Enrollment Management Essentials

NASPA Western Regional

Nancy T. Youlden,

Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs

WSU Vancouver

Innovative Enrollment Strategies

Enrollment Management Continuum

Session Outline• Evolution of Enrollment Management (EM)

•Why is it important?

• EM Principles

• EM Basics

• EM Best Practices

•Resources

•Dialogue with Colleagues - Share EM Strategies

• Take-aways

History of Enrollment Management

•Boston College (late 1970’s)

•Significant demographic downturn in early 1980’s

•Universities adopted more of a business model

•Early 1990’s – strategic enrollment management (SEM) emerged

•Changes in higher education funding

Enrollment Management Defined“Strategic enrollment management is a

comprehensive process designed to help an institution achieve and maintain the optimum recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students where ‘optimum’ is defined within the academic context of the institution. As such, SEM is an institution-wide process that embraces virtually every aspect of an institution’s function and culture.”

– Michael G. Dolence, Strategic Enrollment Management1993

Enrollment Management Defined

Strategic enrollment management is defined as a complex of concepts and processes that enables fulfillment of institutional mission and students’ educational goals.

Bob Bontrager, 2004

Connections MatterClearly, the enrollment management leadership grasps the importance of engaging the entire campus in the recruitment effort – from the president to the janitorial staff. To put it simply, recruitment and retention are fundamentally about creating and cultivating relationships, connections matter.–Jim Black, Prologue to AACRAO’s Basic Guide to Enrollment Management

Enrollment Management – why does it matter?

•High stakes/visibility

• Increase in tuition

•Changing demographics

•Decrease in state funding

• Increasing financial need of students

Estimated and Projected High School Graduates

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Funding Erosion

1980 – students covered 30% of the cost of education2010 – students now cover 70% of the cost of educationSource: Oregonian article, June 1, 2010

1989 – students covered 33% of the cost of education2010 – students now cover 70% of the cost of education

Source: Higher Education Coordinator Board

Washington

Oregon

Enrollment Management Guiding Principles

•Mission Based

•Academically Oriented

•Student Centered

•Data Informed

•Comprehensive

•Committed to Long Term Success–Source: Bob Bontrager, 1996

Some EM Basics

•Know your dataGrads vs UndergradsFreshman vs. TransfersResidents vs. Non-ResidentsRetention Rate

•Know your competition (where do “your” students go?)

•Establish clear goals - what is the desired mix?

EM Basics continued• Institutional collaboration across campus – integrated services (enrollment offices and beyond)

•Support and promote student success and persistence

•Strategic use of scholarship/financial aid efficiency

•Technology Student Information System (SIS)Customer Relationship Manager CRM)

Strategic Enrollment Management Best Practices

•Admission Policies & Practices

•One-Stop Shop

•Predictive Modeling

•CRM/Technology

•Enrollment Projections

•Financial Aid Leveraging

Admissions Policies & Practices •Holistic Approach (beyond test scores and grades)

•Non-cognitive variables

“variables related to adjustment, motivation, and student perceptions*”

•Oregon State University, WSU, College Success Foundation (WA)

*Dr. William Sedlacek, University of Maryland"Beyond the Big Test: Noncognitive Assessment in Higher Education"

One-Stop Shop• Proven model that provides meaningful

integration of services and information in an effort to improve and enhance customer service to students• Seamless for students• Generalist rather than specialists• Cross-training• Greater benefit for current rather than

new students

Predictive Modeling

•Not all prospects created equal

•Looking for highest yield

•Utilizes existing data history

•Uses statistical methods to quantitatively predict the future behavior of individuals

Resources:• Dolence, M.G. (1997). Strategic Enrollment Management: A

Primer for Campus Administrators (2nd ed.), USA: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers; Datatel.

• Jacobs, B.C. (Ed.) (2004). The College Transfer Student in America: The Forgotten Student. Washington D.C.: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers; Library of Congress.

• Westman, C., & Bouman, P. (2005). AACRAO’s Basic Guide to Enrollment Management. Washington D.C.: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers; Library of Congress.

• Webinars

• AACRAO SEM Conference (early November)

Resources continued...• One Stop Shop Conference. Integrating Student

Services: Leadership for the Next Generation of Service Delivery. November 5-7, 2006. Belmont University, Nashville, TN: Institute for Student Services Professionals in alliance with NACUBO.

• Financial Aid Leveraging; Predictive Modeling (consultants, webinars, conferences, etc)

• Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)

• National Student Clearinghouse (find out where your applied/admitted students enroll)

Time to share!•What enrollment strategies does your campus use?

•What works well?

•What has not worked?

•What are you trying to do with enrollment?

•What do you still want to

know?

Take-aways.•Understand enrollment management is complex (structure, concepts and processes)

• Involves a campus culture that is aware of enrollment issues and importance to entire campus

• Enrollment is the “football team” at our institutions – high priority, funding, visible, pressure, frequent coaching changes

• It is a continuum - something is

better than nothing!