The latest freshmen class size grew 17 percent thanks at least in part to the admission office staff’s efforts.

Going from approximately 850 first-year students in fall 2013 to an impressive 950 freshmen this fall, it is apparent that something changed in the recruiting process for freshmen that has made a positive impact on university  numbers.

Due to the growing student numbers, Pitt-Johnstown housing officials were essentially forced to place some of freshmen in residence halls originally intended for upperclassmen only.

The encouraging increase showed that Therese Grimes, Pitt-Johnstown’s Admissions executive director, and her recruitment team may have hit a home run.

Employees made some specific changes to their marketing campaign that have seemed to pay off.

While creating profiles and expanding on the newest social websites, recruiters have done a good job on their advertisements that explain some of the benefits for potential Pitt-Johnstown students.

It is important for the admissions team to reach out to students online because that is a more up-to-date way of communication for the younger generation.

Not only is there a Facebook page for freshmen to like and find out information about the university, but there is also a Twitter account, Pinterest board and YouTube channel.

A professional LinkedIn profile and updated website also were created to reach out to potential students.

Another way workers promoted Pitt-Johnstown was by running ads on different music applications such as Spotify, using airtime to motivate students to visit campus and learn more about the university.

The team met high school seniors by attending college fairs and setting up meet and greets with prospective students.

The importance of meeting potential students is that it allows them to have a one-on-one experience with a knowledgeable counselor.

The more recruiters work with different techniques on how to reach prospective students, the more numbers they can bring to the university.

When it comes to colleges students have applied to, Pitt-Johnstown now stands out more than ever thanks to the innovative methods the team has developed.

We hope the numbers of first-year students continue to grow through next year.

With further development from the admissions team, more success can be brought to the university as a whole.