Author: Dwyer Education Strategies

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. Significant changes have taken place in federal financial aid programs in recent years and even more changes are currently underway. Presidents, Business Officers, Enrollment Vice Presidents and Retention Officers should make sure that they are aware of the changes and have a seat at the table in the decision making process regarding how these opportunities will be implemented at their campuses. Financial aid can be so complicated that chief administrators often leave decisions regarding financial aid solely in thehands of financial aid administrators. While their experience and knowledge is critically important, financial […]

Dr. Susan Coia Gailey Independent Consultant Is no research forthcoming from your Office of Institutional Research? Had you [and everyone else] envisioned that a central Office of Institutional Research would be the ultimate solution to all of your reporting needs? What you need is a Strategic Planning & Research Office in the President?s Office, and you need to keep it separate from your reporting operation. If you do not agree, do not understand or are intrigued or desperate, read on. If you do not have an IR Office but are thinking about getting one, read on to avoid disappointment.

Carol A. Descak President The Descak Group Successful recruitment is the result of doing the right thing, with the right prospective student at the right time. To an extent, an enrollment operational plan can accomplish this objective. Communication flow, processes and procedures, recruitment events, travel, etc. can be programmed to happen, targeting specific students at specific times. In spite of a well-oiled operational machine, small colleges? and universities that are tuition-driven and struggle for market share rely on the personal contact and effectiveness of admissions recruiters to meet and exceed enrollment goals. I have repeatedly witnessed lower enrollment yields in […]

April Clark CAS There are many successful ways to market via e-mail. I will discuss some of those methods in this article. There are also pitfalls that await your e-mail marketing campaigns. It is important for college marketing departments to be aware of these stumbling blocks ? it may save you from some headaches further down the road! The first pitfall is incorrect e-mail addresses. There are a number of competent e-mail append and e-mail prospect vendors out there, the secret is finding one that can give you what you need ? accurate, opt-in e-mail addresses. In addition, you must […]

Dr. Marylouise Fennell Senior Counsel Council of Independent Colleges Dr. Scott D. Miller President Bethany College A new president often arrives to find the line already forming outside the office – door so many demands, so many constituencies seeking his or her ear, so little time. The crucial first six months of a new presidency must lay a firm foundation for success because the honeymoon period in higher education is becoming ever shorter. All too often, we?ve seen missteps at this pivotal stage prove fatal to a fledgling presidency, even with exceptionally well-qualified candidates. How to sort out and prioritize […]

Shirley E. Arnold Director of Academic Support Services Brevard College Many parents of today?s college students are Baby Boomers. So are many of us who work in higher education as faculty members and administrators. So it seems we should have a good point of entry into understanding our contemporaries? approach to parenting. Yet, instead, our expectations of our students seem dramatically different! Students today often tell us that their best friends are their parents. While we may assume that the student with the cell phone glued to his/her ear is talking to a peer, we should probably think again. The […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. Over the past year, much has been published in the media about the student loan industry. Specifically, there have been many headlines over the course of the year that discuss how private student loans, funds provided by educational lenders, have grown into a $17 billion a year industry and how lenders are directly communicating with consumers to secure educational funds to pay for college because of the decline in subsidies for Federal loans. Further, the costs for higher education continue to rise and federal and state support in the form of financial […]

Dr. Scott Miller President Wesley College Dr. Marylouise Fennell Senior Counsel Council of Independent Colleges Although your admissions staff is likely complete at this point in the cycle, it?s never too early to start the search for new talent. How to spot the next superstar to bring in well-qualified students who will be retained and won?t require heavy discounting to enroll? One who will stay more than a year or two, won?t experience premature burnout and has the potential to be promoted? While your own student ambassadors and tour guides are an obvious starting point, beware of filling your permanent […]

Beth Gierach Associate Vice President Saint Xavier University John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. The 1993-94 academic year marked the real turning point. Saint Xavier University faced a significant financial crisis. While the institution had faced tight budgets in the past, this was the first real budget shortfall and no one saw it coming. That year started the first serious discussions about the fate of the small, Catholic, university located in the suburbs of Chicago. The Background By the time a new enrollment plan was designed in 1997, the University was in a precarious situation. It simply did […]

Dr. Doug Spedaro President Premier Collegiate Communications One of the first rules of a successful marketing campaign is ?understand your market.? This is true regardless of what you are selling, including the recruiting of college students. Today?s high school students have a set of personal characteristics and expectations that make them unique among any generation that colleges have tried to recruit before. Recognizing these characteristics and tailoring your admissions process to answer the unique questions, goals, lifestyle, and habits that they might have is the key to a successful year for admissions.