There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to strategic enrollment management. The focus and methodology vary on the basis of institutional type and context, enrollment goals, the performance of existing strategies, identified strategy gaps, organizational capacity and resources, as well as an institution’s appetite for change. With these factors in mind, our white papers are designed to create the foundation for informed campus discussions around many of the enrollment challenges and opportunities facing colleges and universities today.
Enrollment Planning in an Era of COVID-19 and Economic Crisis We all know that our world, including higher education, has changed for years to come. Now, more than ever, a highly adaptable approach to enrollment planning is needed. This article provides insights regarding how to engage in enrollment planning in an era of COVID-19 and economic crisis.
Managing Your Enrollment Destiny Pining for the good old days won’t fill classrooms. Neither will enrollment plans developed when students were abundant. Rather, solving the interrelated conundrums of recruitment, admissions, retention, and revenue calls for leaders with the vision and drive to shape bold new strategies.
Academic Program Innovation And Performance Management This paper presents an overview of the academic program lifecycle and an integrative approach to academic program planning linked to enrollment goal-setting and resource management.
The Community College Environmental Context This white paper is intended to raise awareness of environmental factors that most, if not all, community colleges are confronting.
Measuring Effectiveness To Drive Performance Improvement And Recalibrate Resources This paper presents best practice considerations in how to leverage enrollment intelligence to inform performance improvement and recalibrate resources; as well as a practical guide for developing an actionable enrollment intelligence strategy linked to your SEM plan—what we refer to as a ‘SEM Intelligence Blueprint’.
Establishing Realistic Enrollment Goals The white paper is organized into four sections. The first section discusses the importance of ‘strategic’ and ‘actionable’ intelligence (i.e., research, data, and analytics) in the management of enrollment, as well as the organizational conditions for building capacity in enrollment intelligence. The second section presents a model for defining ‘realistic’ enrollment goals using four lenses in analyzing environmental conditions likely to impact enrollment. The third section defines the elements of ‘meaningful’ enrollment goals that are both strategically aligned and sufficiently granular to be ‘operationalized’. And finally, the fourth section describes the ‘power of process’ and a ‘practical’ step-by-step guide for formulating enrollment goals that are linked to performance management and accountability.
The HBCU Enrollment Context This white paper provides an analysis of recent four-year HBCU enrollment, pricing, and financial aid trends along with institutional value maps that demonstrate how students may be indirectly evaluating HBCU options prior to enrollment and making decisions to persist or leave once enrolled.
Establishing and Operationalizing Enrolment Goals: A Data-Driven Methodology In this paper, a data-driven enrollment goal-setting model is described, as well as a step-by-step process for its application.
Creating a Retention Culture Student retention efforts are often described in terms of programs and strategies. While such initiatives contribute to the success and persistence of students, alone they possess marginal power to impact retention outcomes. The true power any institution has to affect academic performance and enrollment behavior is the campus culture.
2009 Report on the Impact of the Economy on College Enrollment Longmire and Company, trusted colleagues in the field, presents results from their compelling study of more than 20 institutions and 10,000 students. Take a look at how students from all backgrounds are making their enrollment decisions in these volatile economic conditions.
The Enrollment Management and Marketing Nexus (Part 2): Brand Promise Join Dr. Jim Black for the second installment in a two-part series. This paper clearly explains the function of a brand promise as well as how and why it must be developed, conveyed and delivered with authenticity.
Creating a Sense of Belonging: Strategies for Enhancing Student Diversity and Success Lynda Wallace-Hulecki explores the topic of diversity in Canadian post-secondary education and offers proven strategies that apply to institutions across North America.
Reframing Strategic Enrollment Management from the Academic Lens: Theory in Practice (Part 2) Lynda Wallace-Hulecki's article is the second in a series of papers based upon a 2007 study that was designed to develop a deeper understanding of the processes and procedures for success in building shared responsibility for enrollment outcomes with the academic community.
The Enrollment Management and Marketing Nexus (Part I) Harnessing the power of shared enrollment and marketing strategies. Part 1: Institutional Branding.
7 Effective Faculty-Delivered Student Recruitment Strategies Tips for engaging your faculty and equipping them to help attract and retain students.
What Every President Should Know About Avoiding the Common Pitfalls of Enrollment Management. Just for Presidents and those who advise them, Dr. Jim Black outlines 10 essential, yet easy-to-follow guideposts for focusing on the issues and opportunities that matter most in achieving optimal enrollment outcomes.
Metrics and Analysis in Strategic Enrollment Management Donald Norris gives enrollment practitioners a great start by outlining important considerations for raising the "analytics IQ" of your campus leadership.
Effectively Serving Tomorrow's Students: The Collaborative Model for Improvement Theresa Waterbury introduces The Collaborative Model for Improvement, developed specifically for colleges and universities.
The Branding of Higher Education Dr. Jim Black's paper shows you how to start overcoming institutional apprehension and cynicism to branding by delivering on the promise of your institution's brand and speaking in terms that bring people into the fold.
Enrollment Management: A Systems Approach In his report, Dr. Jim Black presents the many advantages of "Systems Thinking" (adopting a holistic approach to enrollment management), and provides an Enrollment Management Systems Archetype through which you can strategically focus on enrollment dynamics.
Providing the Conditions for Success of African-American students Dr. Kenneth Chandler identifies several challenges minorities face at the college level and outlines strategies and solutions to resolving some of these concerns.
Perfecting Enrollment Strategy Dr. Jim Black illustrates how to view the business of enrollment management through the lens of Sun Tzu's Art of War and learn to know yourself, know the enemy, know your ground, and know the weather.
SEM Works Report: Campus Safety SEM Works' telling report about the all too-pertinent topic of campus safety gives you a window in student perspectives with survey results from more than 12,000 high school seniors in 20 states.
The Art and Science of Enrollment Planning In his report, Dr. Jim Black arms readers with a strong foundational understanding of strategic enrollment planning and the steps you can take to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.
Two Schools of Thought on Branding Education Educational brand consultant Rex Whisman provides an eye-opening perspective on traditional versus contemporary branding, asking, "Which would you rather be, Folgers or Starbucks?"
Where is the Evidence for Student Success? Tom Shaver describes how to identify and powerfully respond to students' changing needs through relatively simple course schedule adjustments.
Creating the Conditions for Shared Responsibility of Enrollment Outcomes Lynda Wallace-Hulecki reveals the top ten questions you should ask to determine if your institution is ready to share responsibility for enrollment outcomes across campus.
If you would like to purchase one of Dr. Black's books, The Strategic Enrollment Management Revolution, Essentials of Enrollment Management: Cases in the Field, or Gen Xers Return to College, click on the book to order it from AACRAO.
Like many other industries, higher education is in the midst of a disruption. How institutions respond in this era of disruption will determine if this is a time of innovation or for some, an extinction event.
Canada's First Book on Strategic Enrollment Management
