Our Clients' Success is Our Success
As we prepare to welcome our entering class of 2010 to St. Mary’s University, we analyze the strategy and tactics that have us on a trajectory of exceeding our new student enrollment goal. Launched in fall 2009, the use of Text Updates through Mongoose Research allowed St. Mary’s to add a distinctive component to its communication mix.
We’re respectful of how personal the mobile phone is to most teens, and so prospective students must opt-in to receive Text Updates. For the hundreds who opted in during our inaugural year of the service, we used this opportunity to continue to strengthen the relationships our admission counselors work diligently to build throughout the recruitment cycle. We provided a service that included friendly reminders of key application dates and packing lists for overnight visits, but our overarching goal was to use the service to craft an image of St. Mary’s in the students’ minds and imaginations.
When Dave Marshall, president of Mongoose Research, contacted me in January 2009 to tell me about his new venture, I saw it as the perfect opportunity for St. Mary’s to become an early adopter of a communication mode used by teens across the country. Dave and I share a successful history of partnering to use technology to enhance communication. He has made significant contributions to helping the institutions where I’ve worked meet or exceed our targets. I respect his vision.
Suzanne Petrusch
Vice President for Enrollment Management
St. Mary's University
