What We Do

Helping you to achieve success with sustainable enrollment management and marketing solutions is our passion.

Founded by Dr. Jim Black, SEM Works is grounded in a long history of serving higher education clients through consulting, research and professional development. Altogether, we've worked with more than 500 colleges and universities from five countries. No matter what your institution's culture or enrollment challenges may be, we're confident we can help you break through.

Consulting

Enrollment Management · Enrollment Planning · Institutional Branding · Marketing · Student Recruitment · Student Retention · Student Services · Process Re-engineering · Strategic Research and Intelligence · Student Communications · Financial Aid Analysis · Change Management

Research

Enrollment Opportunities Analysis · Market Opportunity Analysis · Academic Program · Opportunity Analysis · Website Analysis · Student Segment Profiles · Student Success Research · Enrollment Projections Model · Enrollment Goal Setting · Customized Research

Training

Strategic Enrollment Management · Customer Service · The Promise of the Brand · Integrated Marketing · External and Internal Marketing · Fundamentals of Student Recruitment · Retention Theory and Practice · The Art of Selling · Blending High Touch Technology Services · Change Management in the Academy · Core Business Functions · Enrollment Management Planning · Creating a Student-Centered Culture · Branding Higher Ed

“SEM Works led the University of North Carolina Greensboro through a comprehensive process designed to assess the institution's enrollment operation (strategies, practices, structure, and capacity) and create a Strategic Enrollment Management Plan. Dr. Jim Black and his team were masterful in coordinating the efforts of numerous campus constituencies, instilling a sense of confidence in the planning process, and facilitating critically important conversations among diverse groups of campus leaders, including faculty. Ensuing discussion helped the University to understand and address a wide range of enrollment-related challenges and opportunities, and these conversations are unlikely to have taken place without this consultation. Recommendations, which were supported by solid analyses of institutional data and other sources, informed the development of appropriate goals and a strategic plan for enrollment success. The participants in this effort included virtually every division, as well as the pan-university Enrollment Planning Council. On the basis of UNCG’s outstanding experience, SEM Works will be highly recommended to colleagues, without qualification."

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Our Philosophy...

To ensure your satisfaction we will:

• Seek to understand your needs, your enrollment goals and recruiting, marketing, communication and retention objectives, your competitors, and your institution's culture
• Prepare diligently for every meeting, every phase of the planning process, and every deliverable
• Serve you passionately
• Deliver more than you expect, and more than the contract requires
• Respond promptly to your requests
• Ensure the highest quality in everything we produce for your institution

We give you experience.

The SEM Works team brings a strong foundation to the table. Our extensive background includes consultancies with community colleges, four-year public and private institutions, graduate and professional schools, proprietary schools, non-profit and for-profit organizations, in addition to college and university systems.

All of SEM Works' recommendations are designed to improve enrollment outcomes without overtaxing institutional resources such as budgets, staffing and IT support. We'll show you how to best combine the latest technology with the fundamental tenets of higher education's best practices, and put them to work for you.

Our Promise.

SEM Works is a true partner in your success. You can count on us to provide objective insight, the best customized training, and the research you need. Our team has the knowledge and capability to execute a variety of high impact projects, including enrollment management audits, facilitation of enrollment management planning, communications audits, and in-depth research.