Author: Dwyer Education Strategies

John W. Dysart, President, The Dysart Group For many colleges and universities, it has been another rough year as hundreds failed to meet their recruitment goals. The national trends are discouraging. Demographics continue to be problematic and are more negatively pronounced in certain regions of the country. The greatest declines in the number of students enrolled in college in 2019 were realized in Florida, California, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania. College enrollments declined for the eighth consecutive year in 2019. The latest represents a drop of approximately 300,000 students in a single cycle. It has been predicted that college enrollments will […]

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John W. Dysart, President, The Dysart Group The market for traditional, undergraduate students continues to be challenging. Demographic declines in the number of high school graduates have translated into fewer undergraduate enrollments at many colleges and universities. Enrollment managers, business officers and presidents are looking for new sources for headcount and tuition revenue. Ownership Historically, the recruitment process for graduate admissions has been housed within each graduate academic department. When demand is high and/or outcomes are not financially material, this model is fine. As traditional, undergraduate enrollment counts have dropped in recent years and new revenue sources have become critical, […]

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Dr. Marylouise Fennell, Principal, Hyatt-Fennell Dr. Scott D. Miller, President, Virginia Wesleyan University For years we have shared experiential insight with college and university presidents on a wide variety of operational and philosophical issues. A common theme that has surfaced in these articles is the competitive nature of higher education, and the challenges confronting its leaders for enhanced revenue and relevance. In this issue, we make recommendations for winning in the tough arena of colleges and universities. We especially thank our colleague John Dysart of The Dysart Group for his cutting-edge analysis and implementation of traditional and non-traditional enrollment models […]

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John W. Dysart, President, The Dysart Group Much has been reported in recent months regarding the cheating scandals designed to provide admission to selective colleges and universities. Many were shocked to learn that parents essentially bribed coaches and administrators to gain admission for their children into elite institutions. Cheating is always reprehensible, but the impact of the schemes was essentially denying admission to otherwise deserving students. Who knows how many qualified applicants were turned away? We may never know the real extent of such ploys. We all thought we had now heard it all. Reports in Illinois surfaced regarding parents […]

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John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group As demographics continue to decline, the value proposition for college is under attack and competition increases, the need to increase or stabilize new student enrollment is paramount for most colleges and universities. Transfer students can be a valuable source of new enrollments for many colleges and universities. The nature of transfer enrollments has changed over the last decade, yet institutions have been slow to adapt. Schools have become more aggressive in their attempts to lure transfer students but often have introduced traditional tactics and half-measures to attract transfer students. Scholarships and Grants Affordability […]

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John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group Much has been written in recent months regarding the implications for the latest tuition discounting survey published by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). While the rate keeps growing, so much of the media has attributed it to declining demographics and the attempt by private colleges and universities to buy students. This could not be further from the truth in my experience. College discount rates are increasing because financial need is growing while state and federal aid have not kept pace to meet the rise of aggregate financial need. […]

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Dr. Marylouise Fennell Principal Hyatt-Fennell Dr. Scott D. Miller President Virginia Wesleyan University Once, social media were considered newfangled. Today, we urge you to use these platforms for doing business. It is a cost-effective way to expand your visibility to targeted audiences while promoting your institutional brand. What?s not to ?like?? Social media platforms provide the opportunity to expand, reach and engage with a wide variety of audiences on unlimited topics. Those who do not employ social media are missing out on ways of communicating efficiently and quickly to stakeholders. For years we have advised college and university presidents on […]

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Retention has become a critical issue for most colleges and universities.? The importance of increased retention and higher graduation rates should be obvious.It is likely that colleges and universities are going to be held much more accountable for enrollment outcomes.? It is reasonable to expect greater scrutiny by accreditors, politicians, the Department of Education and the public in general.

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John W. Dysart,?President,?The Dysart Group I have worked in higher education for nearly forty years.? I have had the pleasure of working with more than 180 colleges and universities throughout the United States on myriad issues related to enrollment management.? As a recovering Director of Financial Aid, I believe I have?unique insight into financial aid issues.? Instead of sharing a host of financial aid recommendations designed to support recruitment and retention objectives, allow me to offer a list of things NOT to do.   Do Not Cap Financial Aid Packages at Tuition and Fees if You Have Students Living on […]

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