A Fully Supported In-House Student Search

+2.4%

Increase in Submitted Applications

+22.1%

Average Open Rate for Senior Search Emails

A fully supported Slate implementation brings student search in-house with confidence.

To transition Student Search in-house while managing a complex CRM implementation, St. John Fisher College partnered with Carnegie for end-to-end Slate support—ensuring uninterrupted recruitment, stronger engagement, and data-driven enrollment momentum.

The Challenge

The admissions staff at St. John Fisher College, a private liberal arts college in Pittsford, New York, ran into a common problem when deciding to implement Slate in early 2020: How would their small staff manage the implementation of a new CRM while trying to conduct business as usual? Their goal? Focus on bringing Student Search in-house for fall 2021 using all of Slate’s communication tools, providing a portal for students who have applied, and accessing analytics that would inform recruitment strategy.

Our Approach

With the help of Carnegie’s Slate Optimization team, Underscore, Fisher’s admissions team was able to better manage all these competing tasks and approach each project with tested best practices and proven experience. Carnegie’s Slate team provided extensive and ongoing implementation support (modeled after the Technolutions Roadmap) to identify key milestones and ensure students would be recruited and have the ability to apply in the fall. Transferring the necessary enrollment data to Slate while effectively utilizing that data during an ongoing implementation cycle is tricky, but Carnegie’s Slate experts were able to collaborate with the implementation and build reports that ensured no students were left behind in the active recruitment cycle.

In tandem with the Implementation and operational improvements, our Slate content experts were focused on engaging with prospective students. By building a dynamic portal for both undergraduate and graduate students to utilize throughout the entire application cycle, the team made sure that relevant data was accessible to students at every stage of the funnel. Additionally, Fisher was supported with an extensive multichannel Senior Search campaign to ensure that their recruitment efforts didn’t lag during the implementation.

The Results

Our unique structure and dedicated team helped St. John Fisher College streamline its business processes and ultimately increase their day-to-day efficiencies. The Slate team was also able to incorporate some of the more advanced features offered within the CRM, including the development of dynamic student portals, personalized communications, and specialized reports to inform future enrollment decisions. St. John Fisher saw increases in both applicant and deposit volume as well as year-over-year increase in average GPA, SAT, and ACT scores of deposited students.

+2.4%

Increase in Submitted Applications

+22.1%

Average Open Rate for Senior Search Emails

+74%

Of First-Year Applicant Pool from Slate Senior Search (3,355 applications)

+90.6%

Of First-Year Deposited Students from Slate Senior Search (549 deposits)

Underscore was outstanding to work with, and we couldn’t have asked for a better partner during this challenging but exciting Slate implementation. Their extensive Slate knowledge and expertise in communications, combined with steady and consistent leadership were instrumental in our implementation success. I expect the Underscore team will continue to thrive in partner relationships and implementation support in the future.

Dave Roberts Senior Associate Director of Freshman Admissions St. John Fisher College