Intentional Strategy, Campus Alignment, Real Results
Leadership named transfer a priority. A pivotal change came in October 2023, when Arcadia’s VP for IT took on Enrollment Management, aligning data, systems, and strategy under one umbrella. That shift unlocked what the team calls hyper-personalization in admissions—using data access to design a more human process for a distinctly non-traditional audience.
Structurally, Arcadia expanded its transfer team from one to two counselors and revamped the experience. One counselor focuses on building relationships and guiding inquiries through application; the second takes students from admission through day one, with Student Success inserted earlier so credit clarity and time-to-degree are known at acceptance—not after deposit.
“We made the decision to expand the size of the transfer team… It’s allowed for significant personalization and relationship building.”
— Collene Pernicello, AVP for Enrollment Management & Marketing
Even with two dedicated counselors, the team remained small but mighty. That is why EdVisorlyRecruit™ became so important—making the work Arcadia’s transfer team was doing visible and scalable across the country through technology.
“You cannot be on every campus, but you can still be present for students. EdVisorly allows us to extend the work we do with transfers and scale it nationally.”
— Collene Pernicello, AVP for Enrollment Management & Marketing
The result is a transfer journey that feels personal, timely, and intentional—because it is. Arcadia combined leadership alignment, team structure, and technology to transform the transfer experience into a model of care and clarity. By extending its approach with EdVisorlyRecruit™, Arcadia not only deepened support for its own students but also set a standard for how institutions nationwide can honor transfer students at every step.
Partnership with EdVisorlyRecruit™
Arcadia needed reach that matched its strategy and EdVisorly was selected as a key initiative to expand the top of the funnel. Post-pandemic, community college attendance patterns changed—more online, fewer campus touchpoints. EdVisorlyRecruit™ made Arcadia discoverable to students far beyond its traditional footprint and funneled interest straight into Arcadia’s systems.
On operations, the lift was near zero:
“It was really super simple… you were able to tap into our existing application and just plug right into our normal processes. It was pretty seamless.”
— Kim Paris, Director of Admission Systems & Programs
Because EdVisorlyRecruit™ connects directly to FormAssembly, applications land in Salesforce as if they were Arcadia’s own—no manual imports and no extra workflows.
On the recruitment side, the partnership broadened pipelines and surfaced students Arcadia wouldn’t otherwise meet:
“We get applicants from community colleges that I’ve never heard of, usually states away… They all say they found Arcadia through EdVisorly.”
— Cailyn Hoyt, Senior Transfer Admissions Counselor
Building a Transfer-First Culture
Arcadia elevated transfer alongside first-year admissions—events, mentorships, and campus networks designed for non-traditional journeys. As a transfer student herself, Cailyn centers empathy and clarity. With the top of the funnel flowing, she can deliver the human support that moves students from overwhelmed to confident.
“The number one thing I hear from transfer students is how thankful they are for the individualized attention… When you have one person that holds your hand through the entire process, it’s much easier.”
— Cailyn Hoyt, Senior Transfer Admissions Counselor
The operational payoff is felt across campus: fewer bottlenecks, clearer handoffs, and a cadence that faculty experience less as “change” and more as “this is how we do it now.”
Why Meeting Students Where They Are Matters
Transfer students aren’t gathered in the same places—and many aren’t on campus at all. Arcadia leaned into that reality:
“We needed to meet students where they are. And really, where they are is on their phones… Partnering with EdVisorly made sense because it’s where students are.”
— Collene Pernicello, AVP for Enrollment Management & Marketing
EdVisorlyRecruit™ brings the right students in; the restructured team and earlier credit clarity keep them moving forward—with speed:
“Speed is important. Students are expecting a quick turnaround on their equivalencies, their path to graduation, how quickly they can meet with an advisor. Technology helps us deliver that.”
— Scott Terry, Director of Global Engagement
Looking Ahead: From Recruitment to AI-Powered Evaluation
With pipelines and personalization in place, Arcadia is preparing the next leap—EddyAI™ for transcript and credit evaluation across undergraduate and graduate programs. The goal: faster, standardized decisions that free staff to spend more time with students.
“Students are expecting a quick turnaround on their equivalencies, what’s their path to graduation, how quickly can they meet with an advisor and get a schedule. We can now turn that around even faster.”
— Scott Terry, Director of Global Engagement
The long-term vision matches Arcadia’s new operating model: meet students early, answer quickly, and personalize the path.
