Best of CASE District V Award
 

Institution: Northern Michigan University

Title of entry: Admissions Viewbook 2023

About this entry: NMU's Marketing and Communications Office worked closely with Admissions to address post-Covid concerns of high students, mainly those of wellbeing, acceptance and support for the whole self. As a regional university in the remote Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we also must dispel fears of distance, long winters, and "nothing to do," while we compete for students with our well-known, large, state universities. In the viewbook, we turn those perceived negatives into positives and showcase the huge variety of activities that are enjoyed in our beautiful wilderness, the warm and welcoming community and creative culture of the city of Marquette, and NMU's breadth of excellent, immersive academics. We also include interactive areas to help guide students in identifying their academic journey and process.
Admissions counselors reported that at high school fairs, "students were excited that the book is so hefty, and that everything is in it." (A tuition and scholarship sheet and stickers are they only other handouts.) They perceived its value and would ask if it was OK to take it. This compared to other schools', "which had "tons of papers on the tables." It also didn't get lost in students' bags with so many other loose materials. Students also enjoyed the great photography, color scheme and vibrancy of the book.
While many factors influence enrollment, we believe the viewbook plays a large role in our consistent figures showing a 10% increase in first-year/freshman applications and a 15% increase in orientation registrations, both over last year.