- Strategic Enrollment Management
Strategic Enrollment Management is a crucial element of planning for new growth at a university or college as it concerns both academic program growth and facilities needs. ref|western A real strategic enrollment management approach looks at the entire student cycle, from entry through graduation. ref|inside
According to Thomas Williams ref|williams:
:
Enrollment management refers to the traditional task of “setting and meeting the goal of assembling a student body that comprises a predetermined and advantageous mix of students in terms of quality, number, and diversity in all its forms.” Strategic enrollment management is a broader, more dynamic task that begins with an understanding of the world around us, anticipates changes, probes institutional mission and goals, modifying them if necessary, and coordinates “campus-wide efforts in such areas as marketing, student recruitment and retention, tuition pricing, financial aid, academic and career counseling, and curriculum reform.”Some of the components of Strategic Enrollment Management include: ref|southeast
* Characteristics of the institution and the world around it
* Institutional mission and priorities
* Optimal enrollments (number, quality, diversity)
* Student recruitment
* Student fees and financial aid
* Retention
* Institutional marketing
* Career counseling and development
* Academic advising
* Curricular and program development
* Methods of program delivery
* Quality of campus life and facilitiesCommon misconceptions
According to Bontrager and Kerlin ref|bontrager, common misconceptions and sometimes barriers to implementing or moving strategic enrollment management forward within an institution are that strategic enrollment management is:
* a quick fix
* solely an organizational structure
* an enhanced admissions and marketing operation
* a financial drain on the institution
* an administrative function separate from the academic plan and mission of the institutionNotes
# Western Carolina University [http://0-www.wcu.edu.wncln.wncln.org/stratplan/SEMgt/stratenrollmgt.htm Office of Institutional Research and Planning]
# Inside Higher Education [http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/03/27/enroll Enrollment Managers Struggle With Image]
# Thomas Williams, “ [http://www5.semo.edu/strategicenrollmentmanagement/ Enrollment Strategies to Serve Tomorrow’s Students] ,” AGB Priorities, 21, spring 2003
# South East Missouri State University [http://www5.semo.edu/strategicenrollmentmanagement/SEMDefinition.htm Strategic Enrollment Management]
# Bob Bontrager, C. Kerlin, "Strategic Enrollment Management: Core concepts and Strategies." November 2004. Orlando, FL: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
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