Student Ambassadors: Stepping Up Recruitment at the Graduate Level

To aid the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health with outreach and recruitment, the Office of Student Services and Alumni Affairs initiated a graduate student Ambassador program in 2011.  With a competitive application process, the volunteer Ambassador group has grown from five Ambassadors in the first year to 16 Ambassadors during the 2015-2016 school year.  Ambassadors now represent MPH, MS, PhD, and DrPH programs, as well as every area of study within the College. 

Graduate Student Ambassadors proudly represent the College’s student perspective to prospective students and their families, the University of Arizona, the community, and other groups as called upon. College Ambassadors assist with activities including the following:  communication with prospective and admitted students; outreach to campus clubs and organizations; tabling events on campus, as well as at local and national recruiting events; and student panels for classes and visit days.  With profiles on the College’s website and welcome e-mails sent to applicants and admitted students, Ambassadors bring the student perspective to admissions, which was previously a faculty and staff run process.

This poster will explain the process of recruiting and selecting Ambassadors; the arc of their growth over the past few years; the development of the popular student blog, COPHee Break:  Students Chime in from the Desert; the effect Ambassadors have had on recruitment; and a qualitative assessment of their effectiveness.