Although the Office of Admissions has a full staff devoted to recruiting students, the support of faculty and staff is essential. Prospective students and their families are savvy and know that after they enroll, it is the faculty and other departmental staff with whom they will be most in contact for the next four years. More and more visitors to campus want to meet faculty on their initial visit. Departmental support can take many forms. It can be as simple as a smile when a tour group passes by.
Some academic departments take an active role in recruiting.
They keep track of applicants who have expressed interest in that major, place phone calls from faculty, and send letters from department chairs to woo students. It may seem like an onerous duty, but today's applicant could be tomorrow's star student. Then there are the special occasions. Sometimes a visitor arrives unexpectedly with a disability. The staff always find a way to accommodate, such as altering the tour route or locating a sign language interpreter on short notice.