The Recruiting and Outreach team of Amarillo College uses its platform and message to not only get students through the doors at AC, but to build intentional relationships with every student individualized to their specific schedule and goals. By tackling several different areas that are all aimed toward getting the student enrolled in college, R&O has implemented and improvised some of its processes to better cater to the needs of the student.
As part of their innovative efforts, they have created an outreach calendar that is available on a read-only basis to all AC family members. Through the calendar, faculty and staff of Amarillo College can be aware of when and where a recruiting event is taking place. Recruiting events include: FAFSA events, high school visits, tours on ANY Amarillo College campus, and college fairs. As soon as an event is scheduled it is immediately added to the outreach calendar, visible for everyone to see.
High School Recruitment
Amarillo College serves twenty-six counties across the Texas Panhandle, divided into two territories - Amarillo Independent School District and everyone else. The outreach team divides and conquers. While Amy Guerrero is recruiting AISD high school students, Richie Garza is focused on recruiting all other students who do not reside within the AISD district.
Adult Students
Cassie Montgomery, Director of Outreach Services, tackles the recruitment of adult students on a request-only basis. Although they prioritize high school recruiting, they certainly do not shy away from adult students who want to start or come back to school. Adult recruiting events usually take place at different employers such as BSA and Head start. Cassie expresses the importance in taking the time to sit down and discuss the prospective student’s goals and unique circumstances. This is the only way we’ll be able to tailor to what the student needs, and create a plan that will work specifically for them. In one instance, she recruited sixteen employees from BSA. One student is currently enrolled in the GED program, and another will be transferring to WT next spring. “Our non-traditional students are our traditional students, and I need to pull them up individually and treat them like human beings,” says Cassie.
Follow Ups
Follow ups are for students who have an active application but have not attended school in less than an academic year; therefore, these students do not need to apply. Outreach Services follows up with the student to gain insight on what could potentially be keeping the student from completing. By doing this, different options can be explored to advocate for the student’s schedule and circumstances to eventually get them back in the classroom and nudge them toward completion.
Thrive
The “Thrive” scholarship plays a major role in Amarillo College’s outreach efforts. Although our recruiters promote Thrive as an avenue to launch a student’s college career, they are only our messengers. Thrive is a partnership between the Amarillo Area Foundation, Amarillo College, Amarillo Independent School District, and the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation. Discover the eligibility criteria along with other details at the Thrive website.
Tours
Campus tours take place at the East, West, and Washington street campuses of Amarillo College. Tours are intended to allow prospective students an insight into the many programs that each campus houses. There are two ways to request a campus tour:
Individual tour – Submit a Request for Information form and select yes under the campus tour button. Group tour – A sponsor inquires and schedules a tour with the outreach team.
College Fairs
Outreach Services target prospective students who are currently Juniors and Seniors within Amarillo College’s service area. Although they normally do not host the college fairs, they do co-host and attend. Their main focus during these events is to promote all academic programs within the nine different communities at AC. They do this by sharing FAFSA information, assisting in the application process, job outlook advice, and answering any questions prospective students may have. In the past, R&O has represented AC at college fairs hosted by Frank Phillips, Texas Tech, WTAMU, and Region 16 to name a few.
How can you help?
AC employees are always encouraged to assist in the efforts of recruiting and welcoming our students to the college. You can help start the recruiting process by ordering perforated contact cards. These contact cards allow you to collect all of the necessary information from the prospective student that the recruiting team needs to successfully follow up with the student.
