As recruitment tactics become more targeted, Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s enrollment is expected to continue to rise, according to Cronkite faculty.
“We had 279 incoming freshmen in the 2018 class, which was an 11 percent increase over the year before; so, I think it’s fair to say that we’re anticipating a similar increase in the fall of 2019,” Associate Dean Mark Lodato said. “I think that would put the incoming class probably in that 300 to 310 range, give or take.”
It’s likely that Cronkite’s recruitment staff and High School Journalism Institute team are propelling the growth by using “more intentional” recruitment tactics, he said.
These tactics include three annual high school journalism conferences, student-led tours, high school visits and social media campaigns, said both Lodato and Alexis Trujillo, Cronkite’s outreach coordinator.
The school’s admission team, in conjunction with Arizona State University’s admission department, organizes approximately 180 tours a year, she said.
Lodato said upfront and personal recruitment is the most impactful strategy.
“The best scenario is getting prospective students in our building because when they’re here, on campus, they feel the energy, they see the technology and the beautiful space that our students have at their disposal,” he said. “They’re able to talk to our students, and they are able to meet our amazing faculty members.”
Cronkite students as young as freshmen lead these tours under the role of Cronkite Ambassador, giving potential students and families a hands-on look at what the school offers.
“(Connections) with students and parents are basically made on tours,” Faith Abercrombie, a Cronkite ambassador and freshman student, said. “I was in that position last year. I totally know how they’re feeling.”
Abercrombie, originally from Rocklin, California, met Lodato and Trujillo at the Student Television Network Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, where Cronkite recruiters had a booth, the student said.
“I just totally fell in love with (Lodato’s and Trujillo’s) personalities and what they were saying,” Abercrombie said. “I think if I hadn’t met Alexis and Dean Lodato, I wouldn’t have even checked this school out.”
Lodato said Cronkite’s High School Journalism Institute team also plays a significant role in the recruitment process.
Anita Luera, the director of the Cronkite’s High School Journalism institute team, said she visits over 45 high schools across Arizona, New Mexico and California during an academic year. And Lodato said he personally attends high schools and other recruitment events whenever possible.
“I look for those unique opportunities to get face-to-face with students because not everyone can come out to visit the school multiple times before they enroll,” Lodato said. “So, we want to do our best to get the Cronkite experience in front of them wherever they live, and we work hard to do that.”
Aside from the high school visits, Cronkite hosts two one-day high school journalism workshops with one workshop bringing in almost 100 students and another bringing in 600 students, Luera said.
Cronkite’s institute team engages with a minimum of 550 students total per year, she said.
Lodato said journalism platforms continue to broaden, which is another factor that attributes to the rise in enrollment.
“In my generation…journalism is writing for the paper, appearing on a television newscast or doing something on the radio, but today’s journalism and mass communication…is much broader in terms of what that includes across multiple platforms,” he said.
To keep up with the expansion of journalism platforms, Cronkite implemented the digital audiences minor, which Lodato said is “an area of tremendous growth.”
After only one year of availability, 121 students are following the digital audiences minor as of October 2018, Trujillo said.
“We are excited to see the growing interest in journalism and I think a lot of that has to do with the social consciousness of our generation,” Lodato said. “They truly are looking for opportunities to improve their communities, and they see that journalism is a great way to do that.”
Contact the reporter at jlmorto4@asu.edu.
