Case Study:
UC Riverside
Graduate Open House

Developed and launched campus-wide Graduate Open House and first-of-its-kind marketing campaign.

The Challenge

UC Riverside was embarking on efforts to increase both awareness and enrollment across graduate programs. At the time, graduate marketing and admissions efforts were decentralized, and there lacked a campus wide recruitment strategy. The dean of the Graduate Division approached me to bring my expertise to impact application growth and broader awareness of the University’s strengths as a public R1 institution, specifically among prospective graduate students and key feeder communities.

Strategy

After meeting with the dean and various leaders, I conceived and launched UC Riverside’s first campus-wide Graduate Open House, intentionally designed to serve dual strategic objectives:

  1. Increase graduate applications and yield across programs, and

  2. Elevate awareness of UCR’s academic excellence, research mission, and graduate education offerings through a first of its kind marketing campaign that combined bus bench campaigns, advanced digital marketing, and email outreach.

Leadership Through Influence

I presented the concept to the dean of the School of Education and the dean of the Graduate Division, proposing a campus-wide event that would bring prospective students to UCR. From there I built alignment and trust across academic leadership, the Graduate Division, admissions, and communications partners. Led the work through influence rather than formal authority, aligning stakeholders around the value of a unified institutional approach.

Execution

  • Designed the institutional recruitment and brand narrative positioning UCR as a destination for graduate study

  • Led the coordinated marketing and communications campaign to drive registrations while amplifying institutional and individual program awareness

  • Partnered with Graduate Division and academic units to ensure participation and consistent messaging across channels

  • Developed Graduate Division brochure used for recruitment, engagement and outreach internationally

Marketing Campaign

Digital Advertising: Retargeted website visitors, lookalike audiences, and priority demographics to promote event registration and institutional awareness. 300K impressions served

Outdoor Advertising: Deployed an 11-bench bus bench campaign for four weeks near key feeder institutions (including Cal Poly Pomona and CSU Fullerton), extending UCR’s graduate brand visibility beyond campus

Email Marketing: Coordinated institution-wide outreach leveraging GRE lists, saved applications, Slate CRM prospects, UCR juniors and seniors, career centers, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Brochure: Working closely with deans of Graduate Division and Grad Success director, I oversaw the production of a brochure aimed communicating the strengths, impact, and distinct identity of the Graduate Division for prospective students and partners. VIEW

Impact

  • 40% of Graduate Open House attendees applied to UCR graduate programs

  • Increased graduate applications and yield across participating programs

  • Significantly expanded awareness of UCR’s graduate offerings and institutional brand within key feeder markets

  • Established a sustainable, annual recruitment, and brand-building program that is now embedded in UCR’s institutional graduate enrollment strategy

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