This effort includes such things as having key staff members assume leadership roles in professional counseling organizations, providing professional-development opportunities for counselors and pursuing a regional approach to recruitment.

Counselors can play a major role in high-school students' college decision-making, notes Regina Toomey, director of admissions. While counselors are not as influential once a student has been admitted and is making the decision where to attend, they often are consulted by students at the beginning of their college search, when developing a list of potential campuses, Toomey points out. "So we want to be sure that we are on as many of these 'colleges to be seriously considered/explored' lists as possible.

"We know from our research that many counselors have old or insufficient understandings of UB, and that they have less and less time to gain an up-to-date impression," she says. "So, we have to supply this information in a way that is readily digestible.

"We know that if we can get on a student's initial radar screen, we have opened the door to a lot of information that we can send their way-targeted, focused mailings, invitations to campus and, in many cases, scholarships for strong students," she says. "We know this process of influencing choice among accepted applicants is working. Our admitted student yield has risen about 5 percent over the past 5 years. So, what we need to do now is to build more interest among prospective applicants."

Among the initiatives implemented to help UB improve relationships with counselors and get on students' "radar screens":

- Staff members are taking leadership positions in the New York State Association for College Admissions Counseling, an organization in which secondary-school counselors interact with college admissions staff in areas of professional development. Admissions staff members also have coordinated statewide professional development forums, including one held at UB.

"We see our organizational involvement as offering a tremendous opportunity to build and foster strong professional relationships with school counselors, many of whom are highly recognized for their leadership roles," says Carmela Thompson, associate director of admissions.

- UB has hosted numerous school-counselor conferences and meetings, such as the Fall 1999 SUNY Operation Inform, the 1999 Western New York Counseling Association business meeting and the Spring 2000 Western New York Suburban Counselor's Association business meeting.

- UB has established a Western New York school-counselor advisory board composed of counselors from private, public, urban and suburban schools throughout Erie and Niagara counties. "Input from the membership has proven helpful to us in the areas of market research and improved understanding of the professional needs of counselors," Thompson says, adding that creating the board has allowed the university to "showcase" many of its facilities and student services.

Notes Toomey: "We need guidance from these key stakeholders-so the information pipeline, in this case, needs to works in the reverse. Our advisory council helps us stay up-to-date on student, parent and counselor needs."

- The admissions staff has been organized into regional teams for all recruitment activities, including visits to schools, application review and scholarship recommendations. "While this should be helpful to applicants, it is great for counselors, who should always know who to call at UB Admissions, no matter what point the student is at in the application or enrollment process."

- In conjunction with the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology (CEP) in the Graduate School of Education, Frances Bernstein, assistant director of admissions, developed and co-taught a graduate-level course entitled "Applied Counseling Problems." The course, the first of its kind at UB, was developed to address the lack of formal college-admissions training among students enrolled in the CEP School Counseling Program, many of whom are entry-level counselors at UB's feeder schools, Thompson says.

While these initiatives are part of the overall admissions recruitment strategy, Toomey says the bigger issue is how to influence the image or perception of UB among counselors and, ultimately, prospective students.

"It is not so much making sure the counselor knows the process of applying to UB or what majors we offer-although those are important. The focus here is on creating the understanding that this is the place to be," she says.

"And that means that they should hear great things about us along many dimensions. For example, when they consider graduate education for themselves, do they enroll in UB? Do they see this as a place that will give them a leg up on getting that prime counselor job in a desired district?" she asks.

"When they need help with a problem, do they see us as experts? When they need an expert to address their administration, students or parents, does UB jump to mind as the source for expert help? When they read their alumni magazine or talk with their students who are UB grads, do they hear good things?

"These are just examples of ways in which we can influence attitudes," she adds. "So, the 'overall recruitment strategy' is really a part of the larger 'image-enhancement' effort."