Author: Dwyer Education Strategies

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group Dr. Scott Miller assumed the presidency of Virginia Wesleyan College in 2015. Despite challenging demographics, stagnated federal and state financial aid and a swath of college closures in recent years, the institution continues to thrive. While these are challenging times for most colleges and universities, especially small, private colleges, the story at Virginia Wesleyan University can be a model for others. Success is contingent upon bold leadership and requires detailed attention to the recruitment/retention plan, program reconsideration, expanded academic offerings, aggressive fundraising, new partnerships, physical plant improvements and significant investment in the curricular […]

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John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group It’s an extremely challenging recruitment market for presidents, administrators and enrollment managers.  Demographics are a real obstacle, support for federal and state financial aid has stagnated, and colleges and universities are folding at an alarming pace. The enrollment team at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan experienced a significant decline in enrollment over the previous seven years.  The Dysart Group partnered with the College this past cycle to implement a new recruitment and financial aid plan. The entire admission process was stream-lined for greater efficiency and transparency for prospective students and families. We […]

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Dr. Katelyn Sanders Director of Admission & Alumni Affairs Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy Shenandoah University Dr. Scott D. Miller President Virginia Wesleyan University  You only get one chance to make a first impression on a prospective student, and you want to make it great.  While you can’t always control where, when, or how a prospect first hears about your school, you can influence what they discover.  From sparking curiosity and pride to fostering belonging and academic challenge, here are ways to create an unforgettable first impression. Don’t Start with a Pitch—Start with a Class For many prospects, the […]

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John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group It can be beneficial to make use of vendor partnerships to assist with all aspects of enrollment management.  More critical, is to evaluate the success of those relationships annually. Calculate the cost of companies helping with your search process by determining the cost per lead generated.  More importantly, calculate the cost of each new student enrollment based on the expense of the partnership.  Discontinue partnerships that do not generate inquiry increases but also reconsider partnerships that generate more inquiries that do not result in an increase in new student enrollments.  For example, I […]

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John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group If you have recently been appointed as President at a college or university, you already know the importance of enrollment and net revenue for institutional survival and success. The following is a quick checklist of warning signs as you consider your current enrollment and financial status. Review recruitment outcomes over the last five years for signs of declines in applications, acceptances and new student enrollments. Yes, the current market is challenging, but declines are often a sign of strategic and/or tactical shortcomings. It might be time to evaluate the entire admission operation. Accepting […]

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Dr. Katelyn Sanders Director of Admission & Alumni Affairs Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy Shenandoah University Dr. Scott D. Miller President Virginia Wesleyan University When it comes to deciding which college to attend — and whether obtaining that education is worth the cost of incurring student loan debt — prospective students and their families are always looking for more information, clarity, and reassurance.  One tool that can help them with all three is the Carnegie Classification, which groups institutions according to the type and priority of the degrees they offer.  Enrollment and admissions professionals can also make use of […]

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John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group Financial aid is an extremely important element of any enrollment management plan.  As inflation continues, federal and state aid stagnates and institutions witness downward enrollment trends, it’s safe to say that well designed institutional aid programs and targeted award policies will be instrumental to enrollment success. Most higher education administrators, including presidents and chief financial officers, are not well-versed in the details of financial aid.  It is difficult for many to even determine whether they have problems with their financial aid operations.  The following are some signs that might indicate issues with the […]

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Dr. Katelyn Sanders Director of Admission & Alumni Affairs Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy Shenandoah University Dr. Scott D. Miller President Virginia Wesleyan University When you think about your time at college, what comes to mind? Most likely, it’s not the process of applying for financial aid, scheduling classes, or taking tests.  Although these aspects of the college experience tend to occur no matter which institution you attend, they’re not necessarily memorable.  In other words, they’re not what we think of most fondly when we look back on “our college years.” Instead, what you probably remember are the friends […]

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Dr. Katelyn Sanders Director of Admission & Alumni Affairs Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy Shenandoah University Dr. Scott D. Miller President Virginia Wesleyan University Let’s say you’ve spoken with a prospective student for your institution. You’ve sent them materials and answered their questions, pointed out how your institution aligns with their goals and values, and helped them understand what financial aid options they have available. In your mind, you’ve done all you can to convince them that yours is the college or university that best suits their needs… yet they ultimately inform you that they’ve decided to enroll somewhere […]

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Christopher Burnley Senior Consultant The Dysart Group Most people’s natural instinct is to trust that others are doing what they say they are doing. Most employees desire to work for an organization, and a leader, who trusts them to do their job in the best way possible. Employees will often become upset if they feel that their leaders don’t trust them to do their job. In higher education, the faculty may also express their concerns about administrative leaders who don’t seem to trust their employees. Unfortunately, we have experienced many examples of Admissions and Financial Aid teams that simply were […]

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