The Strategic Enrollment Management Process
Introduction
Strategic enrollment management (SEM) is referred to as an essential planning component for growth in post-secondary education. Achieving an institution’s enrollment goals through a new or improved SEM process can create financial stability and revenue growth for colleges and universities. A successful SEM approach will also account for the complete cycle of a student’s education all way from the entry level through to the graduation point (Bontrager&Hossler, 2014). Recent research on SEM processes focuses particularly on student success and highlights the core components that students need in order to graduate. Recent researchalso points to the idea that a successful SEM process should be grounded not only on graduation rates but also on retention and career readiness metrics (Seidman, 2012). Therefore, a successful SEM process should balance internal college and university enrollment goals with achieving high student retention and graduation rates and career readiness metrics.
Theoretical Implication
Design theory, or design thinking, is described as the general understanding of strategies, methods, analysis and research of the design practice (Meinel, &Leifer, 2011). Design thinking can create a better understanding of how to construct an efficient and effective process and SEM strategy. The theory can be used as a lens from which to view and understand the exterior and internal aspects that impact the recruitment, enrollment and retention outlook of the college or university. In other applications design theory and design thinking have been proven to help in developing a better strategy and a guide on how processes may attain better results and avoid hindrances (Meinel&Leifer, 2011). In the post-secondary education context design thinking can be used to develop a SEM plan, the identification of required SEM resources, the cost of acquiring SEM resources or creating new ones and the timeline to achieve stated SEM objectives. Overall, design thinking can help in aligning the needs and preferences of potential stakeholder with the objective of the organization (Meinel, &Leifer, 2011).
To be concise design thinking is an attempt to explain or describe design activity which includes offering explanation as to what the activity is, what it entails, the rationale behind it as well as what it aims at accomplishing. This is a procedure that is primarily concerned with the creation of systems, products, services and communications that is created to satisfy human needs, improve individuals lives or create more sustainable practices. Design theory is also particularly adept at ensuring that designs are developed in the face of uncertainty (Meinel, &Leifer, 2011). It is also important to note that the application of the theory in the implementation of a SEM process is aimed at ensuring that fewer errors occur as the process cannot eliminate human error entirely. In this sense design theory is aimed at planning for changes that expect to transform the existing situation and generate the desired outcomes (Meinel, &Leifer, 2011).
Design thinking is an attempt of explaining or describing design activity which includes the activity is what it entails, the rationale behind its designing and the primary objective. Design on its own can be described as an action plan or the action’s intention. In brief, this is a procedure that is concerned with the creation of systems, products, services and communications. This is aimed at meeting individual’s needs and improving individual’s lives with respect for the natural environment welfare. Design thinking theory is built to ensure that designs are developed normally in the uncertainty face (Meinel, & Leifer, 2011). SEM implementation helps in ensuring that fewer errors occur in its application process. Design thinking theory is a form of planning for programs changes. The theory works by providing solutions for transforming the existing scenario and generating desirable outcomes (Meinel, & Leifer, 2011). Designing is the process of initiating changes in different fields as it help in implementing better operational and marketing strategies.
Additionally, Design thinking, is a thinking series which seeks on developing essential conversations that may help in offering economic and social growth to institutions. The thinking series in design explores the strategic plan as the chance of generating adequate value via innovative services and products (Dorst, 2015). The design thinking theory emphasizes on the development of design as a crucial service that is more efficient via rigorous resourcefulness, decisive inquisition as well as an ethics which are all essential in contributing towards growth (Dorst, 2015).
The actual enrollment management is perceived as both a procedure and a concept. Organizational reporting structures leads to transparency while the efforts of integration amid divisions and offices works in a synergistically manner in improving services as well as permitting enrollment strategic process to take place (Bontrager, & Hossler, 2014). Enrolment is basically refers to the procedure that begins at the point when potential students makes contact with the institution and continues to the graduation point. In a traditional sense, systematical enrollment management generally involves recruitment, pricing, financial help, placement, development of career, student affairs management as well as market research. However, in the modern sense, this entails divisional lines and cross-office functions. SEM can be implemented through ensuring that retention, recruitment and the success of the students is designed as the primary base of the program (Bontrager, & Hossler, 2014).
System Enrollment Management Implementation: Ways of Ensuring Success
For effective SEM development in the university does not only require a plan but also the full commitment to overcome obstacles. The process is an assertive approach that is grounded on ensuring that there that fitness is present on all the required resources (Habley, Bloom, & Robbins, 2012). Implementation effectiveness thus requires the utilization of appropriate marketing strategies in empowering the selection of students since it is a broad and encompassing activity (Forest, & Kinser, 2002). The implementation of a fresh SEM system can prove to be a huge task and therefore, careful considerations should be developed to ensure that a successful rollout is performed. The program should account for budgets, technology, management issues, training, business and additional related matters.
For a successful SEM system implementation in the University, several elements should be considered. First, the institution management should begin the program with a consideration of the end results. Admission and the recruitment process are basically the outcomes of the programs implementation which must be accomplished with resources availability (Habley, Bloom, & Robbins, 2012). The implementation should begin by evaluating the involved business process as well as strengths which help in developing strategic objectives. This, in other words, is the procedure of making decisions on where the institution wishes to be situated in the future. The road map should be grounded on clear aims which offer fundamental grounds of designing the system.
Secondly, the silos should be broken down. In considering the numerous departments that are engaged in admissions and recruitment process, it is important to align the department to permit consistent communication. In other words, this is a reflection of the institution’s purpose, mission as well as the general strategy (Kalsbeek, 2013). In addition, communication within the departments should be done often and early enough. The implementation of fresh management system is in most cases associated with installation of fear despite high technological adaptations in educational institutions. The transition is eased by the development of a better communication which may be of much assistance towards attaining the goal of the organization (Bontrager, & Hossler, 2014). The ability to apply a fresh enrollment management program requires much human resource as the main drive for its success. In most cases, this is normally felt like a cultural transformation (Kalsbeek, 2013).
Moreover, for a successful enrollment management system implementation, the institution should start primarily with the basics and develop changes with time (Kalsbeek, 2013). The implementation of a new SEM tends to be overwhelming and exciting and therefore, concentrating on several activities at the same time can limit the effectiveness capability since the program is characterized by changes. New initiatives should be launched separately to enable the setting of the specified objectives to occur. The last thing to be considered in the implementation is success celebration (Kalsbeek, 2013). The success of the implementation may not be achieved at once and communication should be a constant thing which helps in maintaining focus.
Conceptual Proposal for Student Enrollment Management Implementation
Most if not all cases, institutions are now implementing marketing plethora, retention, and recruitment strategies but a few of them are accomplishing this via the utilization of evidence-based metrics (Seidman, 2012). In consequence, the solutions to developing the outcomes of enrollment management are not performing much of the same. Factually, most of the existing approaches require abandonment so that they can permit the creation of institutional bandwidth to execute high-performance approaches and new approaches effectively. It is important to remember that those strategies that are implemented with a well-developed plan generate desirable results. Enrollment management is described as the traditional job of setting and attaining institutional objectives through assembling the student’s body. This involves advantageous and predetermined mix of all the students in regard to quality terms, diversity and number in all its structures (Kalsbeek, 2013).
On the other hand, SEM is a much broader , more vibrant job that starts with the understanding of the surrounding world, changes anticipation, institutional goals and mission probing, necessary modification and the coordination of the wider efforts of the campus such as retention, tuition pricing, recruitment, marketing, reform of the curriculum, career counseling as well as financial aid. Strategic enrollment management can be regarded as an added and a wider responsibility to the organization. With the utilization of the institution mission, strategic plan and academic vision SEM focuses on the processes, policies and plan while simultaneously handling student’s graduation, recruitment, and retention (Kalsbeek, 2013). SEM normally integrates strategies, planning as well as structures into enrollment management that is a formal committee in-charge of handling the institution’s operations.
In consideration of SEM approaches there is always a huge attempt of directly handling the matter tactically. The most useful strategy is normally to establish the desired results. Among the numerous outcomes that are present, the most famous one is the academic success of the students. As stated by most of the recent studies, it can be regarded as an academic policy, curriculum, as well as the corresponding students, influence the persistence, tendency, and the implementation planning. The degree to which the problems are handled determines the general numbers to be enrolled as well as competitive positioning (Habley, Bloom, & Robbins, 2012). Therefore, the focus on student’s success and academic programs normally provides a useful organizational principle for thinking primarily about the enrollment strategies. As institutions continuously engage in the complexities during their daily operations they are faced uncertainties of quantitative enrollment pressures and budget. It is thus, very easy for loss of the primary objective sight. The primary perception point that is lost in most cases is the objective of enhancing student’s ability in meeting all their educational objectives. Every university department makes different endeavors contributions in various ways. Most of these functions are particularly held under the enrollment management formal structures. The roles, however, have to be directly connected and aligned with the entire mission of the institution.
The promotion of academic efficiency primarily starts during the recruitment process. The primary objective held in conducting student’s recruitment is to establish the fitness within the institution. This implies to the identification of the extent to which the student’s educational aims, academic readiness personal expectations and needs and career aspirations matches with what is being offered by the institution. An effective enrollment program views the procedure of recruitment as the first phase of creating meaningful and long-term associations with the students to whom their fitness fits the high expectations of the institution (Kalsbeek, 2013). The implementation of SEM is normally hindered by the presence of different assumption which creates inefficiency. The assumptions includes, faster fixing, acts as an organization’s sole structure, it leads to the loss of finances, enhancement of marketing and admission operations and one of the managing function that is different from the institution’s mission and academic plan (Kalsbeek, 2013).
The rising shifts in the higher education access, ethnic and gender classes composition, the general number of those attending university as well as technological innovations changes are some of the sweeping transformations which have made higher education to be an increasing force in the economic, political social and cultural existence globally (Rentz, & MacKinnon, 2004). While most of these transformations have turned out as positive, change is not an usual and easy occurrence in the enrollment management program. Those involved normally fear and resist the transformations despite the propelling by the higher education on students generations ensuing. An enrollment management adaptation in any university is no option and for success to be achieved change has to be implemented.
Student Enrollment Management Practices and Strategies
SEM can be implemented by an institution through the adoption of different strategies and practices. First, the university may begin by setting realistic objectives of enrollment and not projections. Goals setting are on average an abstract exercise (Forest, & Kinser, 2002). Establishing those to enroll and the existing competition is crucial before setting future objectives. The goals need to be formulated and structured on justified grounds to ensure that maximum value is exploited from the program.
The second strategy of effective implementation of SEM into the university is the identification and securing of adequate resources which will help in meeting the stated objectives of enrollment (Forest, & Kinser, 2002). This is a realistic goals setting section which serves through the identification of the needed resources in enhancing free flow and progress. Barely, one is required to establish the cost of retaining and recruiting students, market competition and the connected price tag of the interested body of students. Next, the implementation requires the development of an annual recruitment, marketing plan, a strategic revenue and enrollment plan for at least three up to five years. The developed goals should be visible in the action plan documents which acts as a form of reference. The documents should be routinely and regularly referred and modified if the necessity arises (Forest, & Kinser, 2002). Additionally, it is crucial to be a holder of a working plan chart that will offer the institution the plan of where it is currently situated and where it heads.
Moreover, an additional strategy involves the devotion of increased attention to the retention for student as one of the objectives as recruitment is being conducted (Forest, & Kinser, 2002). The degree to which the enrollment should be raised if it is for instance 5 percent should be stated. An additional case would involve raising the number of those enrolling by at least 2 percent while the student’s retention is increased by 3 percent. The approach at times tends to be more effective on cost. However, it is crucial to note that retention normally necessitates more attention. The ability to develop a system that can best identify the needs of the students is necessary (Rentz, & MacKinnon, 2004). This is more effective as it increases the number of those succeeding and graduating.
The recruitment database, as well as the inquiry pool, should be built on a specified design and not an option. An enrollment management is best implemented by starting with a well-designed plan and a management of a database that should hold the appropriate shape and size. A specific conversion needs to be set to generate yield so that the inquiry pool can be managed more strategically (Forest, & Kinser, 2002). The marketing and the activities of recruitment should be racked continuously. It is good to remember that something that holds accurate and reliable measurement can be accomplished at ease. In this era, where there are limited resources for recruitment and marketing due to high competition, the institution cannot afford to place dollars as well as time into those activities that holds no measurable returns on the made investment (Habley, Bloom, & Robbins, 2012). The procedure can be accomplished through the identification of the metrics that requires to be racked, identify ways in which the metrics can be tracked, offering guidance to the decisions that are made with the utilization of data and also monitor the impact of efforts and offer appropriate and justified adjustments. When an institution has set its solid recruitment and marketing metrics this allows easy track (Seidman, 2012). Therefore, the tracks assists in benchmarking what is required from one year to another and develop essential decisions on the allocation of approaches and resources.
Precise qualification and grading of the prospective students is an additional strategy that is necessary in the implementation of SEM. The phenomenon has therefore enhanced the significance of qualification particularly since contact at the stage of application leaves the university institutions with limited time as well as space in maneuvering with the potential students (Seidman, 2012). It is currently essential more than ever to offer the chances of raising their hands to contact particularly on the webpage where the initial research begins. The ability to change the secret shopper into a potential inquirer holds the capability of nurturing the association that can lead to enrollment. Predictive modeling is an additional strategy for shaping and qualifying the pool. This is a statistical model that model that assesses the features of the students who have enrolled at the institutions then utilize the acquired data in the prediction of the likelihood of the potential students (Seidman, 2012). The qualification has the possibility of increasing the recruitment strategic focus of the institution's strategic efforts in order to develop the recruitment resources allocation which increases efficiency.
A strategic communication flow should also be implemented. With the rising communication changes and the utilization of technology, recruitment communication should always be effective (Forest, & Kinser, 2002). The form of communication is essential in developing better relations with others. The capability of affording university education has currently emerged as the major hindrance to the access and enrollment to the institutions. Perhaps there is no greater discourager than setting too high fees for students. The concern requires to be addressed accurately and immediately. The cost concern held by both the students and the parents can be addressed through placing a price calculator on the application web which can calculate the net price and worth. The calculator has to be visible for it to be allocated easily and be custom is in reflection of the aids merit. The provision of an estimate of price that does not involve all the eligible assistance may play pat in placing the university at a disadvantage. In addition awarding approaches are required in addressing the need as well as the willingness of payment. Performing this effectively implies that there is a good understanding of the student’s population sensitivity on those to be recruited (Bontrager, & Hossler, 2014). It is additionally significant to allocate students with career aids. The recruitment of fresh students in an organization is way too expensive as compared to the cost of retaining them. Front awarding loading holds the ability of placing students at a higher risk of dropping out. Enrollment management is a concept that is organizational based with systematic activities that are set and designed in order to give the education institutes more influence to enroll students (Rentz, & MacKinnon, 2004). One of the core concepts of SEM is the mission of the organization. For the institution to implement the particular strategy the mission must be stated correctly to demonstrate the value of SEM (Rentz, & MacKinnon, 2004).
Conclusion
In an arguable view, the occurrence of effective management of enrollment necessitates fundamental components. These components include teamwork, leadership, comprehensive programming, competition knowledge accuracy, timing and the availability of data. It is essential to understand that the enrollment management procedure works above the reorganization of different functions. Acquiring the actual benefits of the process implementation is mainly dependant on the integrated and strategic decisions along with the well-structured tasks integration. The enrollment management concept has currently emerged as an essential tool for institutions survival. Factually, enrollment management is a participative and a comprehensive program which holds strong connection with the academic activities. In other words, the enrollment management procedure offers an integrated and excellent framework for the decision making since it is focused and directs its activities towards the university’s mission. SEM is aimed at recruiting all the students in order to attain success by guiding them to become graduates and long-term achievers.
References
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