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 SEM America |
| Strategic Enrollment Management WORKS |
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| SEM WORKS AMERICA E-NEWSLETTER, Volume 5, 2009 |
INTRODUCTION
The state of the economy continues to impact colleges in a variety of
ways, such as an increase in enrollment at public colleges as private
institutions experience a decrease in students, the availability of
financial aid from government and endowment sources, and the resurgence
of retention planning as a method for countering the decline in the
recruitment of freshman students. For reasons we can all understand,
colleges and universities today find themselves dealing with a host of
enrollment and budgetary challenges.
But a new era dawns. An article featured in this month's edition of
SEM America highlights the opportunity for professionals to work together
to influence the higher education agenda as president-elect Obama's
inauguration approaches. As well, the power of sharing enrollment ideas
and resources through SEM America cannot be underestimated. The
articles included in this edition speak to universal concerns about how
to leverage technology in recruitment, the "enrollable moment" that
often accompanies a student's visit to campus, as well as a list of
enrollment do's and don'ts for college presidents. The sharing of these
resources, as well as the success stories described therein all offer
positive strategies for overcoming enrollment hurdles.
SEM WORKS welcomes other enrollment articles from professionals in the
field to be published in the upcoming monthly editions of SEM America.
To submit an article, please click on the button to the right. Don't
miss out on new editions of SEM America! Register today to guarantee
your subscription.
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Student Recruitment Workshop (Mt. Olive College), February 13
Faculty-Delivered Student Recruitment Strategies (Innovative Educators webinar), February 26
View all upcoming events
To learn more about the events, please contact (800) 494-3710 or info@semworks.net
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RECRUITMENT
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- Edu-tainment In Action: If the definition of "edu-tainment" is something designed to both amuse and educate at the same time, then Chattanooga State College has accomplished just that. Younger generations are typically more quickly engaged by a website when it views like a fun, interactive, and personalized video game. And to this end, Chattanooga State College has created a unique method whereby visitors can enjoy interactive media as well as the option to self-select a recruiter who will then help them navigate the website. View this innovative recruitment strategy.
- The Importance of the Campus Visit to Enrollment: Do you know how important a student's campus visit is to your enrollment bottom-line? While this article is dated 2004, the truth of this Richard Hesel commentary is no less viable today than it was then. And while what he says in this article might seem overly-obvious, it is worth repeating that the friendly-factor experienced by a visitor on your campus has the power to influence that student's decision to attend. Read more.
- Tracking Traffic on your Website: How do you know if your website is working? How can you be sure of the number of viewers who do and do not make contact with you? And of those who visit your website, how many actually peruse its pages and how many arrive only to depart just as quickly? In the world of website analytics, these concepts and others are encapsulated by phrases such as "conversion rates", "referring sites", "landing and exit pages", "bounce rates", and "unique visitors." And the good news is, that capturing this data may be easier and less costly than you think. Find out more about these concepts, and some free tools for analyzing your website.
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ADMISSIONS / ENROLLMENT
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- Student Aid…Is it Still Available or Not?: There are plenty of rumors floating around that student aid may be running out. And while some colleges might blame the media for this hype, even media sources offer conflicting pictures. On the one hand, this short audio clip provides assurances that, while things are difficult, all is not lost. On the other hand, as noted in this article there are institutions who question if currently available funds are sufficient enough to cover the real cost of attending college. New York University is one of those institutions. NYU, when faced with the enrollment effects of an unstable economy, rising tuition costs, and diminishing Pell Grant amounts, decided to take the matter into their own hands by creating a special endowment fund specifically for the University's "neediest students." If aid is one of the biggest barriers students face in attending your institution, you may want to read this article.
- Making Student Aid Available Isn't Enough Anymore: Did you know that your institution's ability to offer financial aid is only one small piece of the funding puzzle where enrollment is concerned? Just as important is the issue of the public's level of awareness of the availability of that aid; the accuracy of their information; and the demographic and socio-economic factors that influence their perception of affordability in higher education. This article offers some important insights about the factors that influence parents' and students' ability to accurately estimate college costs, as well as their own eligibility for aid. It also looks at how and when students typically learn about their financial aid options, and the cultural, economic, and ethnic factors that can ultimately influence college-going behavior. Offering financial aid is critical to enrollment; but just as important to this is taking the time to understand (and therefore manage) your intended audience, their perceptions of self, and their misperceptions of college costs and aid availability. Learn more about this important subject.
- Enrollment Myths and Guideposts: You don't have to work in the field of college enrollment for very long to discover that your superiors and colleagues probably have a host of misperceptions about how to effectively manage enrollment over the long term. For example, many colleges underestimate the importance of making enrollment decisions based on data rather than on something as temporary and unstable as market fluctuations; or define enrollment as a moment in time, rather than as a continuum and relationship over time. This paper, by Dr. Jim Black, president and CEO of a leading edge enrollment consulting firm in the USA, discusses enrollment myths that can hamper strategic enrollment management and offers some valuable guideposts for those who advise college presidents on such matters. Read more. (PDF)
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RETENTION
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- Economic Downturn Makes Strong Case for Retention Planning: Private Universities are feeling the economic pinch as students take their tuition dollars to less expensive public universities and community colleges. This dilemma is forcing many colleges to take a second look at their retention efforts, with the recognition that keeping a currently enrolled student may be less costly than trying to recruit a new one. This article by the Charlotte Observer discusses how private schools in North Carolina are addressing this problem by beefing up available student aid as well as spending extra time reaching out to current students to counsel them about how to stay in school. Tim Copeland offers further advice to colleges by recommending that they reach out to their best customers, go green, and be interactive in their communications. Read more on his strategies
- Retention in the Classroom: While there are many important efforts a student services department can make towards the goal of retaining students, somewhere in the process, the student's experience in the classroom will have a significant impact on their persistence and retention. With this in mind, this article by Joyce Povlacs offers 101 strategies for enhancing the classroom environment, particularly within the first three weeks of the course Click here for more.
- Transfer Students Present Unique Retention Challenges: The most common scenario for an institution's retention efforts typically includes freshman students starting in year one. Transfer students, however, come to an institution in year two, three, or four and have a unique set of needs quite distinct from their freshman counterparts. Transfer students often arrive on campus in September only to have their isolation heightened by the contrast of the college's focus on trying to retain first year students, as well as the activities of returning students who are hooking up with old friends in familiar corners of the student lounge. This article describes some of the retention challenges of transfer students and offers some strategies utilized by the Universities of North Texas and California-Santa Barbara to address these issues. Read more.
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SPECIAL TOPICS
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- Obama and Higher Education - Pre-Election Promises versus Post-Election Realities: Like most campaign speeches, Obama's pre-election higher education promises sounded lofty and lovely. However, as might be expected, a newly elected president is faced with the task of adopting budgetary realities that can change pre-election priorities. In this article, Arthur Levine implores colleges and universities of every variety to join together to suggest and advance the priorities with the potential to help shape the president-elect's agenda. Read Mr. Levine's suggestions on how to advocate for higher education.
- Private Universities and Colleges Gain Popularity with Alumni: In this era of economic instability, rising tuition costs, and decreasing government aid, private universities and colleges may still have enrollment-bragging rights where their alumni are concerned. Apparently, despite the higher cost of attending, there is evidence to suggest that graduates of private colleges and universities report being more satisfied with the education they received than graduates of public institutions. As well private school graduates are more likely than their public counterparts to rate their overall undergraduate experience as excellent. Read more and access a host of resources to help you promote your private institution.
- Millennials…Learning Their Digital Language: This article discusses the unique nature of the millennial generation as well as the importance of understanding their digital language and behavior. It offers four very specific tips for getting their attention including 1- saying it instantly, 2- selling it to a community not just a consumer, 3- reinforcing the connection, and 4- using content to enrich. Read more.
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Return to Top
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This e-newsletter was edited by Maggie Killoran for SEM WORKS, based on publicly-available information. Neither the editor nor SEM WORKS assume liability for comments or information posted by others. Please send your comments to Kara Mohre, Director of Marketing at kmohre@semworks.net
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