NursingCAS Dispatch

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September 2021
The NursingCAS Dispatch is a monthly newsletter intended to keep you up to date with current happenings at NursingCAS. The newsletter will feature:
  • NursingCAS Know-How, an in-depth examination of a NursingCAS feature.
  • NursingCAS by the Numbers, a metric to showcase application statistics and other relevant data.
  • User Updates to keep you in the loop, so you can keep your team and applicants in the loop.
  • Social Beat, which will feature nursing and admissions news from around the web.

 NURSINGCAS KNOW-HOW

Early Rate Ends September 15: Virtual Fair Registration
Register to participate and host a room in the NursingCAS Virtual College Recruitment Fair on October 7. Early Registration is $295 and ends on September 15. Beginning September 16, the registration fee will increase to $395. We encourage you to register early to save $100 and get a jumpstart on setting up your program’s personal fair agenda and webpage. Website and event sponsorships are also available.

This Virtual Fair is offered only to NursingCAS participating schools and allows programs to chat virtually with prospective students in their personalized chat rooms in this live, online event. The chatroom will be available to NursingCAS schools from 10am-8pm EST, and programs can select their chat hours during that time frame. AACN will promote the Discover Nursing Virtual Fair to 95,000+ current NursingCAS applicants. Last year’s event included 3,334 students from 49 states and 36 countries, with 115 colleges of nursing participating. 

AACN encourages all NursingCAS schools to participate! Questions? Send an email to CareerEco or Nelli Balkarova, NursingCAS Admissions and Outreach Manager.

Successful NursingCAS 2021-22 Cycle Launch & Next Steps for Programs in DRAFT Status
The NursingCAS 2021-2022 Application Cycle successfully opened on August 12! More than 1,450 programs launched representing doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s, associate’s, and certificate programs. An additional 1,100 programs will open later this cycle. Since August 12, over 8,400 applicants have created a NursingCAS account in the new cycle with 14,936 in-progress applications. 

The NursingCAS team continues to review and push programs live in the 2021-2022 cycle. If your programs are still in “Draft” status, please submit them for review in the 2021-2022 NursingCAS Prelaunch Environment. Upon submission, please notify Karen Jacobs and Joe Clark as the system does not automatically notify the team of school submissions for review. Allow two weeks for all future reviews/revisions/launches. Additional resources are available for help, including the Configuration Training Webinar on-demand and a 2021-2022 Application Cycle: Quick Start Guide and FAQs for school users.

Watch Now: NursingCAS Enhancements Overview for the 2021-2022 Cycle
AACN provided a NursingCAS Enhancements Overview for the 2021-2022 Application Cycle in August. The webinar content covered an overview of existing and new features for the 2021-2022 cycle. Every NursingCAS school should ensure their NursingCAS administrator (or all users!) have watched the webinar recording and reviewed this guide on new features available in NursingCAS and WebAdMIT.

The webinar also provided information on existing features, including Analytics by Liaison, Deep Links, an update to the NursingCAS Student Release Statement, and removal of academic and criminal background questions.


As always, the WebAdMIT Client Support Specialist Team is available Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm EST, to assist with questions about WebAdMIT features. The Team can be reached at 857-304-2020 or webadmitsupport@liaisonedu.com. Training is also available via webinars, on-demand courses, and the Liaison Academy. Please view the WebAdMIT Help Center for further information.

 BY THE NUMBERS

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 USER UPDATES
This section provides monthly updates on new features and enhancements available within the Applicant Portal, Configuration Portal, and WebAdMIT, as well as information on upcoming training events and opportunities.

Application Portal Enhancements
Update to the Professional Transcript Entry (PTE) Statuses 
This enhancement added a new status Finalize Your Transcript Data to the Professional Transcript Entry (PTE) workflow and enlarged the I am Finished button on the status tracker. PTE is a service provided for an additional fee to applicants who prefer to not manually enter their coursework. This enhancement will ensure applicants will review and sign off on coursework entry to move forward in the application process.  

Update to the Sandbox Environment
The WebAdMIT Sandbox environment (sandbox.webadmit.org) will be refreshed on Monday, September 13, with current (cleansed) production data and program configurations. Any test exports, custom fields, etc., in the current sandbox, will be overwritten. The WebAdMIT Sandbox environment is a copy of the WebAdMIT production environment with cleansed applicant data (e.g., hidden surnames, email addresses, etc.). Users can use Sandbox to test new workflow configurations, email templates, etc. Sandbox is helpful for current schools that are live and accepting applications. Review the Sandbox Environment Reference Guide for more information. 

New Documentation
Review this guide for standard automatic emails sent to applicants to guide them through the application process. These emails ensure that applicants are regularly communicated with and can access additional resources, including the Applicant Help Center and customer service information. 
This is a newly available guide for recommenders, which provides information on navigating the Letters by Liaison portal and completing their recommendations for applicants. 
Review this guide for tips and best practices for naming templates in WebAdMIT, including Local Statuses, Emails, and Lists.

Training Opportunities
Sign Up to Access WebAdMIT Webinars
Liaison Academy offers WebAdMIT training webinars. Each one-hour webinar focuses on a specific WebAdMIT feature and offers best practices and tips.

Webinar: Managing Your Review Process: How to Identify Your Best Applicants (Thursday, September 9, 1pm EST)
Attend this free session to learn how to use the following WebAdMIT tools during the applicant review process: Scoring, Point Tables, Custom Fields, List Manager, and Report Manager. 

Virtual Training: Intro to WebAdMIT: Unlocking the Tools to Manage Your Applications (September 14-23)
Unlock the tools to manage your applications. Join virtually for a 2-week course to learn more about WebAdMIT tools, including local statuses, list manager, corresponding with applicants using emails, custom fields, exports, and more.

Webinar: Introduction to a Centralized Application Service (Tuesday, September 14, 1pm EST)
This free session will explain what a Centralized Application Service (CAS) is, how it works, and how it relates to WebAdMIT (cloud-based admissions software). Register now!

Webinar: Getting Started in WebAdMIT (Thursday, September 16, 1pm EST)
Register now for this free session to learn more about commonly used WebAdMIT workflows, including the dashboard, applicant details page, admissions users, and workgroups.

Webinar: Configuration Portal Training (Tuesday, September 21, 1pm EST)
During this free session, learn how to brand the home page of an application with an image and a color scheme, add instructional text to guide applicants, and identify additional documents that applicants must submit.

Webinar: Making WebAdMIT Work For You (Thursday, September 23, 1pm EST)
Register now for this free session to learn how users can save time with List Manager and Clipboard, use Local Statuses and Custom Fields, and create a process to identify new applicants. 

 SOCIAL BEAT
FAFSA Completion Declines Nearly 5%; Nation Loses 270K FAFSAs Since 2019
“By July 2, the high school class of 2021 completed 4.8% fewer FAFSAs than the class of 2020. In other words, about 102,000 fewer seniors completed a FAFSA this year. An estimated 53.3% of the class of 2021 completed a FAFSA by July 2. Across the classes of 2020 and 2021, more than a quarter-million fewer seniors completed a FAFSA than we would have expected due to the pandemic.”

The Common App Will Officially No Longer Ask about Students’ Disciplinary Records
“The organization announced the form had been given a significant refresh for the 2021-2022 academic year, including “updated questions and tools designed to both expand access and facilitate a more equitable, inclusive college application process.”

How They Filled Their Classes
“Some private colleges, without great fame, had a great admissions year. They used a variety of strategies, but one common theme: They stayed open in 2020-21. Another is discount rates that stayed high.”
If you have any questions, please contact Stephanie Wurth, AACN’s Director of Strategic Partnerships, at swurth@aacnnursing.org.