In the North/Far North, Butte College has hired a recruiter to increase the number of students/special population

students enrolling at the college. The recruiter presents and provides Butte College

information at high schools and community events. He also presents at campus activities

and organizes campus tours. All local high schools are visited, as well as many in a broad

service area. These presentations may be dedicated to information on the college, or the

recruiter may be a participant in general information nights or career fairs. To reach out

to potential older students, presentations have been made at mall career fairs, resource

fairs, farmers markets, and county fairs. Presentations and information have been made

available at community cultural events including Migrant Education Parent Information

Nights, Rancheria Celebrations, Latino Youth Leadership Conferences, Cinco de Mayo

Celebrations, among cultural festivals, and National Hispanic College Fairs.

At all of these events potential students are asked to give the recruiter their contact

information and indicate any areas of special interest. The recruiter then personalizes a

response and sends out information packets. Potential students receive a personal letter

thanking them for their interest in the college and in many cases a letter from the

department in which they have indicated an interest.

The office is currently planning to institute its first “Butte College Family Day" which

will target Asian and Hispanic families. The college recognizes that for many students,

particularly those from minority groups, the process of choosing a college is a

collaborative effort that involves the family. The purpose of the Butte College Family

Day will be to allow students and families an opportunity to see first hand the

opportunities available to them at the college. The day will include workshops, panels of

successful students, and a free lunch. The day will conclude with the opportunity to

attend a college football game.

The recruiter works out of the campus information office under the direction of the

Coordinator of Student Activities, Campus Information, and Outreach. There are several

student assistants who help with campus tours and student contact. The project is guided

by a campus advisory committee comprised of the major campus stake-holders which

meets monthly.

The program started in January of 2002. It was originally funded in a collaborative

venture involving VTEA (Vocational Technical Education Act), EOPS (Extended

Opportunities Programs and Services), DSPS (Disabled Students Programs and Services,

and Cal SOAP (California Student Opportunity Access Program). In the current year the

District has taken over approximately 30% of the funding, with the remainder coming

from VTEA and Cal SOAP.

All applications that are passed out at recruitment events and mailed to prospective

students are stamped with the words "Recruitment and Outreach." The Admissions

Office separates those applications from the others so that a personal follow-up can be

made by the Recruitment Office. In the fall of 2002 there were 37 applications which

resulted in 23 enrollments. This generated 14.04 FTES (Full Time Equivalent Students.)

One year later in the fall of 2003 the applications jumped to 147 out of which 80 students

enrolled generating 70.87 FTES. The program is clearly having an impact.

To replicate this program, a first important step is to develop a thorough understanding of

the campus and its offerings so that accurate personalized information can be given to

prospective students. It is also important to learn what recruitment efforts may be taking

place in individual departments and to collaborate with those efforts as much as possible.

Secondly, the recruiter must be flexible in order to adapt to recruitment opportunities.

Some settings require a lengthy, large-group presentation others are informal gatherings

or require information on demand. The key is to be able to personalize the information:

Listen to the prospective student and his/her family. Be aware of cultural

differences/concerns. Find out what is of interested to prospective students and followup

with personal contact. In order to be truly effective, the recruiter must have a love of

education and a sense for its value.  Recruitment and retention - Far North Consortium -

3536 Butte Campus Dr

Oroville, CA 95965

(530) 895-2948, zunigabr@butte.edu