CLS Outreach and Recruitment Update for 2012 Summer Institutes

Recruitment Highlights

At 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time, the 2012 CLS Program application deadline closed. Similar to the last several years, application numbers continued to remain strong. For the 2012 application cycle, 5225 applications were received. Applications came in from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Institutional diversity remains strong, as applications were received from students at community colleges, minority-serving institutions, large public land-grant universities, small liberal arts colleges, women’s colleges, and military academies.

This year, the CLS Team conducted outreach visits to the following states: Delaware, South Carolina, Texas, Nebraska, Georgia, and Louisiana, as well as visits to “local” visits in the D.C.-metropolitan region (the CLS Program is based in Washington, D.C.).

Alumni Ambassadors

CLS Alumni Ambassadors played a critical role in outreach and recruitment! The Ambassadors, who hail from universities all across the country, conducted CLS information sessions, attended study abroad fairs, set up information table inside student union buildings and residence halls, and visited language classes. The Ambassadors were also very active on CLS social media platforms and responded to email questions sent through the CLS webpage. To view profiles of our Alumni Ambassadors, go to: http://www.clscholarship.org/alumni/ambassadors/index.html.

Webinars and Webchats

For the first time ever, the CLS Program conducted several live webinars for distance education students. The students were part of an Arabic language distance education course, sponsored by Montana State University. 

The CLS Program also conducted a live webchat on the State Alumni website, which was geared to alumni of other Department of State exchange programs, particularly NSLI-Y and Gilman.

Social Media

Social media continues to play an integral role in CLS outreach and recruitment. Our Facebook page now has over 2,700 fans and in the weeks leading up to the 2012 application deadline, applicants were tweeting words of encouragement and support to one another. Questions and comments continued to pop-up on our Facebook wall, blog, and ExchangesConnect, and the CLS Team sent out “Tips of the Day” to help students navigate the application process.

2012 promises to be another exciting year for the CLS Program!