Responsiveness to a Prospective Student E-Mail Inquiry by Community Colleges in the Nine Mega-States

This quantitative study investigated e-mail responsiveness by community colleges in the nine mega-states to an inquiry from a prospective student. Noel-Levitz (2006b Noel-Levitz . ( 2006b ). Engaging the “Social Networking” generation: How to talk to today's college-bound juniors and seniors . Retrieved from http://ww.noellevitz.com  Google Scholar]) reported that prospective students want to receive an e-mail with information about an institution prior to applying for admission. Specifically, high school juniors and seniors want to have a two-way conversation with an institutional representative during their college search (Noel-Levitz, 2006a Noel-Levitz . (2006a). Navigating toward e-recruitment: Ten revelations about interacting with college-bound high school students . Retrieved from http://www.noellevitz.com  Google Scholar], 2007a Noel-Levitz . ( 2007a ). Building an e-recruitment network: Connecting with college-bound seniors in the era of MySpace . Retrieved from http://www.noellevitz.com  Google Scholar], 2007b Noel-Levitz . ( 2007b ). Following the link to two-year colleges: The e-expectations of high school students considering community college . Retrieved from http://www.noellevitz.com  Google Scholar], 2008 Noel-Levitz . ( 2008 ). 2008 e-recruiting practices report: Benchmarks for two-year and four-year institutions . Retrieved from http://www.noellevitz.com  Google Scholar]). Research also indicates that community colleges are not as likely as four-year institutions to use web-based communication with prospective students (Noel-Levitz, 2008 Noel-Levitz . ( 2008 ). 2008 e-recruiting practices report: Benchmarks for two-year and four-year institutions . Retrieved from http://www.noellevitz.com  Google Scholar]; Peakow, 2006 Peakow , C. ( 2006 , June 19 ). Survey: Most community colleges don't use the Web to recruit. Community College Week , 18 ( 23 ). Retrieved from http://www.ccweek.com  Google Scholar]). Half of the community colleges in this study replied to an e-mail inquiry from a prospective student within five business days, just over 30% of community colleges responded with individualized responses, and a number of institutions utilized automated software that did not address the prospective student's questions. Community colleges must acknowledge and respond to the wants and needs of their prospective students for two-way communication during the college search process. With the dramatic expansion of web-based communications options, community colleges that routinely ignore prospective student e-mail inquiries risk a negative backlash from a variety of directions. Numerous student complaints about an institution's lack of responsiveness could trigger any number of local- and state-level concerns impacting everything from simple image and reputation to questions about administrative priorities and the appropriateness of funding levels.