Ten Things You Need to Know to Jump-Start Your Enrollment Management Committee. Craig Engel, Senior Vice President, Noel-Levitz

Transcription

1 Ten Things You Need to Know to Jump-Start Your Enrollment Management Committee Craig Engel, Senior Vice President, Noel-Levitz

2 What I hope to accomplish Provide a better understanding of the key elements associated with enrollment management committees in colleges and universities

3 1. The origin of enrollment management It rose from the recognition that enrollment goals could not be achieved simply by better or more recruitment

4 First reference to the term enrollment management 1976 Bridge magazine article by Jack Maguire entitled, To the Organized Go the Students

5 A simple definition of enrollment management Enrollment management is an institutionwide, systematic, comprehensive, research-driven system designed to locate, attract, and retain the students the institution wishes to serve. Noel-Levitz

6 2. Why enrollment management? The need to gain greater control over the institution s enrollment (e.g., size and characteristics of student body) Importance of enrollment to institutional funding Responsibility for improving the quality of student life and learning which leads to improved retention and graduation rates Recognition that ultimately enrollment is everyone s business and an institutionwide responsibility The ability to respond more proactively to external factors impacting enrollment (e.g., increased competition, changing demographics) The need for an institutionwide organizational mechanism addressing enrollment-related issues on a systematic, comprehensive, and sustained basis

7 Enrollment management is about moving from: CURRENT STATE DESIRED STATE

8 Clarifying the current enrollment state Where are you now? Is overall/new student enrollment increasing? Is overall/new student enrollment decreasing? Is overall/new student enrollment remaining stable? Is your institution changing in mix or characteristics? Do you feel that you have control over each of the above variables? Clarifying the desired state requires a comprehensive analysis of internal historical, and external data and information

9 Possible categories of enrollment goals (desired state) Headcount FTE FTIC (freshmen) Transfers Concurrent enrollments Program/major Instructional sites Ability Day/evening/weekend Gender International Racial/ethnic Geography Graduate Special talent Continuing education enrollment Distant learning Retention and graduation rates Levels of student satisfaction Indicators of student success

10 Ultimate goal of an enrollment management program To achieve the institution s desired enrollment state (numbers and characteristics) To improve the quality of student life and learning and ensure student success and satisfaction

11 3. Enrollment management spheres of influence Student marketing and recruitment Pricing and financial aid Academic and career advising Academic assistance programs Institutional research Auxiliary services Orientation Retention programs Student services Teaching/learning New program development Public relations Athletics Campus security Buildings and grounds

12 What enrollment management is NOT A silver-bullet or quick-fix for all an institution s enrollment-related concerns and/or problems Synonymous with only the institution s marketing and recruitment functions Organized and structured the same at all colleges and universities The total responsibility of a single office or person A concept that is universally understood and embraced by all persons in higher education Practiced to its fullest extent by colleges and universities

13 4. Strategies for building support and commitment for enrollment management Include enrollment as a priority in the institutional strategic plan Document financial and other benefits of increased enrollment Conduct an enrollment management summit

14 Strategies for building support and commitment for enrollment management Reward and recognize individuals, academic departments, and work units for significant contribution to the achievement of enrollment goals Involve faculty and staff on enrollment management committee and enrollment-related work teams Develop a statement on the role of faculty in attracting and retaining students

15 Strategies for building support and commitment for enrollment management Communicate frequently with campus community about enrollment-related issues Distribute pertinent enrollment summary data regularly and widely Require academic and key work units to develop and implement mini recruitment and retention plans

16 Strategies for building support and commitment for enrollment management Meet with all new employees to discuss their role in enrollment management Involve academic and work units directly in the enrollment planning process Appoint an enrollment management coordinator/liaison in each academic and key work unit

17 5. Enrollment management components Developing, maintaining, and using an enrollment management database for improved planning and decision making Formulating and implementing the most effective and appropriate marketing, recruiting, financial aid, and retention strategies Developing, modifying, and improving educational programs and services to better meet student needs and expectations Focusing institutional commitment and resources, both human and fiscal, not only to increase but also to build and shape enrollment

18 6. Enrollment management committee composition The president should appoint the committee. Members should include senior management. The committee should be large enough to be representative; however, carrying representativeness too far can result in a committee that is too large to function effectively. Members should include a reasonable cross-section of the campus faculty, administration, staff, and students

19 Enrollment management committee composition Committee members should be role models, i.e., they have themselves been influenced positively by sound recruitment and/or retention practices. Committee members should be doers, not just policy makers; they must be able to create and aid in implementing the plans for the key recruitment/retention areas. Membership should include proven opinion leaders and innovators they will find ways to get the job done.

20 Enrollment management committee composition Committee work requires a commitment of time (lots of it initially). Members must be willing to give the time necessary to effect the changes they envision.

21 Enrollment management committee purpose statement The purpose of the committee is the ideation, discussion, review, development, monitoring, and evaluation of all ideas, strategies, and actions relating to the marketing, recruitment, and retention of students. The committee s role is primarily forward-thinking and advisory (much of the actual tactical work will be done in the individual workingunits).

22 Question Does your institution currently have a standing institutionwide enrollment management committee that serves as the primary structure and forum for enrollment-related issues and strategies?

23 7. Enrollment management team role Enrollment management plan development Planning enrollment management summit and implementation Recommendations for optimizing retention and improving rates Strategies for under-subscribed majors/programs Determining mix of student body Reviewing admission policies and practices

24 Enrollment management team role Analysis of services needed to retain and graduate students with different experiences and learning needs Forecasting enrollment Cultivation of programs for academically talented and under-prepared students Identification of institutional vulnerabilities and development of recommendations for addressing issues Assessment of institutional policies and procedures as they affect enrollment management

25 Enrollment management team role Developing appropriate growth strategies (e.g., product development or market development) Implementing strategies designed to improve the quality of student life and learning and foster student success and satisfaction Developing target marketing strategies

26 Why communication is a primary role of the committee Institutions of higher education represent a variety of decentralized and differentiated disciplinary interests often linked together solely through the existence of a common heating or payroll system. Clark Kerr

27 8. Enrollment management committee organizational structure President Enrollment Management Committee Marketing/ Recruitment Quality of Student Life and Learning Academic Advising Quality Service Financial Aid

28 9. Common issues facing enrollment management committees (agenda topics) Fluctuating enrollment Recommendations for optimizing retention and improving graduation rates, including internal environment Under- and over-subscribed majors/programs Mix of student body Admission policies and practices Institutional image and awareness building Long-term strategic enrollment plan Preferred student profile and strategies for recruitment Identification of institutional vulnerabilities and development of recommendations for addressing issues

29 Common issues facing enrollment management committees (agenda topics) Assessment of institutional policies and procedures as they affect enrollment management Definition of minimal skill levels for students to be successful Analysis of services needed to retain students with different experiences and learning needs Developing compelling promotional publications Cultivation of programs for academically talented and under-prepared students Strategies for projecting enrollments Market development strategies Product development strategies

30 10. Strategic enrollment planning the long-range enrollment plan

31 Strategic enrollment planning The annual enrollment plan should not be confused with long-range strategic enrollment planning. While they are related and use many of the same techniques, they are quite different in time frame, scope, and purpose. The annual enrollment plan is concerned with the here and now. Strategic enrollment planning is performed less frequently and focuses on fundamental decisions and actions that shape the long-range nature and direction of the institution. The strategic enrollment plan is also generally less detailed and broader in scope and purpose than the annual enrollment plan.

32 Institutional Strategic Plan Master Enrollment Plan Master Marketing/ Recruitment Plan Master Retention Plan Clear Goals Key Strategies Detailed Action Plans Objectives - Timetables Responsibility - Budgets Evaluation

33 Strategic enrollment planning Driven by the overall university strategic plan where does the institution hope it will be in five years? Broader in scope; more of an abstract in terms of the goals/objectives Longer-term strategies Much more emphasis is placed on product and marketing strategies

34 Next steps If you don t currently have an enrollment management committee in place, be a champion on your campus to form one Assign committee chair(s) Make sure that all applicable academic and administrative units are included Conduct an enrollment management summit on your campus to educate all involved in the importance, purpose, and role of the enrollment management committee Determine enrollment management sub-committees Develop agenda items and priorities and begin!

35 A word of counsel Colleges and universities are not built to change. In many ways they are built to resist change. This preservation of the status quo could represent the single greatest threat to survival and success in the future. Dave Crockett Noel-Levitz

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