Roadmap Series: Conversations on Student Success – the Influencers

Posted on Thursday, October 5th, 2023

The Influencers

Meeting enrolment projections takes a lot of work, particularly domestic enrolment targets. At a time when our country is aging and there is increasing competition for the shrinking pool of prospective students, colleges have to work smarter to reach their target audience and that means having a strategy that connects with the influencers.

High school educators, particularly guidance counsellors, are an obvious primary influencer because of the nature of their work, but arguably the most influential group is parents for younger students and spouses for mature students. When it comes to recruiting a domestic student, it really is a case of “all in the family,” as impressing the influencers will go a long way to securing the student. So, how do we go about doing this at Algonquin College?

Open Houses are a good start, the kind of open house that gives family members a chance to walk the hallways of our campuses, visit the labs and facilities and partake in presentations that provide prospective students and their families with the information they need to make an informed decision. These events are an opportunity to start building a relationship, not only with the student but also their supporting cast.

That doesn’t mean regular contact with mom and dad, but a warm smile or friendly conversation that happens at the open house does offer some assurance to the parents that if they need to check-in they know who to call. It’s also an opportunity for the college to set some boundaries, explaining the need to have a release of information on file that gives college staff permission to discuss certain situations with a parent or family member. For parents who are sending a child to post-secondary education for the first time, particularly if they are from out of town, that’s a huge step forward in building trust with a family. It offers them some reassurance that the college cares, one of our core values.Information sessions that are geared to parents can also be a great way to make a strong connection with them. Helping family members understand how the college operates, drawing their attention to the academic calendar and important deadlines and sending them newsletters that highlight social activities that can help their student meet new friends. Making these suggestions to families and showing them how they contribute to their student’s success is extending an olive branch for them to be our partners in achieving our mission to transform hopes and dreams into life-long success.

These sessions are also where the college can ask parents if they want to receive a newsletter that is written for them. A simple sign-up sheet that parents and family members voluntarily sign gives the college permission to add them to our email distribution list. At any point, they can opt out. The key to the newsletter is good storytelling mixed in with some key dates and things parents should know. At the Pembroke Campus, parent and family newsletters are sent out quarterly. You can view the latest newsletter here.

Engaging families in student success is important at a time when the college is making a concerted effort to reduce attrition by implementing several initiatives to promote student retention. There is no one who knows their student better than a family member who can easily detect warning signals that their student may be struggling and need extra support from the college. By sharing information about various student and academic services with parents and spouses, the college is being pro-active in helping a family member intervene to get a student the help they need to get back on track.

Courting the influencers is rarely found in a strategic enrolment management plan, but when it comes to identifying low hanging fruit in a strategy that can support the college’s overall recruitment and retention efforts, parents and families have to be part of the conversation. They are just too important to be ignored. They are the primary influencer.

They assist their student when deciding what school and program to attend, they help pay tuition and they cheer on their student from the sidelines. Their hopes and dreams are to see their student at their convocation ceremony. They are the ultimate influencer for colleges to pay attention to when managing their enrolments.


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