Strategic Enrollment Management

Strategic Enrollment Management is a crucial element of planning for new growth at a university or college as it concerns both academic program growth and facilities needs. ref|western A real strategic enrollment management approach looks at the entire student cycle, from entry through graduation. ref|inside

According to Thomas Williams ref|williams:

:Enrollment management refers to the traditional task of “setting and meeting the goal of assembling a student body that comprises a predetermined and advantageous mix of students in terms of quality, number, and diversity in all its forms.” Strategic enrollment management is a broader, more dynamic task that begins with an understanding of the world around us, anticipates changes, probes institutional mission and goals, modifying them if necessary, and coordinates “campus-wide efforts in such areas as marketing, student recruitment and retention, tuition pricing, financial aid, academic and career counseling, and curriculum reform.”

Some of the components of Strategic Enrollment Management include: ref|southeast
* Characteristics of the institution and the world around it
* Institutional mission and priorities
* Optimal enrollments (number, quality, diversity)
* Student recruitment
* Student fees and financial aid
* Retention
* Institutional marketing
* Career counseling and development
* Academic advising
* Curricular and program development
* Methods of program delivery
* Quality of campus life and facilities

Common misconceptions

According to Bontrager and Kerlin ref|bontrager, common misconceptions and sometimes barriers to implementing or moving strategic enrollment management forward within an institution are that strategic enrollment management is:
* a quick fix
* solely an organizational structure
* an enhanced admissions and marketing operation
* a financial drain on the institution
* an administrative function separate from the academic plan and mission of the institution

Notes

# Western Carolina University [http://0-www.wcu.edu.wncln.wncln.org/stratplan/SEMgt/stratenrollmgt.htm Office of Institutional Research and Planning]
# Inside Higher Education [http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/03/27/enroll Enrollment Managers Struggle With Image]
# Thomas Williams, “ [http://www5.semo.edu/strategicenrollmentmanagement/ Enrollment Strategies to Serve Tomorrow’s Students] ,” AGB Priorities, 21, spring 2003
# South East Missouri State University [http://www5.semo.edu/strategicenrollmentmanagement/SEMDefinition.htm Strategic Enrollment Management]
# Bob Bontrager, C. Kerlin, "Strategic Enrollment Management: Core concepts and Strategies." November 2004. Orlando, FL: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers