Communication Strategies and Tools to Increase Recruitment, Persistence, and Completion in Community Colleges

Abstract

To remain competitive in a climate of shrinking enrollments, higher-education institutions have found innovative ways of recruiting students and improving student success. Communication with students is an important feature of these approaches. Community colleges use an array of traditional and new approaches to communicate with potential and current students but are uncertain about what types of messages and media are most effective. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand current communication strategies and tools employed throughout a variety of industries, including higher education, and to recommend how community college leaders can utilize these strategies and tools to increase student recruitment and persistence at their schools. The methodologies of a semi-systematic literature review and qualitative interviews with nine practitioners who have expertise in communicating with college students have allowed the researcher to address the research questions and will further allow for a deeper understanding of current communication applications and strategies. The analysis, conducted through the lenses of Tinto’s (1993) Theory of Early Departure and Thaler and Sunstein’s (2008) Nudge Theory, helped the researcher address the following questions: (1) what are the current student communication practices in community colleges?, and (2) how can communication practices be improved by looking at the practices of other institutions of higher education and other organizations? Some key findings included the use of a variety of strategies and tools for more personalized messaging, nudging students through behavioral science techniques, and the need for a system of measuring effectiveness in communications. The dissertation concludes with recommendations to practitioners for best practices and to scholars for future research.