Recruiting and Retaining Students

1. Recruiting and Retaining Students Strengthening Your Geoscience Program 2-4 June 2009 Randy Richardson Department of Geosciences University of Arizona rmr@email.arizona.edu

2. Session Goals Participants will begin (or continue) work on an Action Plan to address recruitment of geoscience majors/students that: • appreciates and takes advantage of the unique character of your own departmental/institutional setting. • is aware of strategies internal/external to the department/institution. • will include measures of success.

3. Session Outline • Introductions (include your setting and briefly identify one recruitment issue) • A brief look at employment trends • Strategies internal to the department / institution (work at tables, report out) • Strategies external to the department / institution (work at tables, report out) • Work on Action Plan (concentrate on a single recruitment activity) • Wrap-Up: Share Results

4. Online Resources: 2007 GSA Workshop on Recruiting Students: http://serc.carleton.edu/departments/recruitment/index.html SERC Website on Student Recruitment: http://serc.carleton.edu/departments/recruiting/index.html

5. Program • A brief look at employment trends … • Presentation by Chris Keane, AGI, at an October 2007 GSA Workshop: http://serc.carleton.edu/files/departments/recruitment/keane_recruitment.v2.pdf Bottom line: while demand is expected to decrease slightly, aging of current workforce means expected shortage of workers in the future.

6. Presentation by Dallas Rhodes, Georgia Southern University, at the October 2008 GSA Meeting: http://a-c-s.confex.com/crops/2008am/webprogram/Paper50398.html Petroleum Boom and Bust Cycles From Dallas Rhodes, “Demography of the GSA”, paper 176-3, GSA Mtg, Oct ‘08

7. Program, continued … • Strategies internal to the department / institution (work at tables, report out) http://serc.carleton.edu/departments/recruiting/ A. Examples include: • Introductory classes (best faculty; other faculty make presentation; specialty seminars, …) • Inform students of career opportunities (invite alumni back to talk to students, take advantage of AGI, etc…) • “Mohole” – student space to study, meet, etc. • Invite all students who are earning an ‘A’ (or ‘B’) in intro class to departmental event just for them. Brainstorm at your table about other internal strategies you might use.

8. Program, continued … • Strategies external to the department / institution (work at tables, report out) http://serc.carleton.edu/departments/recruiting/ • Examples include: • Work with college/university academic advisors, admissions, career services, etc., especially for undecided students • Work with local high schools, community colleges, especially for under represented minority students • Advertise beyond the department (Facebook, the Web, etc.) Brainstorm at your table about other external strategies you might use.

9. Program, continued … • Begin (or expand upon an existing) Action Plan (concentrate on a single recruitment activity) • Use provided worksheet (with others from your department). • Assessment! How will you know if your efforts are really working? Remember, correlation does not equal causation! http://serc.carleton.edu/departments/recruiting/assess.html

10. Program, continued … • Wrap-Up: Share Results • Each person (or department) is asked to share (briefly!) about some aspect of their Action Plan