Kentucky Wesleyan Fall 2014 Enrollment Increase, Honors Trustee Involved in Recruitment Efforts
June 24, 2014
Kentucky Wesleyan College President Craig Turner announced today that the Admissions and Financial Aid Center will be named the Luellen Pyles Enrollment Center in honor of the 1944 graduate and long-time trustee. “No one has done more to recruit students over the years than Miss Luellen,” remarked Turner. “She has served for decades on recruitment committees of the Board of Trustees and began hosting receptions for prospective students back in 1950. Countless graduates have earned Wesleyan degrees because she introduced them to the College and encouraged them as students.”
Rev. Tom Grieb, the chairperson of the Kentucky Wesleyan Board of Trustees, reflected on Luellen Pyles’ association with the College. “She literally grew up at Wesleyan – with both parents working at the College. She has been our greatest advocate and our greatest ambassador for decades.”
Turner also shared information on anticipated enrollment increases for the Fall 2014 semester. “We are quite pleased that our enrollment strategy is coming to fruition, and I don’t think anyone is happier than Luellen,” said Turner. Enrollment deposits have increased 46% (194 vs. 133) since this time last year, and Wesleyan hosted the largest admitted students’ event in recent years in April. Campus visits are up over 60% from 2012.
The enrollment strategy, initiated in 2011, began with hiring more admissions counselors and a focus on recruitment outside the immediate region, including an emphasis on Jefferson County. A new Admissions and Financial Aid Center was completed in 2012, and according to Admissions Director Rashad Smith, the recruitment communication plan is continually evaluated and revised to effectively communicate to high schools students. “Although nothing replaces face-to-face contact and campus visits, many of our initial contacts with prospective students are electronic, quite a change from my early days as an admissions counselor,” explained Smith. “Just watch young people in restaurants. They are on their phones, touching base through social media constantly. It’s fun to keep up with current trends.”
Luellen Pyles, a Maysville resident, has served on the Kentucky Wesleyan College Board of Trustees since 1972. She was the executive vice president of a Cincinnati marketing firm where she did advertising and consumer research. She developed innovative research methods that are still in use today, and she opened branch offices in five foreign countries.
Kentucky Wesleyan College is a highly-ranked four-year United Methodist-related academic institution offering a wide range of majors in the liberal arts. The College is recognized as a:
· Washington Monthly “Best Baccalaureate College” in the nation at No. 29.
· U.S. News “Best Value School” in the South at No. 7.
· U.S. News “Best Regional College” in the South at No. 18.
· Princeton Review “Best in the Southeast College.”