Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Frederick Kintzer
Committee Member
Don Busche
Committee Member
Larry McCarthy
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
academic counseling, academic support, annual surveys, athletes, athletics, benchmark inquiry, campus visits, coaches, College Athletics, communication, community colleges, ethical conduct, ethics, ethics violations, evaluation, financial support, fund raising, implementation, Internet, Long Beach City College, marketing, recruitment, recruiting, recruiting plans, sports, sports information, student affairs, student athletes, student financial need, successful athletic programs, successful teams, surveys, team success, The Internet, visits, web presence
Abstract
Recruiting is a necessary component of a successful athletic program. There was no comprehensive recruiting plan at Long Beach City College (LBCC) to maximize the recruiting efforts of its athletic department. The purpose of this applied dissertation was to develop a specific recruitment plan for the LBCC athletic department.
This applied dissertation answered the following questions: (a) What are selected community colleges doing to attract student athletes, (b) what is the current status of athletic recruiting at LBCC, (c) what should an ideal athletic recruiting plan for LBCC include, and (d) what steps should be included in the implementation and evaluation of the LBCC recruiting plan?
The development and evaluation methodologies utilized for this applied dissertation revealed that an ideal recruitment plan would address the areas of communication, campus visits, student financial need, sports information, the Internet, fund raising, academic counseling, marketing, and ethics. A plan for implementation and evaluation was developed.
It was concluded that the benchmark inquiry provided a model of exemplary recruiting practices; there was a lack of Internet presence for LBCC athletics; ideal elements of a recruiting plan should include financial and academic support for recruits, a comprehensive marketing plan, and ethical conduct; specific guidelines and communication should guide the implementation process; and annual surveys and meetings should form the basis for evaluation.
It was recommended that meetings be scheduled to initiate implementation. Areas identified for future research included use of the Internet for recruiting, identifying barriers to academic success for athletes, ethics violations, attributes of a successful coach, and the elements of successful teams. It was recommended that the results be given to the dean of student affairs, benchmark participants, and LBCC head coaches for the purposes of support, dialogue, and inspiration.