Category: Article Archives

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group Louisiana State University of Alexandria posted another record year for recruitment. The institution implemented a new recruitment and financial aid model in 2013 and the results have been transformational. The outcomes for Fall 2016 are extraordinary: LSUA enrolled the largest number of students in history. Total student enrollments have increased by nearly 47% since 2013. The 529 new freshmen represent the largest number in history. On-line enrollment has increased by 64% in just the last year. The University enrolled a record number of students in its Honors Program. The University enrolled a record number […]

Dr. Marylouise Fennell Principal Hyatt-Fennell Dr. Scott D. Miller President Virginia Wesleyan College For many years, Scott has had a quote taped to his computer from a longtime, nationally prominent presidential colleague: “I want to have the most effective internal communications in higher education. If we can start with this assumption…that will provide the platform for our external strategy. This belief in effective communications must drive our planning.” Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill had it right: all politics is local. It follows, then, that successful public relations strategies start on campus. With most college CEOs spending more than […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group Enrollment Management is an important division at any college or university. It is important because it addresses the very issues that define our purpose in higher education. We are, in fact, many things and seek to resolve many problems and accomplish myriad goals. But in essence, higher education is about teaching students, retaining students and graduating students with the skills necessary to become successful citizens. Retention and graduation rates may be the most difficult challenges faced by the majority of colleges and universities in this country. For much of the higher education market, […]

Audra Kahr Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer Cedar Crest College October 2016 begins an unprecedented time in Student Financial Services/Financial Aid offices nationwide. The launch of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) “prior year” release has made institutions pause across the country as they evaluate how to navigate through a new normal. There are more questions than answers as we inch closer to the enrollment cycle for fiscal year 2017/18. Institutions know they are competing for a decreasing population of college aged freshman nationally, with some states experiencing a sharper decline than others. With fierce competition comes the […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group The Obama administration has initiated a major change to the traditional financial aid cycle for colleges and universities. It was announced on September 14, 2015. Determining eligibility for federal financial aid in the past has been based upon the prior year tax returns. During a normal cycle for students intending to enroll in Fall 2016, financial aid eligibility is based upon the completed 2015 federal tax returns. The use of “prior year” tax information has been the requirement for decades. All of that changes for the coming Fall 2017 cycle. Various groups, including […]

Dr. Marylouise Fennell Principal Hyatt-Fennell Dr. Scott D. Miller President Virginia Wesleyan College Summer months are a critical period for college admissions offices. That’s when administrators are assessing accomplishments from the previous year, and dealing with potential shortfalls for the upcoming year. Even before July and August, however, enrollment professionals begin holding their breath. Usually by May, room-deposit trends are well established, signaling whether the enrollment staff will celebrate or commiserate. On most private college campuses, even a slight decrease in net revenue and yield, established by what happens in the admissions office, can translate into layoffs and cutbacks. It is critical therefore, that college CEOs closely monitor and encourage […]

Having advised over a hundred institutions about effective communications for student recruitment, we’ve learned a troubling truth: too often, administrators choose outmoded web and publication design strategies that appeal to their personal tastes rather than approaches tested through focus groups. Rule number one in enrollment management is know your audience. The student recruitment landscape today is driven by texting and social media. Yet many colleges and universities rely on a mixed-use publication policy— writing in a content-heavy style for alumni and friends of all generations, and then applying the same publication strategy to communicating with prospective students. Younger audiences, the […]

The marketplace for graduate schools is changing. Many colleges and universities have been implementing significant adjustments to their recruitment and financial aid tactics and strategies to respond to the new, more challenging landscape. Across the country, colleges and universities are looking for revenue streams and the pressure is on graduate programs to produce revenue like never before. Even many of the most prestigious institutions are no longer able to rely on academic reputations alone to meet their graduate enrollment objectives. Competition continues to increase as more and more schools add new graduate offerings. Opportunities for students to cover their graduate […]