Donna Guisado
Considering our school is relatively small and we have a more direct interaction from department to department, I would rate my knowledge as high. I know about the reasons and actions our Registrar takes with scheduling conflicts or structured breaks. I have observed the process and dialogue FA has with prospective, current students, and graduates regarding costs pertaining to their education, payments made throughout the program, and exit counseling conversations that happen to students finishing the program. I have worked closely with the Career Services department and observed how they help prepare a student for externship and later getting a job. The area I know the least about and still want to learn is how course scheduled are made and what goes into "Calendaring" them to perfection.
Leonid,
I too, work in what would still be considered a relatively small school, and that certainly does make for an easy learning environment when it come to different departments.
This would certainly be beneficial in your job as an admissions representative, as you would know precisely who to refer students to when they ask specific questions.
In our organization the campus director, in conjunction with the program director, creates the course scheduling. I think it is admirable that you want to learn even more!
Donna Guisado
I know that job placement is in charge of getting to know students throughout the program and providing guidance when it comes to job options. They are also the ones who actively search for job leads once the student has graduated. Student services is in charge of all the scheduling and academic issues that come up. Financial aid is responsible for meeting with the students during their initial visit, to answer all their financial aid questions, and it help them through the financial aid process, every step of the way.
I would rate my knowledge at a 7 right now. I need to learn more about disclosures, language usage, catalog requirements, and other marketing materials. To learn more, I plan to read the California Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 every week and take notes to make sure I internalize it.
Aparna,
I think that you are definitely on the right track to increasing that 7 rating! To take the Act to heart like it sounds like you are doing will definitely make a difference.
I would also encourage you to read the standards that apply to your institution through your accrediting agency. Especially those standards which apply to admissions and marketing, of course.
I can tell that you take your job seriously and also take the regulations seriously. That's a very good thing!
Donna Guisado
I would say that my knowledge of my institutions departments are an 8.5 to 9 on a 10 scale. I have been in most aspects of the educational system in one manner or another. I would rate my lowest knowledge in Financial Aid as things there change and i do not maintain a unique contact there to keep me updated continuously. Academic's is a natural thing for me to keep up on as we need to get them placed after the education and it would be a disservice to the student to not have that knowledge. The lack of knowledge in FA from a federal level is what i need to keep brushed up on.
Jeff,
I would rate my knowledge in financial aid as the lowest as well! It often seems that most of us who have been focused in the academic portion seem to have the least amount of knowledge in financial aid. And you are precisely right; there are so many changes and nuances in the area of Title IV that it really does require someone with that particular knowledge and expertise to be sure to keep informed of these changes.
If you are in an admissions position, then you are doing the right thing in keeping your knowledge of the academic portion current. While prospective students are always interested in "how am I going to pay for this" I find that they are just as concerned with "so what am I going to learn".
A well-rounded knowledge of all offerings and all departments best serves the students. Sounds like you have a great understanding of that!
Donna Guisado
I rate my knowledge 9 out of 10. We have a checlist of items for new employees that we conduct an onboarding. We conduct knowledge training with all deparmtent heads, so we understand what each department does.
Susan Orosco
Susan,
That's awesome. It's so important that admissions has a good knowledge of the overall happenings at the school. Prospective students ask you about everything!
Donna Guisado
I would rate my knowledge about a 9 out of 10. We have a pretty small staff so there is usually only one or two people in a specific department. We also have a written staff guide that describes each department and what they handle and who the staff are in that department.
I would rate my current knowledge as 6 out of 10. I am new to the institution, as well as to admissions. I have met with financial aid to learn what a financial aid appointment is like for a prospective student. This was helpful, as I am better able to prepare prospective students for their appointments. I have met briefly with other department heads such as registrar and student services. I understand that the more knowledge I have of these other departments and their functions, the better I am able to impart this knowledge to prospective students.
Katie,
It's great also that you are taking a course to learn more. You are doing all the right things, and you will need to continue to learn, as regulations change a great deal.
Donna Guisado
This is great every new and even old employee needs training. It's really important that they know how and what each department does. This way they can benefit from having that knowledge and understanding each one better.
