Celebrating Staff Accomplishments
Our operations teams took on many new challenges presented by the pandemic during the fall 2020 term. As we head toward the new year, we look back and celebrate their accomplishments. We did it!
Office of Admissions and Records
This fall, the Office of Admissions and Records assembled a comprehensive schedule of communications, activities and events within a virtual space to recruit undergraduate and graduate students to the School of Nursing. Our calendar of events included program-specific webinars, a Graduate Open House, admissions information sessions, national college fairs, individual counseling appointments and so much more. Since September, the Admissions and Records team has planned and/or participated in over 80 recruitment events, connecting with more than 700 prospective students. We have appreciated the opportunity to expand our recruitment reach using new and exciting virtual methods and look forward to continuing this momentum in the new year.
Development Office
The Development team’s activity with donors has not stopped during the pandemic. We can point to two very special achievements this year. The first is our school’s venture into digital fundraising, which began with the We Dare Challenge during the month of October, when 147 donors — more then half being first-time donors to the School of Nursing — generated nearly $22,000 in support of student projects. Donors attended a livestream presentation and voted for the project they wanted to support. Projects receiving the most votes were the U-M Student-Run Free Clinic in Pinckney and the Nursing Innovate 4 Change Challenge, which will sponsor a hack-a-thon with the proceeds from the effort. A shout-out to the Communications and Marketing team, who partnered with us on the project. The second achievement is the roughly $1.2 million raised since July 1, the start of a new fiscal year. This total puts the U-M School of Nursing at its second best start to a fundraising year within in the last five years. This year only falls behind 2016, when fundraising was taking place to support the new construction of the 426 N. Ingalls Building.
Human Resources
The Human Resources team collaborated with executive leadership and faculty and staff supervisors on search and recruitment activities for critical roles within the school to meet the tripartite mission during the university-wide hiring freeze. This resulted in a significant paradigm shift in regular business processes. Through this collaboration, the HR team developed a number of new tools for communication, data for decision-making, process changes, and reporting at the school and university levels. The U-M School of Nursing HR team provided solutions that enhanced workflow within evolving university-wide constraints. These solutions and enhancements reduced barriers and enabled the hiring of those who provide critical face-to-face clinical education, course support, faculty research and administration, as well as digital education development during these exceptional times.
Facilities
In a cross-unit effort, we developed the new online forms and accompanying processes for the request for removal and the return of equipment for remote use. Units involved in the process include Finance, IT and Facilities teams.
Communications and Marketing
Working in collaboration with our colleagues in recruiting and admissions, the Communications and Marketing team developed a digital BSN viewbook for use in the 2021 recruiting and yield cycle. The viewbook incorporates a mix of storytelling methods, including first-person testimonials, news features and Q&As — all aimed at creating an authentic view of the student experience at U-M, while outlining the key benefits of a Michigan BSN degree. Designed with an eye toward the increasing importance of cross-channel digital marketing in the new COVID-19 world, the BSN viewbook can be easily shared through any digital channel.
