Getting to Know: Admissions

The June Q&A is with Lisa Stein, director of Admissions.

Q: What are your duties as Director of Admissions at Chadron State College?

I have many duties that include managing recruitment of all student demographics that enter CSC, but I truly believe that my most important duty is to lead a team of amazing individuals. As a team we work very hard and we take great pride in telling the story of CSC and helping students and families navigate the Admissions’ process. The team I have, and the relationships I have with everyone in Student Services, makes coming to work each day something I look forward to.

Q: About how many applications for admission does your department process in a (school) year?

My team processes applications year around for every demographic that comes into CSC. Taking into account the fall, spring and summer terms, we typically process around 4,000 applications.

Q: How does your department use social media to recruit students to CSC?

Each of my admissions representatives manage a Facebook account for the students within their recruiting territory and I manage both an Admissions Facebook page and a Twitter account. Our Admissions Ambassadors manage two Facebook pages – we have one to engage students that have visited throughout the year and one that we start each year for students who have committed. We use these platforms to engage students where they are so that we can celebrate our institution, as well as give out important information that all incoming students need to know.

Q: What are some of the services your department offers to prospective CSC students?

One of best things we offer prospective students is our visit program. Visit coordinator, Erin Heide, and her Ambassador team work hard to make sure students get the most individualized campus visit possible. Making a college choice can be an emotional process, so when students and their families come to campus we want them to walk away with a full picture of our campus community and all we offer. Our team also houses the CSC Call Center and live chat, which is managed by CSC students. We want to give callers a person to talk to, so they are able to get the answers they need. Both our Ambassador and Call Center programs are great jobs on campus for a student to have. As an institution of higher education that is helping to get the next generation of employees out in the world, I feel that one of our missions in Admissions is to give students the opportunity to work in our department and to gather skills that employers will be looking for when they have graduated and are looking for employment.

Q: What are some of the challenges of handling admissions applications from international students?

I love that we have international students on campus. The diversity of culture that international students bring to Chadron is an education unto itself. Not all of college education happens in the classroom and having students with different experiences and world views is a benefit to everyone. I believe the biggest challenge with international applications is the language barriers that may exist. The admissions process as well as the process to enter the United States can be confusing, so not always understanding each other’s native language can make things harder to navigate.

Q: What are the characteristics of a successful college admissions representative?

Although it is imperative for a college admissions representative to be comfortable talking to individuals as well as groups, one of the most important characteristics is the ability to listen; we need to listen to what students and families are telling us because it is not about us, it is about their decision. Retention of our students is important to CSC and I believe that Admissions’ role in retention is recruiting students who are the best fit for our school and community. If we don’t listen to what students are telling us about their needs, we do both the student and our institution a disservice.

Q: Has the admissions process changed during your time at CSC? In what ways?

It would probably be easier to tell you what hasn’t changed since I started with Admissions 12 years ago. The biggest change by far is the technology used to recruit students and to manage our student database. Approximately eight years ago we moved to a new student management platform and we went from knowing everything about our old system to knowing nothing about our new system, which was an eye opener for sure. In these few years we have learned and pushed our system and now instead of saying “I don’t know” about a process, we now say “What’s next.”

Q: What do you like about working in the Admissions Department at CSC?

I have worked in Admissions since I joined CSC in 2005 and have held multiple positions and have truly loved everything about Admissions. I’m the seventh member of my family to get at least one degree at CSC so it truly is family to me. Having the privilege of being the leader of an amazing team that cheerleads for CSC every chance they get is my favorite part. Seeing our new students join us in the fall is so much fun because we get to be a part in the relationship that students and families make with our wonderful institution.

—George Ledbetter