Introduction
Dear Wichita State Colleagues,
While unprecedented may have been the most overused word in 2019-20, it seems to be reflective of what we all experienced together in the pandemic. It’s been a hectic year with record-sized fall programs, increasing applications, canceled events, the launch of virtual activities and timely brainstorms of creative ways to connect with students who couldn’t come to campus. This brief summary is meant to capture the work our team accomplished with the help of hundreds of collaborators from across the university, combining the firepower of a campus working through extraordinary times to serve future Shockers. Though fall 2020 enrollment counts haven’t been finalized, we’re excited the freshmen class will ultimately rank among the largest in Wichita State’s 125-year history and are proud to have held on to the state’s distinction of being the #1 transfer destination for nine years in a row.
It’s the admissions team’s great honor to represent the university in the community and with prospective students because of the pride we have in the work you do and the successes our students have. We look forward to another year in collaborating together to reach the university’s mission of becoming the student-centered, innovation-driven environment that defines the future for south-central Kansas and the Midwest region.
All the Best,
Bobby Gandu
Assistant Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management and Director of Admissions
Wichita State University
Processing Stats
- The Admissions Office received 3,320 applications for special populations, including:
- 394 Badge applications
- 451 applications for concurrent enrollment
- 1,784 lifelong learner applications
- 330 applications for Shocker Pathway
- 330 Project Lead the Way high school guest apps
- 4,172 Blackboard cases submitted to Undergraduate Admissions with 801 escalated tickets answered by Admissions Officers
- First full cycle with the online update forms which replaced a paper process; team has received and processed 5,115 file update or cancel requests.
- 17,889 applications reviewed throughout the year
- 62,071 prospects added to our CRM database
- 12,608 transcripts from high schools and colleges
- 1,892 tuition discounts in Shocker City & Select areas
- 17,017 ACT/SAT scores received and loaded into system
High School Recruitment
- Recruited in 351 unique cities nation-wide
- Attended 379 college fairs
- Completed 605 high school visits
- Answered 34,400 text messages
- Answered 1,150+ incoming calls
- 3% increase in fall 2020 enrolled students from Wichita USD 259 high schools compared to fall 2019
- 26,000+ connections made
- With nearly 2,000 local students in attendance, Futures Fair, held at Koch Arena, is one of the largest recruitment opportunities in Kansas.
Fall 2020 incoming freshmen
- Average ACT: 23.3
- Average SAT: 1160
- Average GPA: 3.57
- First generation: 39%
- Legacy: 18%
- Out-of-state: 22%
* As of July 2020
Special stats
- 54 International Baccalaureate students
- 6 National Merit Scholars
- 7 National Hispanic Recognition Scholars
Counselor Relations
Admissions representatives maintain relationships with more than 2,000 high school counselors and career coordinators across the nation.
Communication and events include:
- Multiple information mailings
- Monthly newsletters
- School of the Year awards
- Informational programs hosted in Wichita, Topeka, Salina, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas, Fort Worth
High School counselors serve as a main point of contact within high schools.
Counselor Luncheons provide an opportunity for us to connect with high school counseling professionals.
Regional Recruitment
Admitted students from Texas Shocker City regions increased by 24% as of early September. We’ve just completed our first full recruitment season with five regional recruiters, now located in Overland Park, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Dallas and Houston.
One new admissions recruiter in the Houston, Texas metro area to support growth efforts in southern Texas. With the addition of Matthew Zecchin, Houston Regional Representative, the team was able to complete 160+ additional high school visits, fairs and special activities in the Houston and surrounding metro area.
- 33% growth in enrolled seniors from Texas Shocker Cities
- UG Enrollment Growth of 10.5% from Texas
- Hosted 18 events in regional areas
Shocker Recruitment Network
The Shocker Recruitment Network (SRN) is a volunteer group of Shocker alumni who assist
Admissions in recruitment efforts nationwide. In the 2019-2020 recruitment season,
alumni supported Admissions at a variety of recruitment events.
Alumni spotlight: WSU alumnus and current Texas resident, David Berry, spoke at an
admit reception in Dallas, TX.
The Admissions staff distributed Future Shocker yard signs to students across the country. A contest was announced on social media asking incoming students to submit their name into a drawing to win a yard sign. Congratulations to the winning students!
Transfer Recruitment
WSU is the $1 transfer destination in Kansas for the ninth year in a row h3
Admissions placed nine ads in three different community college newspapers and class
schedules. Each ad had a different message ranging from setting up a campus visit
to transfer scholarship information and deadlines.
- 5 events for community college advisors were hosted
- 53 community college visits and events
- Admissions collaborated with other university departments to host an exclusive WSU transfer fair at Cowley College.
Transfer Honor Roll
For the third consecutive year, Wichita State has been selected to be on Phi Theta Kappa’s (PTK) Transfer Honor Roll. The Honor Roll is designed to honor excellence and success in community college transfer pathway development and commitment and investment of resources to support community college transfers.
Shocker Game Day: A Transfer Student Experience
Transfer students were invited to attend Shocker Game Day: A Transfer Student Experience. At this FREE event, students had the opportunity to hear from the Office of Admissions, go on a campus tour, receive information from the Career Development Center, and receive FREE tickets to the Shocker men's basketball game that night.
Transfer Gateway
811 unique portal accounts created this year—a 9% increase over last year!
Military and Adult Learners
Admissions and the Office of Adult Learning co-hosted Next Steps for Adults, an event to assist prospective adult students with questions before completing the process to enroll.
Wichita State University Army ROTC
Admissions continued to work with Major Eric Hollingsworth to recruit for the Army ROTC program which began in Fall 2019.
- Attended fairs at T-Mobile, WSU Tech and Army National Guard Base in Wichita
- 4 adult and career fairs
- 3 virtual adult learner information sessions
Parent Outreach
A Parent Information Workshop was held in January with 181 parents of admitted high school seniors in attendance. Parents heard from the Office of Financial Aid, Housing & Residence Life, the Career Development Center, Counseling & Testing, the Office of Student Success, the Office of Adult Learning, Student Health Services, University Police Department and OneStop. Additionally, parents of current Wichita State students served on a panel to answer questions parent-to-parent.
- While students participated in the Distinguished Scholarship Invitational, parents and guests of the 656 competitors attended a program specifically for them. This year, parents had the option of attending sessions provided in Spanish!
- 37,000 Parent Guides were distributed at high school visits, fairs, and events. Parents express appreciation for having materials created specifically for them.
- 5,500 Brochures were mailed to highlight next steps toward enrollment. The piece also included a special message from WSU Provost, Rick Muma.
Recruitment Yield Initiatives
The Office of Admissions participated in new events and implemented initiatives to strengthen relationships with prospective admits. Given that many yield events and visits were impacted by COVID-19, the Office of Admissions created new opportunities to reach these students and continue the conversation.
In addition to admit breakfasts held during Black & Yellow Day events, admit receptions were hosted across Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, offering face-to-face service for students in the enrollment process or looking to finalize their decision on attending Wichita State.
High school seniors missed out on many celebratory aspects of their senior year, so we wanted to do our best to celebrate the senior class as they completed their high school career and transition to us as Shockers. Several high school seniors were featured on the Wichita State Admissions social media channels. Posts reached more than 20,000 people!
Admissions mailed approximately 5,000 customized pennants to admitted students. Each pennant lists the student's first name and welcomes them to Shocker Nation. This project was created in hopes of reminding the students how much we want them to come to Wichita State.
- 400+ students and guests attended admit programs
- This spring, President Golden surprised admitted students and scholarship recipients from Timber Creek High School in Fort Worth, Texas. He also joined Admissions in delivering "Future Shocker" signs to local admits.
Admissions mailed approximately 5,000 customized pennants to admitted students. Each pennant lists the student's first name and welcomes them to Shocker Nation. This project was created in hopes of reminding the students how much we want them to come to Wichita State.
Other initiatives included approximately 5,000 handwritten Shocker Love postcards as well as social media, phone and email campaigns. Admitted students in Shocker City regional areas also received a custom sticker.
Rudd Foundation Scholarship Program
Rudd Scholars receive full-ride scholarships to attend one of three designated partner universities. The competitive pool for class of 2020 yielded 30 Rudd Scholars. Of that group, 16 students will attend Wichita State this fall.
Recruitment Events
Recruitment events held on campus and throughout the Midwest were cut short due to COVID-19. Admissions held 58 events in-person and 21 events virtually.
14,913 total visitors for events, group visits and campus visits. While this is less people than the previous year, the admissions team was thrilled to see the response from students, parents and counselors once virtual events began in March.
- LARGEST DSI in history! 656 students competed, 1,347 total people attended and more than 65% of seniors enrolled at WSU in fall 2020. Current Gore Scholars were on hand to congratulate the 2020 recipients.
- An admitted student brunch took place in Wichita for the first time this year. 170 students and guests attended making it the largest admit program of the year
- Hosted two Shocker Honors Scholars Receptions for top 10% of KS juniors. 739 total people attended.
- Three Black & Yellow Days geared towards high school juniors, seniors and transfer students took place with 741 people in attendance.
- Large 3D SHOCKERS letters were painted black & yellow and signage for Shocker Experience Fairs were added to events to help with branding.
Group Visits
3,914 students, teachers and counselors visited Wichita State on a group visit during 2019-20. During a standard group visit, students will hear from admissions, go on a tour of campus and Shocker Hall, and have the opportunity to ask questions to a panel of Student Ambassadors. Additional appointments with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, the Cohen Honors College, and more can be arranged by request.
- 91 students attended a virtual group visit
- 1,300 middle school students & guests
- 1,960 high school students
- 25 groups who visited were part of AVID, TRIO or GEAR-UP
Campus Visits
Campus visits are offered every weekday and on select Saturdays each month. In July 2019, the Admissions team hosted a Community Campus Tour where members of the Wichita community, alums, and Wichita State faculty and staff were invited to participate in a tour of campus and learn more about the latest recruiting points when speaking with prospective students. Even the then-mayor of Wichita, Jeff Longwell, attended the event!
Individual Campus Visit Numbers
July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020
- 1,752 students
- 1,762 guests
- 3,514 total people
- 280 students attended a campus visit virtually from March-June.
- 1,655 students & guests toured the Innovation Campus
- 1,112 academic appointments held
Shocker Navigators
Navigators are a group of approximately 25 Wichita State students who guide prospective students and their families on their campus tours.
- 1,003 tours
- 1,278 hours
- 109 virtual tours
The Shocker Navigators meet several times each year and communicate daily via Slack. A retreat in August provided comprehensive training to start the year. Meetings were held during the semester for the students to receive updates over areas of campus, including: The Rhatigan Student Center, University Libraries, Innovation Campus, Housing, Heskett Center, Disability Services, Campus Safety, ROTC, Shocker Rowing, and Career Development.
New this year
- Incorporated tours of The Suites beginning July 2019
- Began sending text message reminders
- Hosted virtual campus visits beginning March 25
- Purchased headset microphones for the Navigators to allow for social distancing on tours
Digital and Social Media
Videos created by Admissions were viewed over 102,000 times across all platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube! 36 videos were produced by the Office of Admissions.
Shock Docs
Shock Docs had 11,017 views! With seven releases this year, this original video series highlights current students and alumni in the midst of their academic and applied learning experiences. Visit https://wichita.edu/ShockDoc to view them all. With seven releases this year, this original video series highlights current students and alumni in the midst of their academic and applied learning experiences. Visit https://wichita.edu/ShockDoc to view them all.
Fun facts
- Live videos and web clips: Eight live videos and web clips with 22,040 views were posted. College of Engineering live tour had the most views with 5,000.
- Shocker Street Speaks: Four videos in the series were made - Campus Transportation, Campus Safety, 2019 Holiday Video and #ShockerLove
- Crash Course Videos: The Crash Course video was released in August 2019 and is shown to students attending a campus visit, as well as to attendees of other recruitment events (view it at https://wichita.edu/crashcourse). Crash course videos for each academic college are underway. The College of Applied Studies video was released during the 2019-2020 academic year (view it at https://bit.ly/wsucasvideo).
- With assistance from Strat Comm, the Admissions team placed one paid ad on social media featuring the "We'll Get Through This" video created during the pandemic. It was viewed
- 18,645 times.
- Added Spanish captions to video content
- Dedicated a staff member to social media during events to assist with interacting with attendees and posting photos
Social media highlights included:
- +811 likes to the Wichita State Admissions Facebook Page
- 8 live videos and web clips posted with 22,040 total views
- +907 followers to the Wichita State Admissions Instagram account
- +269 followers to the Wichita State Admissions Twitter account
- Book scholarships awarded through social media contests
Social channels
- Twitter: @wheatweet 4,682 followers
- Instagram: wichitastateadmissions, 2,165 followers
- Facebook: Wichita State Admissions, 3,923 page likes
- YouTube: Future Shocker, 316 subscribers
Diversity Outreach and Engagement
Through a wide variety of programs, visits and events, Admissions connected with students from diverse backgrounds to share opportunities at Wichita State. Events included our annual Diversity Leadership Symposium in partnership with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
We partnered with the BAASE (Better Academics and Social Excellence) Future Ready conference where nearly 130 high-achieving young men learned about Wichita State. Admissions provided support with logistics, tours and looks forward to engaging them during future visits to campus.
- Admitted Student Diversity Stats: 43.4% race/ethnic minorities and 31.3% underrepresented minorities
- Enrolled Student Diversity Stats: 36.2% race/ethnic minorities and 22.6% underrepresented minorities
- 188 visits, events attended reaching TRiO, GEAR-UP and AVID students
- Hosted 6 Shocker Sessions
- 4 Diversity Interns: This year, the Diversity Interns, a key team in the recruitment of underrepresented populations, represented Wichita State at a variety of visits and community events, and hosted "Shocker Sessions" across the USD 259 school district. During these sessions, the high school students discussed the various aspects of college search.
Luncheon for Excellence in Diversity and Academics
Admissions hosted 128 students and guests for a luncheon to celebrate students who excel in academics and diversity. Guests heard from current Wichita State Rudd Scholar, Wendy De Loera, as well as alumnus Eddie Sandoval, founder of Pinole Blue. Students had either a minimum of a 3.5 GPA or 24 ACT.
Student Communication
Mailed communication and publications
Thousands of publications, including posters, brochures, event invitations and more, are sent throughout the year to prospective students, parents, and to high school counselors.
- More than 60,000 mailed event invites
- 219,300+ outbound mail pieces
- 31,000 viewbooks sent to high school seniors
- 3,000 personalized packets sent to Houston-area students to celebrate the launch of our new local recruiter.
- Event posters are mailed to all high school counselors, helping to boost event attendance!
Email communication
More than 2.6 million emails sent to prospective students & their families. April boasts our highest outgoing volume at 601,000 emails sent within the month.
Texting communication
This was our first full recruitment cycle with text communication fully implemented and included in normal communication flow. Inbound and outbound texts ranged from general questions to scheduled campaigns--including event confirmations, in-process and yield communication.
Text Messaging Highlights
- 199,186 messages were sent
- 50,852 messages were received
- 26,422 unique students were sent messages
- 11,547 unique students sent messages (43.71%)
- SR/SO and TR/RA students in separate campaigns so that we could benchmark response rates. TR/RA students replied at a higher rate than SR/SO in all campaigns except for Yield messages, which was the same.
- Campus Visit Confirmations and Event Confirmations were both >90% response rate prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and our transition to virtual events.
- The largest percentage of students who reply do so 5-30 minutes after receiving the message.
- The campaign-specific data is based on tagging that occurs when staff are responding to messages, which is subject to user error or lack of consistent use.
Student Outreach Team
The Student Outreach Team, comprised of 14 current Wichita State students, works to build relationships with prospective students and their families. These students make calls to share valuable information related to: upcoming events, visit reminders, application status and important deadlines. Callers also have the opportunity to share their personal Shocker experiences, allowing prospective students to envision their own.
- 38,57338,573 phone calls to prospective students
- 41 unique call campaigns
- 11,790 postcards sent to prospective students
- 3,063 hours spent on outreach
Public Relations Institute
The Public Relations Institute (PRI) seeks to foster goodwill for the University by creating meaningful experiences to positively impact recruitment efforts, both directly and indirectly. In July 2019, Pizza Hut Museum operations transitioned to the Office of Admissions. PRI interns were trained to share the history of Pizza Hut and its ties to Wichita State.
- 20 businesses visited
- 560 giveaway requests processed
- 650 alumni educator packages sent
- 10 schools visited
- 41 community events
- 1,400 Pizza Hut Museum guests
Student Ambassador Society
- All seven Wichita State academic colleges represented
- 47% of members took Honors College courses
- 32% of members were first generation students
- 71 high schools represented
- New members attended an 8-week training class to learn best practices for recruiting and assisting with events in Admissions.
Stepping into College Presentations
Members of SAS give “Stepping into College” presentations to students at their former high schools. The presentations give students tips on how to prepare for college, all while the SAS members share their experiences at Wichita State. 17 schools and 1,400 students were reached!
Student Ambassador Society social channels
- Facebook: 790 followers
- Instagram: 687 followers
- Twitter: 3,420 followers
Student Development Institute
For the 5th year in a row, members of SAS and Navigators represented WSU at the Student Development Institute. Our students spent time with ambassadors from other universities learning about best practices for student groups. 275 students attended from 89 different institutions.
Campus Recruiter Network
The Campus Recruiter Network (CRN) met 8 times during the academic year to share information and brainstorm ideas to better recruit future Shockers. This year, meetings covered a range of topics including communication, campaigns, obtaining student lists, involving parents in the recruitment process and Admissions response to COVID/ virtual event offerings. Guest speakers included David Wright, Trish Gandu, Kayla Jasso and Alicia Newell. Any person who makes decisions regarding recruitment practices of any college, department or office on campus, or just wants to keep up-to-date with the Office of Admissions, is invited to join.
Co-hosted campus events include:
- Music Theater Audition Day
- Portfolio Review Day
- Explore Shocker Engineering
- Community College Day
- Diversity Leadership Symposium
- Computer Career Day (rescheduled)
- So You Think You Want to Teach (cancelled)
Co-hosted virtual events include:
- College of Engineering
- Cohen Honors College
- Housing and Residence Life
- Barton School of Business
- Career Development Center
- College of Applied Studies
- Campus Recreation
- Rudd Foundation
- President’s Office
Emails sent on behalf of other departments
The Office of Admissions sent email blasts on behalf of Academic and Student departments including:
- Office of Diversity and Inclusion
- Department of Sport Management
- College of Engineering
- Cohen Honors College
- Housing and Residence’s LifeBarton School of Business
- Career Development Center
- College of Applied Studies
- Campus Recreation
- College of Health Professions
- College of Fine Arts
- Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Science
- Athletic Training
- Student Affairs
- Student Involvement
- Office of Adult Learning
Recruitment Faculty Fellows
The Office of Admissions works with Faculty Fellows from each academic college. Faculty perspective is valuable in the recruitment process as it introduces what students can expect from the classroom experience here at Wichita State.
Fellows assisted with recruitment in many ways:
- Personalized outreach to prospective students and parents
- Speaking at recruitment events
- Serving on the Gore Scholarship selection committee
- Meeting with campus visitors
- Welcomed admissions staff to their classrooms where current students wrote postcards to prospective students
- Visited high schools to promote Wichita State and their respective departments
- Created and hosted major-specific recruitment events
Faculty Fellows for 2019-20 included:
- Moriah Beck, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Fran Connor, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Jolynn Dowling, College of Health Professions
- Deepak Gupta, College of Engineering
- Dotty Harpool, W. Frank Barton School of Business
- Jodi McArthur, College of Applied Studies
- Kara McCluskey, College of Engineering
- Shaunna Millar, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Liz Roberts, College of Applied Studies
- Lori Santos, College of Fine Arts
Admissions “PROUD” Award Winners
To go along with Human Resources PROUD service standards, the Admissions team voted on and awarded staff members for each area within the PROUD acronym. We also added a category for Shocker Spirit! The recipients of the 3rd annual Admissions Staff Service Awards, as voted on by their colleagues, included:
- Professional - Sarah Brill
- Responsive - Elisha Satterfield
- Open - Heba Madi
- Understanding - Maria Vo
- Dependable - Tyler Gegen
- Shocker Spirit - Dana Bolar
Staff Training and Development
Staff attended trainings throughout the year including software, customer service, staff retreats, conferences and meetings with departments to gather the latest program information.
Annual Recruitment Feedback Survey
Every year, the Office of Admissions sends a customer service feedback survey to nearly 2,000 high school counselors across the region. The team uses these responses to gauge the changing needs of counselors, assess how we are performing in meeting those needs and implement changes or trainings accordingly.
The Admissions staff hold various leadership appointments to support growth and relationship-development with campus, local and regional partners. Some commitments include:
- ACT Kansas State Council
- BAASE Steering Committee
- Collegiate Information & Visitor Services Association Involvement Committee
- Dallas-Fort Worth Admissions Regional Network (DARN) College Search Committee
- Dining Services Committee
- Enrollment Services
- Gore Scholarship Committee
- Great Plains ACAC Executive Committee
- KACRAO Executive Board
- Linwood Sexton Endowed Scholarship Committee
- Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling (MOACAC) Nominations Committee
- President's Diversity Committee
- Quasquicentennial Committee
- Shocker Athletics Scholarship Organization Board
- Strategic Planning Committee
- Strategic Enrollment Management Unclassified Professional Senate - Awards/Recognition and Website
- University Collaboration Committee
- University Marketing and Enrollment Team
- Talent Management Revisioning Project
COVID-19 Recruitment Response
Continued student engagement
To keep prospective and current students Engaged, Admissions rolled out a series of various social media campaigns, including a Shocker Showdown in March and a 'Bucket List' in April. 63 virtual events, panels and visits hosted or attended.
The Shocker Showdown Bracket Challenge was a social media contest that matched different aspects of our campus against each other. The competition continued to engage students, both prospective and current, as well as campus staff. Throughout the course of the challenge, more than 6,000 votes were cast over Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Admitted students were asked to post a photo to Twitter and/or Instagram while demonstrating their excitement to join Shocker Nation, tagging #CollegeSigningDay and #FutureShocker. The most creative posts received $250 book scholarships to use at the Shocker Store in the fall.
Virtual Campus and Group Visits
Virtual options for individual campus visits began on March 23 - days after the initial closing announcement. Overall, 280 students from 26 different states joined a virtual campus visit between March-June. Over 90 students - 10 unique groups – attended a virtual session through a group visit during that same timeframe. 63 virtual events, panels and visits were hosted or attended.
Protective equipment was installed in the Marcus Welcome Center to accommodate visitors.
Zoom burnout was prevented by getting creative during regularly scheduled staff meetings. In this particular week, individuals were challenged to find a costume at their home to wear! Some costumes included Fred Flintstone, a pirate, the Pink Power Ranger, and Darth Vader.
Front Desk and Reception Area
The lobby of the Marcus Welcome Center is often the "front door" to Wichita State for prospective students and community members visiting campus. Each year we have a high volume of walk-in visitors, emails and phone calls. We're asked about giving directions to other buildings on campus to helping a student pay their application fee. The numbers highlighted reflect emails and walk-in visitors to the front desk for the 2019-20 year.
This summer, plexiglass was installed at the front desk and in the auditorium where check-in will occur for campus visits to ensure the safety of our staff and visitors.
Get to Know Our Team
Our Stats
- 57% were first generation students
- 54% hold Wichita State University degrees
- 49% hold graduate degrees
- 26% currently pursuing a graduate degree
- 31% were transfer students in college
- 17% of staff speak a language in addition to English including Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Japanese and American Sign Language
- 230+ cumulative years employed in the Office of Admissions
The Admissions team celebrated their fearless leader, Bobby Gandu, and congratulated him on 15 years in the Admissions Office at Wichita State! The staff was asked to send words that come to mind when they think of Bobby. A few that came up multiple times included: loyal, competitive, inspirational, servant leader, heart and soul, and more. The staff was also really glad to find the ad pictured featuring Bobby as a WSU student!
Contact us
Phone (public) | 316-978-3085
Phone (direct) | 316-978-4755
Info | https://wichita.edu/admissions
Email | admissions@wichita.edu