2008 Woodie Awards
Things are looking up for Eastfield
Corrine Asbell
Issue date: 9/29/08 Section: The News
Total student enrollment and contact hours increased for fall 2008 throughout the DCCCD.
Eastfield's Office of Institutional Research and Planning reported a campus headcount of 10,232 students, an almost four percent increase from fall 2007. Eastfield is the third-largest school in the district, behind Richland with 14,993 and Brookhaven with 10,531. The total enrollment of the district was up more than four percent, with a total headcount of 61,964.
District director of media relations Ann Hatch credits some of the increase to the DCCCD's recent series of television and radio ads.
"We know the ads were effective, but it's too soon to know exactly how effective they were," she said.
Hatch said the district is working on different strategies to both recruit new students and retain those who are enrolled presently.
Marketing and advertising coordinator Amy McDonald said the marketing department employed a varied ad campaign, with the use of the traditional print and online advertising, in addition to non-traditional
methods such as ads on DART busses and digital kiosks at Town East Mall. Advertisements prior to movies being shown at AMC 30 were used again, in addition to three outdoor billboards carrying the Eastfield message, McDonald said.
"The marketing department developed a comprehensive marketing plan that included a wide variety of mediums to reach our target audience," she said. "Our message was 'Dream It, Learn it, Live It' and this
theme was used in all areas of marketing."
Some students received phone calls from "Eastfield ambassadors" to encourage them to register. At various community outreach events, such as the Dallas Mayor's Back to School Fair. Eastfield was also marketed to students and parents alike.
"Not only did we use paid advertising, we also incorporated the registration message on our own Eastfield College Web site as well as our myspace.com page and our on-campus digital monitors," she said. "We
reached out to our database of registered and previously registered students to remind them of fall registration dates and tuition due dates."
Eastfield's marketing department is already setting plans in motion for the spring 2009 semester. McDonald said the plan is very similar to the one used this fall, but the message will be "Quality Education at an Affordable Cost. It Just Makes Sense." In addition, postcards to residents in Pleasant Grove will be mailed out along with ones for current students and recent high school graduates.
"We are trying to show students the importance of re-enrolling every semester," Hatch said.
According to a bulletin from DCCCD Chancellor Wright Lassiter a provision of $1 million from the budget has been approved by the Board of Trustees to be used to increase enrollment.
"This is the second year in succession that provision have been made for additions to college allocations for enrollment increases," Lassiter said.
The memo stated that the Board of Trustees granted the provision based on a projected revenue increase in revenue from local taxes. It also states that the increase is not the result of a higher DCCCD tax rate, but rather a local rise in property valuations.
"We are very happy with the enrollment increase," Hatch said. "And we are ready to keep moving forward."
corrine.asbell@gmail.com
Eastfield's Office of Institutional Research and Planning reported a campus headcount of 10,232 students, an almost four percent increase from fall 2007. Eastfield is the third-largest school in the district, behind Richland with 14,993 and Brookhaven with 10,531. The total enrollment of the district was up more than four percent, with a total headcount of 61,964.
District director of media relations Ann Hatch credits some of the increase to the DCCCD's recent series of television and radio ads.
"We know the ads were effective, but it's too soon to know exactly how effective they were," she said.
Hatch said the district is working on different strategies to both recruit new students and retain those who are enrolled presently.
Marketing and advertising coordinator Amy McDonald said the marketing department employed a varied ad campaign, with the use of the traditional print and online advertising, in addition to non-traditional
methods such as ads on DART busses and digital kiosks at Town East Mall. Advertisements prior to movies being shown at AMC 30 were used again, in addition to three outdoor billboards carrying the Eastfield message, McDonald said.
"The marketing department developed a comprehensive marketing plan that included a wide variety of mediums to reach our target audience," she said. "Our message was 'Dream It, Learn it, Live It' and this
theme was used in all areas of marketing."
Some students received phone calls from "Eastfield ambassadors" to encourage them to register. At various community outreach events, such as the Dallas Mayor's Back to School Fair. Eastfield was also marketed to students and parents alike.
"Not only did we use paid advertising, we also incorporated the registration message on our own Eastfield College Web site as well as our myspace.com page and our on-campus digital monitors," she said. "We
reached out to our database of registered and previously registered students to remind them of fall registration dates and tuition due dates."
Eastfield's marketing department is already setting plans in motion for the spring 2009 semester. McDonald said the plan is very similar to the one used this fall, but the message will be "Quality Education at an Affordable Cost. It Just Makes Sense." In addition, postcards to residents in Pleasant Grove will be mailed out along with ones for current students and recent high school graduates.
"We are trying to show students the importance of re-enrolling every semester," Hatch said.
According to a bulletin from DCCCD Chancellor Wright Lassiter a provision of $1 million from the budget has been approved by the Board of Trustees to be used to increase enrollment.
"This is the second year in succession that provision have been made for additions to college allocations for enrollment increases," Lassiter said.
The memo stated that the Board of Trustees granted the provision based on a projected revenue increase in revenue from local taxes. It also states that the increase is not the result of a higher DCCCD tax rate, but rather a local rise in property valuations.
"We are very happy with the enrollment increase," Hatch said. "And we are ready to keep moving forward."
corrine.asbell@gmail.com
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