Summer is over, a new class is
comfortably tucked in and you can relax and celebrate your recent recruitment
efforts while marveling at the numbers and the profile of the incoming
class. Does this scenario sound
familiar? So it is reported on many
campuses throughout the country.
Now is not, however, the time for
complacency. Rather, it is the time to
evaluate this achievement and plan constructively for next year’s class. An enrollment-cycle post-mortem to analyze
what worked and what did not can be essential to ensuring future success.
Dr. James L. Fisher, president-emeritus
of the Council for Advancement and
Support of Education (CASE), once said , “A college or university that is
standing still is going backwards.” So
often we hear of colleges that have a good year in enrollment followed by a
downturn in the following cycle because of unwarranted complacency. Now, when the momentum is high, is the ideal time
for the institution to plan for even greater productivity, rather than to make
the too-common mistake of becoming caught up in the hoopla of today’s accomplishment.
Effective college presidents regularly
demand a focused analysis by their chief enrollment officers. At the completion of each recruitment cycle,
presidents should request an evaluation of:
·
Overall
numbers and the accompanying academic-preparedness profile;
·
Effectiveness
of financial aid packaging;
·
Effectiveness
of recruitment publications;
·
Effectiveness
of technology (including e-blasts, personalized URLs, the web, and social media);
·
Effectiveness
of the call center;
·
Effectiveness
of the chief enrollment officer and director of financial aid;
·
Effectiveness
of all support staff;
·
Effectiveness
of staff travel programs;
·
Productivity
of college fairs and search pieces.
The bottom line is whether the process is
producing desired (planned) results; if not, what adjustments need to be made?
Only the kind of analysis described above can provide the needed perspective. Because
objectivity is difficult when one is so close to an institutional process, we
recommend using an outside enrollment consultant and/or formal research to hone
next year’s “funnel,” staffing and procedures.
One effective president in the Mid-Atlantic
region utilizes “Survey Monkey” to question students (and parents) who deposited
but who ultimately did not enroll. The president then randomly calls some of
the responders to collect additional data.
He uses the same technique with students who transfer to another
institution. “The results are amazing,”
he reports. “I get good, candid feedback,
and from time to time, we do get students to re-enroll after a disappointing
experience somewhere else.” He indicated
that he has used this approach successfully for more than a decade.
Another president in the Midwest annually
uses an enrollment consultant to give a “fresh set of eyes” to the
process. “We’ve had a successful
operation for many years,” he noted.
“But evaluative comments and new ideas always spark a better discussion
when they come from outside the organization.
Outside counsel can say things in a way the insiders often can’t.” He has utilized John Dysart of The Dysart
Group in this capacity for nearly 20 years.
Highly effective presidents go a step further. Always thinking ahead, they convene summer
planning retreats to set the desired marketing tone on campus. They constantly challenge their campuses to look
at new enrollment opportunities.
Currently, that approach might include an innovative mix of traditional
and non-traditional programs; online, three-year options in selected areas; and
international and synergistic partnerships with “like-minded” institutions.
The president of a selective liberal
arts college in the South proudly reels off a list of dual-degree programs with
a highly selective private research
institution that creates a “value added” for students. “They can take a prescribed curriculum for
three years with us,” he notes, “then attend the other institution for 1 ½ to 2
years…earn two world- class degrees and be in the workforce within a shorter
period of time, ultimately saving thousands of tuition dollars for his or her
family.”
The completion of a recruitment cycle
often compels a staffing change.
Presidents with whom we work add that this is the most competitive
market in years for the recruitment and retention of admissions and financial-aid
leaders and staff. We recommend
experienced search consultants to evaluate critical staffing positions as an
effective return on investment, and we are always happy to suggest specific
consultants upon request.
# # #
Dr.
Scott D. Miller is President of the College and M.M. Cochran Professor of
Leadership Studies at Bethany College in West Virginia. Now in his third college presidency, he has
served as a CEO for nearly 22 years. He is Chair of the Board of Directors of
Academic Search, Inc. , Washington, D.C.
Dr.
Marylouise Fennell, RSM, a former president of Carlow University in Pittsburgh,
PA, is senior counsel for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and
principal of Hyatt Fennell, a Higher Education Search Firm.
They
have collaborated on nine books, including “President to President: Views on Technology in Higher Education
(2008)” and “Presidential Perspectives: Strategies to Address the Rising Cost
of Higher Education” (2012.) They are
regular columnists for College Planning and Management and Enrollment Manager.
Both serve as consultants to college presidents and boards.
