UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Several projects that Penn State World Campus has implemented to impact its conversion, retention and alumni engagement efforts were presented to the Board of Trustees Committee on Outreach, Development, and Community Relations on Oct. 19.

Vice Provost for Online Education Renata Engel shared updates on several initiatives aimed at converting prospective students to enrollees, such as the redesign of the University’s undergraduate application to improve its use for adult learner prospective students who want to learn online. Engel also discussed a new scholarship program and several other financial aid programs that have been implemented to help students succeed.

These projects align with President Neeli Bendapudi’s goals to transform internal operations and improve student success.

“For many adult learners, earning a degree online provides the pathway to pursue their bachelor’s degree or complete their graduate degree to take the next step in their career,” Engel said. “Our approaches examine every step of the process to identify areas where we can support them, and then we create innovative solutions to address their needs -- beginning with when they are prospective students through enrolling in their first courses. And once they have enrolled, we want to make sure we support their success through to degree completion.”

Conversion efforts

The redesign of the Penn State undergraduate application was a collaboration between World Campus Enrollment Management Services and the Penn State Undergraduate Admissions office. An analysis of the previous application showed that as many as 40% of the applicants stopped working on their application before choosing a major or campus of study.

With an increasing interest in online learning, World Campus sought to add a question that asks applicants their preferred mode of learning, on campus or online. In addition, applicants now choose a major prior to adding education information or selecting a starting campus, graduating campus, or alternate campus. These changes allow World Campus admissions counselors to identify prospective students and follow up to complete and submit their Penn State application.

Other initiatives Engel addressed were:

• Stackable credentials: World Campus is partnering with University colleges and campuses to offer its first stackable credentials, which are graduate-level certificates that students will earn in succession and result in the completion of a master’s degree. The first offerings will be in engineering and technology.

• Explore World Campus: Establishment of a pilot program aimed at prospective students to help them proceed through the application stage by addressing some of their timely questions. This project is expected to yield an increase in the number of submitted undergraduate applications through personalized outreach to prospective students who have not started an application and those who started one but did not submit it.

Retention efforts

Engel told the committee about the new World Campus progressive scholarship initiative, which is a pilot program that will provide funding to 90 undergraduate students who complete tasks that have been identified as being the kinds that encourage successful behavior. They include meeting with an adviser, registering for courses during their enrollment window, and maintaining a certain grade-point average, among others.

Other retention initiatives Engel addressed included:

• Military grant-in-aid: Since 2008, World Campus has offered military grant-in-aid assistance to undergraduate-level active duty, guard, and reserve service members and their spouses. For the 2023-24 academic year, the grant-in-aid lowers the cost of undergraduate tuition, and when combined with Tuition Assistance from the Department of Defense, students’ remaining tuition cost is $119 per credit.
• Smart Track to Success: This program, first launched in 2017, consists of a two-semester course for first-time college students that augments their academic program and focuses on skills and mentoring to put them on a solid path for their academic program. Students receive a $3,000 scholarship while they are enrolled in the two-semester program. To date, 685 students have completed this program.

Alumni engagement efforts

Engel briefed the committee about the various ways World Campus engages its alumni directly through its staff’s efforts or through the Penn State Alumni Association. Highlights included:

• The World Campus Alumni Society Board, which is composed of 17 members and three committees.
• The World Campus recognizes an undergraduate and a graduate alumnus each year with outstanding alumni awards. This year’s winners will be announced Oct. 26.
• The Office of Development and Alumni Relations conducts numerous engagement activities and initiatives, such as the Alumni and Friends newsletter that is sent to 25,000 graduates and "Meet the Vice Provost" events happening this fall in three cities.