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The School has standard recruitment policies and procedures that are consistent with the requirements of the University of Memphis Graduate School, which can be found at the following link:

http://memphis.edu/gradcatalog/admission_reg/index.php

The SPH seeks students who have the potential to become leading public health practitioners, administrators, researchers, and academicians, and who have the ability and passion to advocate for health equity. Our recruitment plan targets several groups: undergraduates in pre-professional

programs, current students in the health and social sciences, and professionals in the public health and health care workforce. Moreover, in keeping with our mission of improving health in the Mid-South, a key goal is to recruit a student population that reflects the diverse community whom we serve. Our SPH Marketing Committee meets regularly to review application/enrollment status, and we have developed a strategic plan to enhance recruitment. This Committee assumes responsibility for monitoring student enrollment and retention.

Our marketing strategy is to inform potential students of our high urban need, the affordability of our programs, and availability of fellowships. An important new recruiting tool is our ability to provide scholarships for MPH students with financial need through a gift from a private foundation. The SPH uses the following resources for student recruitment

1) SPH Website (http://www.memphis.edu/sph/) Information about academic programs and

faculty members can be found through the University of Memphis, SPH website. All of the information is current, with links to the University of Memphis Graduate School,

Centralized Application Service for Public Health (SOPHAS) website, etc. We are currently developing videos to post on our website in which current students of various backgrounds and cultures share their experiences and reasons for attending the University of Memphis SPH. 2) Hobson’s online inquiries: visitors to the University website who express an interest in public

health are contacted by our Academic Services Coordinator and Assistant Dean.

3) SPH Magazine: The SPH publishes a magazine annually to distribute to potential students, as well as alumni and community members. The magazine is uploaded to the website in PDF form (and the most recent issue is included in the ERF).

4) University recruitment events are held regularly on campus: Our MPH Director, Academic Services Coordinator, and student leaders attend Graduate School Fairs and follow-up with participants who express interest in any of our programs.

5) Presentations to undergraduate students in courses and health-related career clubs: Our faculty and staff regularly visit local colleges and universities throughout the state and region, and particularly Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to recruit talented students and describe our research addressing various public health issues in Memphis and the surrounding areas. 6) Professional meetings: We recruit prospective students for all academic programs at national

public health venues (American Public Health Association), state and regional professional associations (Tennessee Public Health Association), and through professional organizations (e.g., nursing, dietetics, psychology, medicine). Print materials for all programs and incentives are distributed at these professional meetings.

7) Career Fairs: Our staff conducts outreach to recruit associates of hospitals and medical centers who wish to gain expertise in population health.

The University of Memphis Office of Multicultural

Affairs (http://www.memphis.edu/multiculturalaffairs/index.htm )

In an effort to increase diversity of students in the SPH, the School plans to partner with the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University to increase awareness about our graduate degree programs among undergraduate students, specifically among minority students. The Office of Multicultural Affairs serves as a resource for students, providing information on scholarships, internships, employment opportunities, and community resources available to them. The Office also works in conjunction with various other campus departments as well as community agencies to provide students with services that may assist them in academic and professional endeavors. The Office of Multicultural Affairs houses seven student organizations.

1) African Student Association

2) Black Scholars Unlimited

3) Black Student Association

4) Empowered Men of Color

5) Hispanic Students Association

6) National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

7) Professional Assertive United Sisters of Excellence

Student Recruitment and Admissions Plan

The SPH Marketing and Recruitment Committee, consisting of representatives from each programs and concentration in the SPH, developed a formal plan to increase admissions, with the specific intent to

enroll a qualified, diverse student body. The recruitment plan was then presented to SPH students representing masters and doctoral programs (10 MPH, 4 PhD, and 3 MHA students) and revised after taking into consideration their valuable input.

The SPH goal is to increase current enrollment by 20% each year for the next five years, in part by increasing applications by 25% each year for the next five years.

Special efforts will be made to recruit a diverse student body that reflects the communities we serve. Recruitment targets include the following:

African American Parity with the percentage of African Americans represented among the

undergraduate student population at the University of Memphis (approximately 34%; interestingly this is almost exactly representative of the percentage of African Americans in West Tennessee)

Hispanic Parity with the percentage of Hispanics represented among the

undergraduate student population at the University of Memphis (approximately 4%; this is slightly lower than the percentage of Hispanics in West Tennessee, which is between 5 and 6 %; but not surprising given that this is the fastest growing ethnic category and the percentage fluctuates substantially depending on the time of year)

First Generation Parity with the percentage of University of Memphis undergraduate

Graduate Students students who are first generation college students (approximately 23%;

an important metric for the SPH given both the University and School’s mission, vision and values)

Tactics to increase applications include the following: • Enhance website—first priority identified by students • Increase national, regional, state, and local visibility

• Concentrate on high urban need, relatively affordable tuition (the SPH is a new participant in SOPHAS as of Fall 2014)

• Increase the number of fellowships

• Increase the number of graduate assistantships with SPH faculty researchers • Website revision to include student experiences—quotes and videos

• Webinars for regional and national student recruitment

• Create and maintain a SPH Facebook page (the most important social media tool identified by students); the MPH Student Association already has a Facebook page, but the SPH needs one to utilize more broadly for all academic programs, faculty highlights, research, etc.

• Explore the possibility of creating and maintaining a SPH LinkedIn account

• Make more use of the School’s Twitter account (https://twitter.com/UofMemphisSPH)

• Open houses that include current students, alumni, and faculty • Target undergraduate pre-health professions advisors nationwide

• Presence at national, state, local professional venues (meetings, worksites) • Presence at regional and local university graduate school recruitment fairs

Tactics to increase yield:

• Maintain a database to follow up on all inquiries

• Faculty follow-up of SOPHAS applications throughout the application process • Alumni follow-up with potential applicants

• Target allied health, pre-med, social sciences students, honors students • Target specific campus student organizations (Office of Multicultural Affairs) • Target working professionals (hospitals, professional organizations)

4.3.b Statement of admissions policies and procedures. If these differ by degree, a description