OATdb Archive - Sam Houston State University

OATdb Archive

2012 - 2013

Dance, Department Of

Goal

Increase Recruitment Of Exceptionally Well-Qualified Students

Through targeted recruitment of students from fine arts high schools and studios identified as providing high quality training, we will increase enrollment of very well prepared and talented students. Without increasing total enrollment in the BFA program, we will continue to raise the bar on admission standards.

Objective

Faculty Will Actively Recruit Students

Faculty will pursue opportunities to teach master classes and create choreography at identified high schools and studios. They will also follow up by contacting, through email and phone calls, students we wish to recruit.

KPI

Increased Enrollment By Students From Fine Arts High Schools And/or Identified Studios

Audition forms indicate students' high school and dance training. In the fall 2013 semester, we will review the records of those students enrolled and determine how many are from the targeted schools. Over the last decade, we have successfully recruited only 1-2 students from these "elite" schools each year. In 2012, only 6 of 85 undergraduate students came from the targeted programs. An increase of 50% for 2013 would indicate effectiveness of our focused recruitment.

Result

14 Students From Magnet Schools Successfully Recruited!

For fall of 2013, we have admitted and enrolled/advised: 11 students from Booker T. Washington School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Dallas); 1 from the High School of Performing Arts (Houston); 2 from George Washington Carver Magnet School (Houston)

Action

Raise The Standard Of Admission

Although we admitted more highly qualified students this year than ever, we also admitted a higher total number, and a greater percentage of them plan to attend. We admitted 64 new undergraduate students; at this stage, it appears that at least 40 intend to enroll--by far our largest freshman class.

Considering that we are successfully recruiting students at a high level of achievement, and that more students admitted are choosing to attend our program, we must either admit fewer students or determine new strategies for effectively teaching a larger number of students.

Objective

The Department Will Refine Methods Of Public Relations

The department will consider means we have used for promotion, including our website, posters, and trifold informational handouts. We will determine how to improve the impact of each of these.

KPI

Recruiting Materials

Through the online audition form, we will determine how effective our various recruiting methods are. This is our first year as a department; therefore, we will be developing a baseline for each of the methods: website, audition folder, or master class with faculty.

Result

Personal Contact Is The Most Effective Initial Recruitment Tool For Our Department

An item was added to the online audition registration form that requested student identify how they learned about our program. a few responses indicated that they learned about us through print sources. The vast majority were initially recruited either by faculty or alums of SHSU Dance.

Action

Support Faculty Recruitment Efforts

We will continue to encourage faculty to accept residencies at high schools and junior colleges. Faculty will be sent on these trips with promotional hand-out materials and with the discretion to offer scholarships to exceptional students.

Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement The primary objective of our improvement plan has been to increase the effectiveness of our recruitment efforts of highly qualified students. We continue to build relationships with schools such as the performing arts school in Dallas, by participating in their recruitment fairs, teaching master classes, and having our faculty members create work on those students at their schools. Based on the increase in number of students from elite training programs who auditioned and then have enrolled in our program, we have been very successful.

Plan for continuous improvement We will continue building relationships with magnet schools. A residency at Houston School of Performing and Visual Arts is scheduled, and another residency at BTW in Dallas is tentatively scheduled.

We will also assess how we can use the methods that have been successful at the undergraduate level in our recruitment for exceptional gradute students, while identifying strategies specific to effective recruitment of that population.

Due to the retirement of a Dance Professor, a major priority this year will be the search for an Assitant Professor. The faculty agree that we are open to someone whose areas of specialization may expand the curriculum, or create a new area of focus. We are most interested in an artist whose creative energies and ability to mentor students will contribute to the vibrancy of our deparmtnet at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.