Canada's First Book on Strategic Enrolment Management
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JIM BLACK, Editor Canada’s First Book on Strategic Enrolment Management 1 Copyright © 2010 by Academica Group. All rights reserved. Published by Academica Group CANADIAN OFFICES U.S. OFFICES 131 Wharncliffe Road S. 100 Cummings Center London, ON N6J 2K4, CA Suite 207p, Beverly, MA 01915 490 Adelaide St. W. 1175 Revolution Mill Road, Suite 3 Toronto, ON M5V 1T2, CA Greensboro, NC 27405 No part of this publication may be reproduced without express written consent of Academica Group, the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permission Department, Academica Group, 131 Wharncliffe Road S., London, ON N6J 2K4, CA. Electronic versions of this publication may be retrieved at no cost from www.academicagroup.ca. Print versions may be purchased from Academica Group by calling 519-433-8302 or online at www.academicagroup.ca. Academica Group publishes its books and white papers in electronic formats. 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Printed in Canada FIRST EDITION 2 STRATEGIC ENROLMENT INTELLIGENCE 3 CONTENTS PREFACE . .5 ABOUT THE AUTHORS . 8 PART ONE INTRODUCTION: Enrolment Issues and Opportunities . 14 CHAPTER 1: Strategic Enrolment Issues Facing Higher Education Leaders . 15 CHAPTER 2: The Changing Canadian PSE Landscape . .27 CHAPTER 3: Actionable Intelligence: Research for SEM . 51 PART TWO INTRODUCTION: Enrolment Enablers and Core Strategies . 70 CHAPTER 4: Reframing SEM from the Academic Lens: Theory in Practice . .71 CHAPTER 5: Institutional Reputation and Positioning . 96 CHAPTER 6: Creating a Culture of Student Success . 126 CHAPTER 7: Leveraging Technology to Power Student Recruitment and Retention . 146 CHAPTER 8: Organizational Capacity for SEM . 165 CONCLUSION CHAPTER 9: Reputation, Recruitment, and Retention Imperatives . 202 INDEX. 213 2 STRATEGIC ENROLMENT INTELLIGENCE 3 4 STRATEGIC ENROLMENT INTELLIGENCE 5 PREFACE Strategic Enrolment Intelligence reflects the emergence of a discipline within Canadian higher education that is increasingly a staple of the business and planning practices of col- leges and universities. Conceptually, the term is defined as “the use of actionable intelligence to inform enrolment strategies and practices and thus, position an institution strategically to achieve optimal enrolment results.” In practical terms, strategic enrolment intelligence refers to doing the right things, at the right time, with the right people in order to achieve enrolment-related goals. As you may be aware, the discipline of enrolment management has a relatively brief history. It began in the U.S. at Boston College in the mid-70s. The advent of enrolment management in Canada did not occur until recently—spurred by increased competition, de- mographic shifts, and in some provinces, government mandates related to growth expec- tations, funding levels, or changes to institutional missions. Still in its infancy in Canada, we believe that enrolment management will play a major role in the vitality of institutions for the foreseeable future. By applying enrolment management concepts and principles to a changing postsecondary education (PSE) landscape, institutions will more strategically position themselves for anticipated, external opportunities and threats as well as hone their internal strengths and mitigate weaknesses. In the early days of its evolution, enrolment management was focused primarily on in- stitutional marketing followed by student recruitment. Today, however, enrolment man- agement has emerged as a holistic, “cradle to endowment” model for attracting, retaining, and graduating students and often, building loyalty among alums. At its core, enrolment 4 STRATEGIC ENROLMENT INTELLIGENCE 5 management is about an integrated, data-driven approach to initiating and cultivating rela- tionships with students throughout their life cycle with an institution. Fundamentally, en- rolment management embraces both the strategic and tactical, leverages data for decision- making, works across organizational boundaries to engage the entire campus community, and focuses on the needs of students as learners and customers. Based on the authors’ collective experience, first as higher education practitioners and subsequently, as consultants, researchers, technology service providers for numerous col- leges and universities throughout Canada and beyond, we have written chapters that bring to the forefront insightful observations that apply to any institutional type or setting. More- over, the theory and recommendations in this book are grounded in the reality of our own experiences and the Canadian PSE environment. In this regard, Academica is best known for its research with hundreds of thousands of PSE applicants over the past fourteen years along with the Top Ten, a daily e-newsletter with over 5,000 Canadian PSE subscribers. The insights gained from surveying applicants and canvassing the PSE environment for emerg- ing trends are infused into the content of this book. As the first Canadian book on enrolment management, Strategic Enrolment Intelli- gence will serve as a valuable resource for your institution. We encourage you to share this book with other leaders on your campus. Host a book club or a Conversation Café around the implications of the book’s conclusions for your institution. You also are invited to contact Academica to arrange a Webinar with one or more of the chapter authors. THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK Strategic Enrolment Intelligence is intended to create conversation around the enrolment issues facing executive leaders on college and university campuses. Our hope is that these conversations will lead to research, planning, action, and evaluation of enrolment efforts linked to institutional goals. In addition to insights into the literature on enrolment management and other disci- plines that inform enrolment practices, this book identifies the role of leaders in various as- pects of the enrolment enterprise and provides practical strategies and leadership approach- es. This is not a “how-to” book for enrolment practitioners. Instead, the book focuses on what leaders can and should do to ensure their institutions have high-performing enrolment organizations with the capacity and strategic intelligence necessary to execute goal-driven 6 STRATEGIC ENROLMENT INTELLIGENCE 7 strategies to perfection. Throughout the book, authors advocate for continuous improve- ment as a means to sustaining competitive advantage. INTENDED AUDIENCE The book is primarily written for those in leadership roles who can influence enrolment direction and strategies, organizational capacity, and institutional culture. On many cam- puses, “executive leaders” refers to individuals at the dean’s level or above. While the book is targeted to this audience, the authors believe that leaders can and do come from many levels within the organizational structure. Hence, the book is recommended for anyone who has the ability to influence people and the organization. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE BOOK The book is organized into two parts and nine chapters. Part One (Chapters One, Two, and Three) provides a high-level contextual overview of common enrolment issues, the Cana- dian PSE landscape, and the actionable intelligence required to inform enrolment strategy. In Part Two (Chapters Four through Eight), the focus shifts to key enrolment enablers and core strategy areas, including the organizational capacity necessary to effectively execute enrolment strategies and foster a strategic enrolment management (SEM) culture. The Con- clusion conveys imperatives related to reputation, recruitment, and retention—describing practical actions institutional leaders should pursue. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The chapter authors and staff of Academica deserve our thanks for sharing their exper- tise and valuable time. Their commitment to contributing to the literature of enrolment management has been exemplary. 6 STRATEGIC ENROLMENT INTELLIGENCE 7 ABOUT THE AUTHORS DR. JIM BLACK Dr. Black is the president and CEO of SEM Works, and an internationally recognized expert in enrolment management as well as in change management. He has published a monograph titled, Navigating Change in the New Millennium: Strategies for Enrollment Leaders, and three books, The Strategic Enrollment Management Revolution, considered to be a groundbreaking publication for the enrolment management profession; Gen Xers Return to College; and Essentials of Enrollment Management: Cases in the Field. Among his other published works are numerous articles and book chapters including a feature ar- ticle in College & University, “Creating Customer Delight”; a chapter, “Creating a Student- Centered Culture,” for a book on best practices in student services published by SCUP and sponsored by IBM; a chapter on enrolment management in a Jossey-Bass book on student academic services; as well as a bimonthly feature in The Greentree Gazette. Black was honored as the recipient of the 2005 AACRAO Distinguished Service Award. He has been interviewed by publications such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Converge Magazine, The Enrollment Management Report, The Lawlor Review, and was interviewed for AACRAO’s Data Dispenser. Black also was featured in an international teleconference on enrolment management sponsored by The Center for the Freshman Year Experience at the University of South Carolina, and a PBS broadcast on “Blending High Tech and High Touch Student Services.” Since 1999, Jim Black has been an IBM Best Practices Partner,