Category: Article Archives

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. While many colleges and universities have experienced enrollment declines as competition for students increases and the economy sours. Dr. Carol Seavor of Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke, Virginia has overseen unprecedented growth. I began working with Dr. Seavor toward the end of 2003. An enrollment audit was conducted to examine practices and procedures with an eye toward recommending strategies that would enable academic program expansion, net revenue increases and enrollment growth. A new pricing model was introduced that doubled the charge for tuition in a single cycle. The financial aid […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. As the first female President in the history of Ferrum College in Ferrum, Virginia, Dr. Jennifer Braaten has presided over a period of unprecedented growth. The number of admission applications has increased significantly while new student enrollments have grown. When Dr. Braaten started at Ferrum in 2002, the College enrolled approximately 925 students. The College will pass the 1,400 mark for total enrollment this year, which means total enrollment has grown more than 50% during her tenure! Passing this milestone during one of the most difficult economic periods in decades is and […]

Michael A. Kapin, Ph.D. Researcher Managing recruitment efforts in a private or proprietary college or university has always been a challenge. In today’s uncertain economic climate, it is critical that every qualified student be given the opportunity to lear n the attributes of your school in order to make matriculation a reality. The mortgage crisis, corporate bankruptcies, factory and company closings, the scarcity of credit, stock market declines, layoffs and rising unemployment have created an environment where the benefits of post-secondary education are more difficult to explain and the costs are a much more determining consideration for students and their […]

Dr. Douglas Spadaro President David Waggoner Vice President Premier Communications Evaluating the Search Utilizing personal URLs (PURLs) greatly facilitates the response process. As noted in part two of this article, keying a personal URL (PURL) into a browser opens a website that contains information about your institution. The website also includes an Information Request Contact Form which the card recipient can use to express interest in your institution. Basic information in the form – name, address, city, state and zip – is typically pre-populated. This is both a customer service (it saves the prospective student the need to key in […]

Dr. Douglas Spadaro President David Waggoner Vice President Premier Communications Implementing the Search Admission professionals realize a graet many direct mail firms are more than happy to send out tens of thousands of search pieces. Of course most of these firms will approach your project just like they approach putting retail catalogs or brochures for swampland in South Florida in the mail! As noted above, the principals at Premier Communications bring experience in the field of college recruiting to the table. Our dedication is shown by the fact that we’re typically in the office at midnight on the morning the […]

Dr. Douglas Spadaro President David Waggoner Vice President Premier Communications Among the multitude of tasks that face college admissions and enrollment professionals, the design and implementation of an effective student search is certainly one of the most important. It not only provides the main pool of prospects for admission, but it is often the manner in which the institution introduces itself to candidates. By providing an impressive “first look,” the search can be key in attracting the caliber of student that best fits with the college’s offerings and objectives. This article will explore the design of an effective search as […]