Pictured above: UF ambassadors in Lima, Peru! Left to right: Associate Dean Judy Traveis (Graduate Student Success Center), Dean Nicole Stedman (Graduate School), Associate Director Erin Rice (Graduate Recruitment), and Director Megan Forbes (English Language Institute).
Posted: October 17, 2024
The University of Florida Graduate School is venturing into new directions to grow the Grad Gator student body with the recent appointment of Erin Rice as its inaugural Associate Director of Graduate Recruitment.
Rice (pictured left) now has a twofold mission. On one hand, she will serve as UF’s off-campus ambassador to draw fresh intellect and talent into UF’s master’s and doctoral degree programs. On the other, she will work as an on-campus collaborator to help UF’s colleges and departments identify needs and work out best practices in their own recruitment efforts.
Rice recently returned from a week in Lima, Peru to connect with prospective Grad Gators through an EducationUSA higher education fair there. Let’s catch up with her in a bit of Q&A to learn her thoughts and impressions about her new role, challenges, and hopes for the future.
Graduate School (GS): Erin, you’re a two-time UF alumna, with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master of Science in Management under your belt. How might your past UF student experience inform your efforts to draw future UF students into our graduate education fold?
Erin Rice (ER): Because my time as a student here shaped my academic journey and personal growth, I can speak authentically about the UF experience and what it has to offer educationally and socially. My deep roots in the Gator Nation enable me to help prospective students envision how UF can foster their own growth and success, just as it did mine. I aim to make sure that future students feel as welcomed and supported as I did.
GS: You’ve also worked at UF’s Graduate School since 2015 in student engagement and support — including initiatives like the Board of Education (BOE) Summer Fellowship Program and Campus Visitation Program (CVP). What from that work history will lend itself to recruiting new Grad Gators?
ER: That experience has given me an invaluable insider’s perspective about our graduate students’ aspirations and challenges. Through programs like BOE and CVP, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with students at pivotal moments in their academic careers, supporting them as they explore their potential, connect with mentors, and grow more confident about forging their own way forward.
My work history fuels my drive for making meaningful impacts in students’ lives. I want to carry that over into graduate recruitment, by showing prospective students the level of attention and care that they can expect at UF from day one. Recruitment isn’t just about bringing in numbers — it’s about welcoming individuals and making sure that they feel supported, understood, and empowered, so that they can thrive.
GS: Tell us a bit about your recent trip to Feria EducationUSA in Lima, Peru. What impressions did you gain from that introduction to the global, cross-cultural higher education marketplace?
ER: My trip to Lima was a definite eye-opener! Meeting students from different cultural backgrounds and educational experiences was energizing, and their eagerness to learn about graduate opportunities at UF heartened me. Their curiosity and enthusiasm made it very clear just how far UF’s global reputation and reach really stretch.
For me, Lima reinforced the need to tailor our recruitment outreach so that it resonates with international students’ unique starting points and destinations. It also highlighted how important it is for our graduate programs to seek out and welcome new students from around the world.
UF is well-positioned to attract global talent, but we must build genuine one-on-one relationships abroad to make the most of that. Taking the time to develop those connections will draw newcomers our way and lift UF even higher as a top choice for world-class graduate education worldwide.
GS: Graduate recruitment at UF cuts across a broad range of majors, departments, schools, and colleges, each addressing very different audiences. What can the Graduate School bring to the table amid that variety? In what ways can Grinter Hall and campus partners work together to enhance graduate recruitment at UF?
ER: That wide range of disciplines, each with its own audience and specific needs, does present a challenge. But what the Graduate School can bring to the table is a unified sense of vision, strategy, and consistent messaging that individual programs can use to showcase their unique strengths. We can provide resources, tools, and best practices that harmonize recruitment efforts across campus, so that UF’s overarching core values and assets are reflected in outreach to prospective students, regardless of particular academic focus.
With that in mind, the Graduate School is forming a Graduate Advisory Team for recruitment. It will draw representatives from across campus who will work together to brainstorm, exchange insights, and share experiences. Out of that partnership will emerge enhanced and expanded ways and means to attract the best and the brightest, at home and abroad, to UF for graduate education.
That sort of collaboration is key to successful recruitment across the board. Crafting cohesive, effective outreach methods together will help all disciplines on campus achieve our common goal: making sure that all prospective graduate students — no matter what their area of interest — see UF as an attractive place where they can thrive.
GS: Thanks much, Erin! Much success to you in your new venture!
ER: Thank you!
Graduate School