Why Smaller Institutions Are the Perfect Fit for Your College Experience

This episode of the For Your Institution podcast dives into the unique place smaller institutions fill in the higher education landscape, as well as how admissions and alumni engagement can go hand in hand.

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Who is Jess Snover?

Jess Snover is the Director of Admissions Recruitment at Lycoming College. She has a passion for admissions as well as a unique lens, having worked in development and advancement.

In this Episode

Jess Snover, Director of Admissions Recruitment at Lycoming College, joins FYI host Gil Rogers to talk about the challenges and opportunities of the current admissions landscape. Coming from a smaller institution, Jess understands the benefits and advantages that come with the education these institutions provide.

Jess and Gil talk about the difficulties both with the recent FAFSA challenges and the years of virtual learning during the COVID pandemic that have occurred to the class getting ready to enter their higher education journeys. Jess talks about her own experience going to Lycoming as a freshman, and what the university was able to provide for her and can offer to other potential students who may not find a match with the vibe of larger institutions.

They talk about how the admissions funnel is the inversion of the shape of advancement side, and how the two sides can coordinate and work together to strengthen the connections and support students through their whole journey from initial interest to becoming an alumni. Find out about the advantages and strengths of these smaller institutions in the higher education field.

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Episode Transcript

Finding the Perfect Fit at Smaller Institutions with Jess Snover

Publishing Date: August 6, 2024

[00:00:00] Intro: Welcome back to FYI, the For Your Institution Podcast, presented by Mongoose. I’m your host, Gil Rogers. And today, I have an amazing conversation with the Director of Admissions Recruitment at Lycoming College, Jessica Snover. Jessica talks about connecting admissions and advancement and how we can better support student success by connecting them with the students who have that shared experience. Let’s listen in.

Hey, Jess, how’s it going?

[00:00:35] Jess: Hey, Gil, I’m doing well. How about yourself?

[00:00:37] Gil: I’m doing wonderful. I’m, for those who are watching this episode on YouTube, you’ll notice I’m in a different space. I’m at a shared workspace in Southern Maine at the moment, but we’re excited to have a conversation with you today, especially because I know that you’ve been in your role for a little bit now, getting settled back in the enrollment space.

Jess, before we hop in and get started, I’d love for you to share a little bit of your background — what you do, where you work, how you got where you are, what motivates you, all that fun stuff. And then we can get going from there.

[00:01:09] Jess: Sounds great. Well, so again, my name is Jess Snover. I am currently serving as the Director of Admissions Recruitment here at Lycoming College. I am an alum of the institution, so I graduated from here in 2017. I have background in both admissions and advancement, so, before coming back into this role as the director of recruitment, I served as a Major Gift Officer here at Lycoming for about 18 months, working with alumni all over the country.

It was a great, wonderful gig. It gave me some really wonderful experience to pull from as I moved back into this role about 18 months ago. Before that, I got to spend some time up in Boston, Massachusetts, working at a small private institution up there, and was serving as an assistant director of admission.

So, I’ve spent some time in what I like to call the Mecca of higher education, learning up there and getting some really amazing mentors. And I started my career actually here in this admissions office as an admissions counselor. So, right after graduation, I had been an intern and a tour guide. And I was hired to come and recruit for my wonderful alma mater as a very new graduate.

And so, it’s been a whirlwind and so much fun. I was able to receive my master’s degree from Lasell University up in Boston while I was working there. And just really wonderful experiences along the way. I’ve been so blessed to get to where I am.

[00:02:24] Gil: Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining. And I will say that, prior to hitting record, we were talking about my son and youth hockey and all those sorts of things. Now, Boston is not only the hub of hockey, that’s what they’d like to refer to themselves as. They’re also the Mecca of higher education. So, we’re going to get back to their title as…

[00:02:39] Jess: Exactly, exactly.

[00:02:41] Gil: In the year that Florida beat them to go on to the Stanley Cup Final and win, but that’s neither here, there.

[00:02:46] Jess: We don’t want to talk about that.

[00:02:48] Gil: As a lifelong Avalanche fan, I’m fine. So, we have similar superhero origin stories when it comes to getting into higher education — graduated, involved in the campus community, worked as an admissions counselor, been in the space for a little while now. So, what has kept you going in the world of higher ed, specifically, especially in a time when we’re having so many conversations about mass exodus of talent, quiet quitting, the great resignation? What keeps you going and motivated to be a part of the higher ed community?

[00:03:22] Jess: Yeah, that’s a great question. So, I think, when it comes down to it, I’m an incredibly social being. That’s who I am at my core. I can talk to a brick wall, which is wonderful. And this role gives me the opportunity to not only be social but to do it for something I really believe in. I believe in the mission of who Lycoming is and who we are as an institution.

I was always very motivated by the social things going on in my life as a small child growing up. I wanted to be around people and be in a space where I was out and about. I was not a homebody. I was not somebody who enjoyed just sitting around. And so, I was always doing all these additional activities.

But believe it or not, school was not my thing. I was not a highly academic student, let’s say. And so, in looking for a college home, I was really looking for a place where I could be social and be involved. Students talk about the academic areas on their list and wanting to study abroad and do all these incredibly academic and amazing high-achieving things.

When I was looking for college, I was like, “I want to cheer and I want to be in a sorority.” That’s what I want to do. And it would be great if they have a major I’m interested in. So, I chose anthropology, which was amazing and has done so much for the career that I have now. Believe it or not, studying people and culture helps in what we do today.

But so, I was really just trying to find a home and I was able to do that. And so, working for my alma mater has been such a blessing and such a treat because I have the opportunity to, not only talk about how I got here, but what happened to me while I was a student here. And so, the transformation that took place in me was, like, something you would not ever intend to experience.

Obviously, everybody grows in college and you become the person you’re meant to be and all that stuff. But what Lycoming has done for me, not even just as an undergraduate student, but as a professional, has been absolutely incredible. And they’ve given me a lot of ways to go about and grow. And they support my development, which is amazing.

So, being able to represent that brand and represent all the people that were so impactful on my life every single day, that really keeps me going here at Lyco, but specifically in higher education, it is always something different. We are always constantly doing something new, especially in the world of enrollment, right?

There is not a year that looks exactly the same ever. We have the same construct of the funnel that looks similar, but we are constantly innovating and trying new things and meeting new people and working with new populations. And I think it just keeps everything fresh and exciting. And I’m somebody that, you know, the ADHD can be real inside me sometimes. And so, being able to focus on multiple things at one time has been amazing. And so, I tend to thrive in that environment. And I think that is what just really has cut my focus in on enrollment, specifically, but higher education generally, because the market is always changing.

The cultural shifts and the students we’re working with shows when you’re getting through a cycle with them. Are they answering phone calls anymore? How are we getting in touch with them? What are some things they’re looking to do on campus? You see the shift every year. And so, it just keeps it fresh and exciting. And I think that’s why the passion and the fire has stayed lit. And I’m blessed to have a team that works with me that feels the same way. So, it’s easy to stay in love with this world when you have people around you that feel similarly.

[00:06:29] Gil: And it’s interesting, too, you mentioned it, I know I had Carlos Cano on a couple months ago now at this point. Time flies when you’re having fun.

[00:06:37] Jess: Absolutely.

[00:06:37] Gil: He’s our shared connection now in the podcasting universe, but he had a very similar take that enrollment cycles is always something. This year, it’s the FAFSA fiasco. You know, a couple years prior to that, it was COVID. You’ve got, you know, test-optional changes at some institutions. There’s always something that is changing and impacting. But the reality is that, for the majority of the people that you’re talking to, this is the first and, presumably, only time they’re going through this process. So, it’s not different to them. It’s different to you.

[00:07:04] Jess: Right.

[00:07:06] Gil: I think one of the things that we need to remind ourselves of is have that humility of, we’re here to support and serve students and their families. The way we communicate has changed and evolved over time, but the reality is that, again, not changing for the audience that we’re speaking with. It’s just what has impacted that audience.

I think this cycle, specifically, it’s almost a double whammy where the students who were impacted by almost breakneck speed, immediate shift to virtual learning and the issues of COVID, are also the people impacted by the delays of the FAFSA process. And so, now, you’ve got these people who are already heightened anxiety because of the long tail challenges of dealing with social isolation and everything else with COVID. And now, also, like, oh, by the way, paperwork issues because of the federal government are impacting your path.

How have those conversations been and those challenges been for your institution, specifically? And how are you weathering some of the storm here, as we’re getting into things and looking at ahead to melt and also pivoting to the next class?

[00:08:06] Jess: The next cycle, I know it’s so crazy. So, I will say the team and I here take admissions counseling. We are counselors. So, we really try to do that and be there to support our families. We’re super, super lucky. And we have smaller area, smaller numbers of students that we’re working with because we’re a smaller institution. So, we have a lot more bandwidth to get to know our families and work really closely with them. And that’s what our students who are looking to come to Lycoming are looking for, right? So, they’re looking to be able to have that relationship with us and with faculty and staff when they come to Lyco.

And so, we get to know these families. And so, we were really able to counsel them through it, which was so amazing. Our financial aid department here was so top-notch and on top of the ball. As soon as we could start creating packages, they were able to roll that all out. But yeah, we were able to keep it fresh and somewhat light. I mean, these are heavy conversations to be having. Exactly what you said, this is already a population that had some struggles with COVID situation. And so, having to now go through this with them, I mean, it was so stressful and so tough for them to have to navigate it. But we had the ability to really walk people through it.

We did some things that we haven’t historically done. As soon as we were able to get that package done, we automatically emailed it out to them. Typically, you’d mail it, we automatically emailed it out, and then we followed up with a phone call to make sure that all those students were able to walk through it well, and get some really good support through the process.

But it was a doozy, man. And again, I do not envy my colleagues over in financial aid. They were just complete rock stars and able to really do some amazing things for us in a very short amount of time. We still have students that haven’t been able to decide where they want to go because of this whole thing. And so, hopefully, we’re able to help them, aid them through the process, and get them to at least make a decision. At the end of the day, it’s what’s the best for the student and what’s best fit for their family and what works for them. And so, we want to make sure that we’re counseling them in that way.

But I think, working for a private institution, there’s already so many, just false narratives out there about cost and everything affiliated with us, that not having financial aid packages with scholarships and the additional aid we’re able to support can be impactful, right? But we’ve been really blessed to have people that are able to communicate that to our families.

[00:10:11] Gil: Well, I’m going to make t-shirts that say 2024, it was a doozy, man, and then I’m going to give them out at the NACAC conference.

[00:10:17] Jess: I love that.

[00:10:18] Gil: That’s going to be, that’s going to be the fun part. I think you make a good point, too, about admissions counselors being counselors first. I know, for a lot of institutions, because of the way, and I’ll revisit your comment earlier about the construct of the funnel being consistent and persistent, throughout the years, I look at the funnel as more of, like, a visual guide for how students flow through, but it’s… but I think we all understand it’s more of a filtering process. You know, people come and go. And I feel like every vendor that does enrollment management for the past 20 years has tried to create different methods of communicating and articulating what it is. And it was, you know, the funnel is dead, your streams, and there’s whole different paths that these things have gone through. But at the end of the day, the funnel is a visual indicator of, we start with this much and we end with this much, right? Like, that’s just generally the way that it looks.

But for many admissions officers, we spend an inordinate amount of time on the top, right, where the biggest group is. And it’s the most impersonal phase of the process, because at the end of the day, whether you’re an admissions counselor or a graduate assistant answering questions about the average GPA and SAT score of your incoming class at a college fair, the student’s probably not going to remember who they spoke to at that college fair. You’re there to collect the lead, and I hate using the word, “lead,” because it’s also, like, these are people, if we’re thinking about this in a more holistic way. But there’s got to be processes and ways to, kind of, you know, redeploy our most valuable resources, which are our people, for where those interactions really matter, which is more of the middle and the bottom of the funnel. And I think with technology, with AI and other things, where we’re getting to a path where that’s a possibility.

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[00:12:46] Gil: I’d love to understand some of your thoughts on how, you know, as a smaller private institution, you’re probably under more pressure to provide that more personal touch and to demonstrate that value and build those connections versus, you know, a larger flagship public institution that gets all the attention, their football team plays on Saturdays, they’re in the national news, whatever. What are some of the ways that you’re thinking about getting your people to the right phase of that funnel to better support students at each phase of the process?

[00:13:17] Jess: Yeah. So, like I said before, I have the world’s greatest team. I will go on and on about my assistant directors here on campus and, also, just everybody that we work with. But we do really believe in being student-focused. And that does actually start at the inquiry level. And so, we are following a boots on the ground recruitment method. And so, we’re sending our admissions counselors, our assistant directors out into the world.

I myself travel as well, our senior director for partnership and international is out in the world doing international recruitment, our AVP is on the road. So, we’re getting out there to try and share the good word of Lyco, is what I like to say. And in doing so, that actually does give our people at that bigger level, at that inquiry level, the opportunity to be impactful already.

And I say that, anecdotally, I have a wonderful girl who works for me. She recruits for us out on Long Island. And she has coined the nickname, her name is Heather, she has coined the nickname Happy Heather all out on Long Island because families have interacted with her and enjoyed her so much, and they think that she is just so wonderful.

They’ve come to campus, and they have come to see us all the way from Long Island. And when she walks in the room, it’s like, they’re like, “Oh, my gosh. It’s Heather, oh, my gosh!” And so, because we’re smaller, we are able to take more time, even at a college fair table, to get to make that first connection, right?

And those connections are important, you know. I’ve met students at spring college fairs. And we’re talking about prom. And I get an email in my inbox of a prom dress and how prom was, and everything. So, that connection for me is imperative. It’s why I love working at a smaller institution right now, at this point in my career, because I think, if you can really get the conversation and the connection down, then you can work really anywhere, right?

In enrollment, we all have a pitch, we all have that little 30-second blurb to try and capture everybody’s attention. But what makes you really notable, especially to students who are looking for this kind of dynamic, is remembering and following up and having that really impactful conversation.

I have worked with a really wonderful woman over the past couple of years. She’s a mentor of mine, Dr. Jodi Ashbrook. She has done some conversation coaching. And so, that is actually how I met her. She was my coach and taught me how to have a really good conversation for an enrollment manager. And it’s something that I value, and I think it’s super impactful in what we do in the relationship building, because if you can have a good meaningful conversation, it means that, especially at a smaller institution where personal touches is what we do well and what you’re going to get your whole four years here, that it can be so impactful to help a student really feel at home at your institution.

[00:15:46] Gil: And I’ll put a link in the episode notes to a conversation I had a few weeks back with Scott Novak. He’s the founder of the small college movement. He’s got very similar thoughts and perspectives around, every college in the country, no matter how big or small, is going to claim they have small class sizes and they have personalized attention. Even the large flagship institutions, they’re going to find some way to calculate their average class size is smaller, right?

But the reality is that smaller institutions — real smaller institutions — are better equipped to actually deliver on that promise and provide… and it’s not for everyone, right? And I think, again, the value of that personalized approach is you are, I don’t want to equate it to sales, but I will, right, I’ve worked in a number of ed tech companies where it’s the same exact thing. The sales people who do better follow-up and provide a better experience and answer questions more clearly at a more rapid rate are the ones who get better outcomes on their pipeline, right? And it’s the same, it’s the same thing. It’s just a different approach and a different mission and product. So, you have this opportunity to really shape that experience for a student and make good on the promise of the overall experience.

[00:16:56] Jess: Actually, I think what you just said is so powerful and meaningful. Obviously, there are so many students in the world that want to go and can thrive in these larger environments, right? That’s why we have flagship institutions in every single state, and they do well and they crush it. But there are some students like myself and a lot of my colleagues here that work in this office who needed that environment to be nurtured, whether they have been a really high-achieving student who wanted to have more meaningful time in a classroom with their professors doing research, we’re purely undergraduate, so all of our research opportunities go to our undergrads, which is amazing.

Or, you have a student who was like me. I needed somebody my first year to really just, like, kick me in the butt and be like, “What are you doing? You need to submit this homework assignment. What’s going on?” So, I think that’s the beauty of the small school, is you can thrive here.

But it’s not for everybody. You know, my sister and I came to Lycoming, my little cousins joining us here in the next couple of months to be a first year here, but I had another cousin, too, that went off to large flagship institutions and both thrived. So, really, it just depends on the kid.

[00:17:58] Gil: Yeah. There are enough seats at campuses for everybody. It’s about finding that right seat and making that connection the right way.

[00:18:04] Jess: Exactly. And yeah, that’s why the job is so much fun.

[00:18:07] Gil: Yeah, and so important, right? I think, and because, otherwise, if everybody just relied on what they see in the 24-hour news cycle of the admissions process, it’s impossible to get into school and it’s really expensive and there’s no positive outcomes, right? Like, that’s what you’re going to see if all you’re doing is reading the articles on higher ed in general. But getting involved and in touch with those people is important.

So, speaking of outcomes, right, I know that you mentioned earlier that you have a background in advancement and you’re bringing some of that experience back now in your leadership position in enrollment. I know I’ve had many conversations, I have a lot of thoughts, but I’d love to hear yours, on, especially with your experience working in both departments, what opportunities do you see for synergy between an admissions department and an advancement office at an institution?

[00:18:54] Jess: Yeah. So, we have an incredibly strong advancement office here. I remember when I was interviewing for that position, I had a mentor of mine who had worked at the college previously. And he said, “If you get to go and work in this office, it would be the best thing that you could do for your career,” because the way that they have things down in advancement and alumni engagement here at Lycoming is just absolutely amazing. They do some really great work. I am really blessed to call a good number of them mentors and friends, especially, since I had the opportunity to work up there.

But there is a lot of partnership that can happen between advancement and admissions because it’s similar work. You’re flexing similar muscles when you’re having these conversations, obviously, different audiences. And so, in one space, you’re working with a student who really has never heard of Lycoming. And in the other, you’re working with people who probably work here, most of which are probably alumni. Sometimes, you know, you have those that were just affiliated through friendships or parents or things like that, but they have buy-ins to the college already.

And so, the questions you’re being asked are going to be a little bit different, probably a little bit more in-depth, coming from the alumni who are looking to just make sure that the college is on track. But the muscles are the same, the conversation that you’re having thorough and just giving good information, and cultivating relationships is really at the base of what we’re doing. And it’s imperative in both atmospheres to be good at that and to be able to really create that.

Now, in an enrollment office, you have less time to do that, right? In advancement, we say, it probably takes about 18 months to really start to cultivate somebody that has never really been worked with in the advancement space. At least, that’s what I’ve heard generally. In admissions, you only have probably a couple weeks to really solidify and cultivate that relationship, or unless they got started earlier in their process in their junior or sophomore year to make sure that they’re going to be applying.

And so, that’s, kind of, the difference here, is just timeline. I always say advancement is a marathon. We are sprinting down here. And that is probably the biggest difference, is just the timeline of the funnel and how much time you have to interact with somebody, the difference again being that you have this person’s whole alumni time to be able to interact with them, and here you just have about, probably, let’s say 18 months to get them really into with the brand you’re selling.

Very similar in nature. We do a lot of collaboration here in our advancement office. We are really blessed. Our executive vice president, Dr. Chip Edmonds, he is awesome and he oversees both departments. So, he oversees both advancement and the admissions office, and so we have the opportunity to collaborate quite a bit. We have some amazing associate and assistant vice presidents who work really closely together to help us get us in a place where, if we need support from alumni, I know that Amy and Rob are able to help us with that, both mentors of mine who have been amazing to work with in the advancement space. And then, Chip, my other… the other Chip, he’s not really the other Chip. We, kind of, joke around who is the other Chip today, but Chip Hinton, my direct supervisor, he loves to plug them in as much as we can. And so, we have gotten to do some really cool collaborative activities, one being we’ve done some guidance counselor receptions here and there, where we’ve been able to plug in alumni to be able to give some, like, ideas of outcomes, that way they see that the students we’re serving and that they’re serving are going to be amazing, because look at these amazing alumni.

We’ve also been able to do some admitted student receptions where we have had alumni join us and be able to come and share about their time. So, these are typically younger alumni who, probably, I would say they were the goals, the graduates of the last decade. They’re able to really come and talk about their experience here at the college and what they’re doing now and how these students can do it.

And it’s hearing those stories are so impactful because me and our team here, we can talk all day about outcomes, but until somebody’s standing in front of you saying, “This is what I did, and this is the amazingness of who I am because of this place,” it’s so impactful. And so, watching the two, kind of, merge together has been really cool. And again, the muscles that you’re using in both spaces are very similar in nature. So, the traveling that you’re doing for both advancement and admissions, while admissions has the bulk of it happening, you know, at two times a year, really heavily advancement, you’re probably traveling at least once a month to a different destination to meet people and see people.

And I always say one thing I didn’t love about advancement was that I was talking through my meals. That was the joke, right? You’re sitting there. You’re having conversation over lunch. So, you’re not really getting to eat. In admissions, meals are my quiet time, or when I’m getting stuff done.

So, that was probably one of the bigger transitions for me, as silly as that sounds. But having the opportunity to sit and have those conversations in for two hours, three hours, I’ve spent many hours with wonderful alumni who I have gotten to meet, that is probably a big difference compared to the little blips of, like, two minutes to 30 minutes that you’re actually spending with a family.

[00:23:42] Gil: Yeah. So, I think what’s interesting when, when you look at, we talked about the funnel on the admission side, on the advancement side, it’s the pyramid, right? And you have… and so they’re just an inverse shape, right? And so, you have this hourglass if you put them together, right? So, it’s, you know, I’m thinking marketing material. I love the opportunity that you raise. And I think it’s something that a lot of people try, and the hard part is operationalizing it. But on the advancement side, when you have this fundraising pyramid, the whole purpose of that is to show, like, level of the gift-giving, right, and the volume. And so, at the base, you have this, you know, recent alumni, the people who just, it’s more about getting them involved than it is about asking for money. And then at the very top, it’s the, “Hey, this person is going to put their name on a building,” right? And then there’s this giant group in the middle that I think is the area that is completely underserved akin to the top of the recruitment funnel on the admission side, where there’s just such volume there.

And the reality is that, at that group, these are people that maybe they throw a $50 check in when they get the alumni. This is my alma mater story, is, anytime I get the alumni magazine, I flip through and if I see stuff I like, I throw a check for 50 bucks in the mail and I send it as, like, my membership, right? I think about it as my subscription fee. If I don’t see anything, then I don’t send anything that time. I know. I’ve worked in this space long enough.

[00:24:55] Jess: I know you are. You’re an advancement officer’s worst nightmare.

[00:24:58] Gil: Yeah, but I also understand, like, I mean, the fact I’m giving it all is a U.S. News ranking thing and it’s important. And so, at least once a year, because they send it, like, four times a year, at least once a year, I’m giving. I got a call once from a development officer asking me to come to campus and talk. And I was like, “listen. Right now, I’m at the point where, when I get the alumni magazine, I give if I see something I like.” And that’s where I’m at right now, and that’s my bandwidth for any of this stuff.

The next one I got had a picture of me in it when I went to China with a company I was working at. They had a… they took a picture. I had my University of Hartford shirt on. And they put it in there, “Gil Rogers representing blah, blah, blah, blah, blah at their offices in Beijing.” And I’m like, “All right, fine. I’ll give money.”

[00:25:42] Jess: There you go. I love that.

[00:25:43] Gil: You think about the… so that was, I was, like, touche, Gift Officer Touche.

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[00:26:40] Gil: When you think about that group of the underserved, and if they are an opportunity to get engaged, they give the $50, but they’re capable of $500 or they’re capable of $5,000. But it’s because they’re not engaged and they don’t see the value in making that bigger gift.

And one very low-lying fruit way to get a lot of these people engaged is exactly what you just talked about, which is hosting events where you showcase them and you share their experiences. They get to talk to counselors. They get to talk to students. People love talking about themselves and how successful they are and their experiences.

And there’s just, I feel like there are a lot of challenges with operationalizing that at a lot of institutions. And so, for obviously you’ve seen success with it. How does something like that get started in a way that’s sustainable and not just a one-off, well, we got a recent tour guide who has a job they’re going to come, because that’s… not working with the advancement office. Getting the recent… the tour guide who graduated and then comes back for admitted student days in their backyard is helpful. But that’s not an operationalized plan in collaboration with the advancement office. How do you get to that point?

[00:27:43] Jess: Yeah. So, again, I’m super blessed to have relationships with both. And some of these things were happening before I even came back into the admissions office. But we just communicate a lot. We have a lot of communication. We happen to be in the same building. And I do occasionally, when I have a little moment of time, we’ll trot upstairs and go see everybody.

Like I said, one in particular, Rob, he’s our AVP for Major in Planned Giving. He is a mentor of mine because he was my boss when I was up there. And so, I’ll venture up there and bounce ideas off him. And Amy, who is our AVP for Alumni Engagement, she  is huge in helping us with events. Even our admitted student day, she’ll support us in, because she is a wonderful event coordinator and she has a lot of experience doing it.

So, I think there’s just this collaborative conversation that happens and it really starts at the top. And so, the fact that Chip is able to facilitate this with his AVPs, then it is able to be a conversation at the director’s level, or if I have an idea, going to spitball that off of somebody upstairs and seeing if this could work, we’re just very an open and collaborative environment because we are able to ask different things of each other. And I think that is really special. And again, it just is a testament to who the institution is. And it’s about being able to say, I think this could be a good idea and being willing to hear, that’s not going to work, or yeah, it might work, but let’s, kind of, do this.

And so, I think there needs to be openness to collaboration. We’re also just super blessed that our alumni are very engaged with us. I think you keep saying the word, “engagement,” and it’s funny because I had a meeting this morning where we were talking with a couple people and we were talking about how important engagement in your territory is and being engaged overall with all people, so not just prospective students, but parents and counselors and independent counselors and this idea of engagement. It’s just as important when you’re collaborating across offices, but also on the alumni space and the advancement space, the engagement piece is so critical in what you’re doing, because it makes people feel like they’re still a part of the institution.

We just had our alumni reunion weekend on campus. And it was one of the biggest ones they’ve ever had. And you can just feel what we call the Lyco love, right? And these people, even if they’re unable to donate in a monetary way, are still willing to give their time back to the institution because it was so impactful for them.

And so, advancement isn’t always just about a check. It’s about just engagement with your alma mater and being willing to donate your time or being willing to take on an intern or talk with students who might have an interest in your career path. And I think that is super helpful to us, too.

For example, this year, we have a wonderful alumni executive board here at the college. And so, they came to us and said we want to do a letter-writing campaign. Let us write letters to a subsect of students, admitted students that you think would love to hear from us. And this board went ahead and they wrote handwritten notes to these students to say, “This is why I love Lyco and I hope that you love Lyco, too.” And the feedback we got back on that was so impactful, because once again the students that we’re serving, they are looking for that kind of connection. And so, anything that alumni offices are willing to do to support the admissions efforts and vice versa should really be supported because we are only as good as each other.

And so, the institution overall is only as good as the wonderful students coming in and the advancement pieces that are also coming in. And so, if we can work collaboratively together, it’s just so meaningful and impactful on the enrollment process and also on the advancement process, because so many people enjoy doing that kind of stuff. Like you said, they love to come to college fairs and talk about the cool things they did at Lyco. Even my mother as a parent has stood behind a college fair table when I’ve needed some support once in a while. And she loves to talk about the things that my sister and I did here. So, working in that way, it’s really special. And it creates this… it just continues to light the fire of the passion for the place.

[00:31:41] Gil: Yeah, I think when admissions offices and advancement offices understand that there’s a symbiotic relationship, right, if you bring in students who are a good fit for the institution, who are set up for success, they then become successful, happy alumni. You then provide all the great stories that makes it easier to recruit students because now you’ve got great outcomes to demonstrate.

That’s, I think, one of the biggest challenges many institutions face, is, so many schools have these great stories of great outcomes. It’s collecting those stories and articulating them in an effective way so that they’re useful for admissions and student outreach, right? And so, I think, but once you can get to that sweet spot where you’ve got people that want to work together, that’s a big key part of it. People that want to work together, great stories to tell, and a great strategy for engaging those students, that’s where you’ve got that really nice, kind of, infinity loop for advancement and admissions.

[00:32:36] Jess: Absolutely. Yeah, and it’s impactful for the prospective students to see that alumni are giving back in this way because it lights a fire for them to maybe want to do the same thing one day. And so, I think that’s so important. And, like you said, we just have the best partners in our advancement and alumni office here at Lycoming. We really are so blessed. And generally speaking, the community is so supportive of both of the offices and being involved in these events that we do on campus. And so, we really couldn’t do it without the broader community, but we are just so, so blessed to have a good working relationship and also wonderful alumni who are willing to support our recruitment endeavors at all levels, right, whether it is standing behind a college fair or writing a note or hosting a reception or just being available, like, they are incredible human beings. And it takes time to establish those kinds of ideas and communication tactics. But for anybody looking to do that and start working with the advancement office, I would say it’s just as simple as starting a conversation and saying, you know, I think these are a couple little things we might be able to do that will light a fire. And I think it’s totally worth it. And I know, for us, it’s special. And for me, as an alum who also works in admissions, it is super fun to get some people involved and see people who I went to school with be involved in this way as well.

[00:33:50] Gil: The ROI on bringing an advancement officer out for coffee is probably really big when it comes to being able to create this sort of relationship, right? And I think there’s just the need to just open that line of communication and keep it open, right, is an important piece.

[00:34:07] Jess: Absolutely. And if you’re somebody that’s sitting in my position in this, like, middle management situation, having a conversation with your supervisor who can then maybe even forge a conversation at that level might be the place to start. But yeah, like I said, we’re just very blessed that we’ve had a really amazing working relationship with them for many years, even since before I came back into the role. And very blessed to, again, call them friends. And our offices really get along. So, it’s a blessing.

[00:34:32] Gil: Well, Jess, I appreciate you taking so much time with us today. I think you’ve given folks a lot to think about and talk about on their campuses. For anyone who wants to start a conversation or continue this conversation with you, what are some of the best ways for them to be able to get in touch?

[00:34:50] Jess: Yeah. So, you can definitely connect with me on LinkedIn. So, it’s just… I think it’s Jessica Snover on there, but I could be wrong. I’ll have to take a look.

[00:34:57] Gil: Or, it has to be a double.

[00:34:57] Jess: Yeah. Okay. Yeah, yeah. I believe it’s Jessica, but I also go by Jess. I’m always happy to also connect via email here at Lycoming. So, it’s just my last name, Snover, S-N-O-V-E-R, @lakehumming.edu. I also get the chance to be on the road recruiting. So, I am all throughout the state of New Jersey and Pennsylvania and some other places. So, if you ever see me on the road, behind a college fair table, please come say hey. I would love to have any conversation or help in any way that I can. I think it takes a village to make enrollment great, and that includes people from other campuses. So, I think it’s always great to be collaborative in a way.

[00:35:31] Gil: Awesome. Well, Jess, I appreciate, again, your time. And for our podcast listeners, we’ll put that link to your LinkedIn in the episode notes to make it even easier for people to get in touch. But we will see you all next time on FYI. Thanks.

[00:35:46] Jess: Thanks, Gil.

[00:35:47] Gil: Bye!

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