Category: Article Archives

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. A small, Christian college located near the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina is bucking all of the enrollment trends. Despite the declines in state financial aid, changing demographics, severe economic challenges and rising costs, this little College has been growing. Dr. Dan Lunsford, the president of Mars Hill College, and his leadership team have placed the institution on the road to enrollment growth, program expansion and significant enhancements to the physical plant. The College partnered with The Dysart Group, Inc., a higher education consulting firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina two […]

Dr. Jennifer Braaten President Ferrum College At Ferrum College in Ferrum, Virginia we are most grateful for all the students who continue to be interested in attending. It has been an incredible period of growth for the institution over the years since I assumed the presidency. The College starts with an attractive? core. We have the honor and privilege of having a powerful mission of affordability and accessibility. We are all educators interested in doing all we can to inspire and motivate young people. We have a faculty, staff and administration who appreciate what it means to offer an applied […]

The Dysart Group is seeking retired, qualified senior higher education administrators interested in interim positions. Contact us if you are retired but wish to continue working as an interim. Contact us if you would like to refer a qualified individual. Email: thedysartgroup@aol.com Visit: www.thedysartgroup.com

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. This is the time of year when pressure is on the leadership team in the recruitment division to finalize the new student numbers for the coming term and to use every means possible to increase yield. One of the simplest ways to increase new student enrollments is to increase the conversion rate from accepted applicant to enrolled student. More students can be enrolled even if application pools are stagnant by encouraging a higher percentage of accepted applicants to enroll. Other offices at the institution can have a positive influence on yield. Colleges […]

The Dysart Group is pleased to announce the introduction of three new services: Interim Placement for Senior Administrators Mentoring Succession Planning For more information, please visit www.thedysartgroup.com

Cheryl Hyatt Principal Hyatt-Fennell Marylouise Fennell, RSM Principal Hyatt-Fennell We?ve seen it more times than we?d like to recall. Often a promising candidate begins the executive search process and seems to offer many of the skills and strengths our clients are seeking. He or she then frequently makes it into the semi-finals or even the finals of a rigorous, intensive search. But then, before the offer is tendered, something is said or done that derails the process. Usually it?s an action or oversight that could easily have been avoided with advance thought, preparation or planning. Such candidates cost themselves, us […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. As you think about the very complicated subject of retention, understand that there are often some simple things you can do to promote student satisfaction and retention. Let?s focus our thoughts on just some issues related to financial aid. Changes in financial aid policy and procedure are not necessarily complicated, do not require faculty committee discussions, are not expensive, but can make a real difference. See if your Financial Aid Office is doing the following: Proactively Encourage People to Apply for Financial Aid The role of an effective Financial Aid Office is […]

Dr. Scott Miller President Bethany College Marylouise Fennell, RSM Principal Hyatt-Fennell With some 50 percent of all college presidents at age 61, or older, according to a recent American Council on Education re-port, many campuses will experience significant change in leadership in the near future. Further, these shifts will not be limited to the presidential level; because changes at the top usually result in replacement of a number of senior personnel, an institution stands to lose momentum, vision and significant funding without a solid succession plan in place. Unlike corporate America, which has witnessed countless quick internal appointments during recent […]

Dr. Scott Miller President Bethany College Marylouise Fennell, RSM Principal Hyatt-Fennell We?ve written before on the critical topic of transformational presidential leadership. This column is devoted to the relationship between the college president and the chief enrollment officer. Because enrollment is the single most important revenue ?driver? at most colleges and universities, the strength of that relationship is critical to institutional success. In dozens of consultancies at diverse institutions, we?ve found that all have at least one thing in common: a proactive president who demonstrates a commitment to a culture of recruitment and retention. Keeping Your Eye on the Prize […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. When Dr. Martha Shouldis took over the presidency at Saint Joseph College in Bridgeport, Connecticut, one of her goals was to increase enrollment. In short order, she has achieved that objective. A new recruitment model was implemented last year that resulted in increases in both applications and acceptances for Fall 2011. The number of newly enrolled students grew by 26% compared to the previous year. Enrollment growth continued through the most recent term. New student headcount is up by 38% for Spring 2012 compared to the same term last year. The total […]