Author: Dwyer Education Strategies

Enrollment management models have been implemented, at least to some extent, at most colleges and universities. Data-driven identification of prospective students, tracking of inquiries and applications, monitoring of communication and yield rates, marketing, strategic utilization of financial aid and well-planned financing options, along with retention and graduation plans have been commonplace.

Enrollment management remains the single most vital area of any college or university with a tuition-driven budget. As institutions revise their marketing strategies, develop retention programs, and upgrade campus facilities, parents and students remain in the consumer driver?s seat. What?s the value for their tuition dollar? What are the ?extras? that a campus can offer? Which institutions offer the best financial-aid packages? Will graduates have a job waiting for them after four years of college?

Sarah Seigle Program Manager, Enrollment Management Academic Impressions More institutions are?using small and big data sources across the prospective and current student lifecycle to inform key decisions related to enrollment and retention. To take a look at how Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) is changing and to get ideas for how institutions can better leverage?their data, we reached out to a panel of three prominent experts: John Dysart (President of the Dysart Group) Randall Langston (Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management at the College at Brockport) Brian Williams (Vice President for Enrollment and Institutional Analytics at?John Carroll University). These three, joined […]

Stay on message. In the ferocious competition for students today, effective presidents ensure that their enrollment teams not only understand the recruitment message, but that they also promote it effectively in each and every communication distributed to prospective students, parents and families?alumni, too. Because the best marketing strategies derive from strong and consistent messaging, presidents must insist on hiring enrollment staff who are fully briefed and conversant on the institutional brand, programs and unique features. Other institutional stakeholders can help you. Here are some tips for making sure that your enrollment team is walking in step with your presidential vision […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group Competition has been fierce for most colleges and universities over the last decade.? Changing demographics, increased costs and stagnant investment in financial aid at both the state and federal levels have made it harder for institutions to even maintain their enrollments, much less realize material growth.? The evolution in the market?taking place in recent years, and likely to continue, is making things even more challenging. Declines in state support for financial aid continue. We are seeing a real change as states shift responsibility for providing access away from the local community and toward […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group Louisiana State University of Alexandria posted another record year for recruitment. The institution implemented a new recruitment and financial aid model in 2013 and the results have been transformational.?The outcomes for Fall 2016 are extraordinary: LSUA enrolled the largest number of students in history. Total student enrollments have increased by nearly 47% since 2013. The 529 new freshmen represent the largest number in history. On-line enrollment has increased by 64% in just the last year. The University enrolled a record number of students in its Honors Program. The University enrolled a record number […]

Dr. Marylouise Fennell Principal Hyatt-Fennell Dr. Scott D. Miller President Virginia Wesleyan College For many years, Scott has had a quote taped to his computer from a longtime, nationally prominent presidential colleague: ?I want to have the most effective internal communications in higher education. If we can start with this assumption?that will provide the platform for our external strategy. This belief in effective communications must drive our planning.? Former Speaker of the House Tip O?Neill had it right: all politics is local. It follows, then, that successful public relations strategies start on campus. With most college CEOs spending more than […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group Enrollment Management is an important division at any college or university. It is important because it addresses the very issues that define our purpose in higher education. We are, in fact, many things and seek to resolve many problems and accomplish myriad goals. But in essence, higher education is about teaching students, retaining students and graduating students with the skills necessary to become successful citizens. Retention and graduation rates may be the most difficult challenges faced by the majority of colleges and universities in this country. For much of the higher education market, […]

Audra Kahr Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer Cedar Crest College October 2016 begins an unprecedented time in Student Financial Services/Financial Aid offices nationwide. The launch of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) ?prior year? release has made institutions pause across the country as they evaluate how to navigate through a new normal. There are more questions than answers as we inch closer to the enrollment cycle for fiscal year 2017/18. Institutions know they are competing for a decreasing population of college aged freshman nationally, with some states experiencing a sharper decline than others. With fierce competition comes the […]