Author: Dwyer Education Strategies

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. Greg Fritz set a couple of priorities when he took on the role as the new Vice President of Enrollment at College of Saint Mary. The institution is a 90 year old women’s college located in Omaha, Nebraska. Greg sought to increase enrollment while actively growing the base of students seeking more information about the College and improving communication with the applicants for admission. CSM expanded its market outreach to contact prospective students in a greater geographic area. Thousands of telephone calls were made to students to encourage them to learn more […]

Dr. Susan Coia-Gailey Higher Education Consultant Data-Based Institutional Research As an institutional leader you need numbers, right? You need numbers/figures to make enlightened decisions, and to develop effective policies. More broadly, you need data to inform strategic plans and tactics to achieve strategic goals. Your institution’s strategic direction and goals should be guided by data. Though we may make broader reference to evidenced-based decision-making, there is always the quest for numbers, i.e., for reports, and a lot of them. Well, we’ve heard the saying, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Figures can create the delusion of understanding and the […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. Improvements to the physical plant continue at Wesley College in Dover, Delaware. Dr. William Johnston has led efforts to enhance buildings and grounds during his tenure. New green space and gathering areas for students have been created. The addition of new walkways and open plazas have made the campus more friendly for pedestrians. Renovation has begun on the 36,000 square-foot J. Allen Frear Federal Building. This addition to campus will serve as an education center fro the expanded Nursing program and health science area of study. The opening is scheduled for January […]

Dr. Scott Miller President Bethany College Dr. Marylouise Fennell, RSM Principal Hyatt-Fennell ?Competition for students has never been so intense.? The words of a 15-year veteran college president, currently serving a residential liberal arts college in the Northeast, speak to the need for innovative marketing of campus programs to meet that challenge: ?Every day I hear something new that I?ve never heard before in the continuing battle among institutions to meet the enrollment bottom line,? he points out. Robust intercollegiate athletic programs and state-of-the-art fitness facilities are one essential strategy for recruiting and retaining student-athletes. In fact, the number of […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. Enrollment growth continues at Mars Hill University in North Carolina despite troubling demographic trends, economic uncertainty and new questions about the value of a college education. The enrollment team of Dr. Craig Goforth, Assistant Vice President for Student Enrollment Services, Kristie Vance, Director of Admissions, Alan Young, Supervisor of Marketing and Admissions, and Nicole Buckner, Director of Financial Aid have implemented significant changes over the last three years that have resulted in transformational growth. So many exciting things are happening. Traditional student enrollment has reached another high. Fall 2013 enrollment has increased […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. There are exciting trends emerging at a small college in Colorado Springs. After a number of years of enrollment declines, a new growth spurt is occurring. Nazarene Bible College has recently adopted a new recruitment and financial aid strategy. Working with The Dysart Group, Inc. positive outcomes are already being realized. In the seven months since new tactics have been utilized, the impact on recruitment has been significant. – The application pool grew by 131%. – The number of new students accepted for admission has grown by 43% compared to last year. […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. The higher education landscape is rapidly changing. Despite the general acceptance of the concept of enrollment management as an effective vehicle for understanding admissions, financial aid and retention, few schools have successfully brought together the three departments in an effective manner. Freed-Hardeman University adopted a new organizational structure to ensure that the enrollment management plan is a truly collaborative effort. The University has created a leadership team that includes the Director of Admission, the Director of Financial Aid and the Chief Retention Officer and these individuals have worked together in making all […]

Ms. Allison Morris Contributing Writer OnlineEducation.net Online learning has grown into an integral element of higher education.? No longer an? experimental novelty practiced by a handful of tech-loving pioneers, digital classrooms have enjoyed a steady surge in popularity for their low cost and ease of access.? But you can’t change the way people approach learning without permanently impacting a few things along the way.? Recent studies offer plenty of insight when it comes to better understanding how online and blended courses influence the students enrolled in them.? And current trends and undertakings might reveal some of the possible hamstrings students […]

Dr. Scott D. Miller President Bethany College Marylouise Fennell, RSM Principal Hyatt-Fennell To paraphrase T.S. Eliot, May is often the cruelest month for college admissions offices.? That?s when shortfalls in projected enrollment become evident.? On small campuses, even a slight decrease in yield can translate into layoffs and cutbacks. For many years, we have written on the vital role of boards of trustees in hiring transformational, exceptional leaders for college presidencies; it is those individuals who set the leadership tone for the institution.? Extraordinary times require extraordinary leaders, and this is such a time in higher education. In addition, it […]

Andrew Jackson Financial Counselor Oak View Law Group Some of the students who are drowning in the student loan debt mire are the ones who have treated the loans as monopoly money. No loan can ever act like a grant and hence if treated as a grant, students could be trapped in an impending disaster.? If you are working with students who have taken out one or more student loans and they?re not able to make the monthly payments, let them know there are debt consolidation options. Your students should consider securing debt consolidation loans from the US Department of […]