Case Studies

Oklahoma’s oldest public community college with multiple campuses, NOC provides a high quality, accessible, and affordable education with a focus on collaborative and creative learning. In 2016, NOC began working on an overarching strategic plan to direct the future of the college. Within that plan, NOC wanted to specifically address strategies and efforts around recruitment, retention, and graduation to identify opportunities for improvement and better alignment with the institution’s mission and vision.

With three campuses in British Columbia, SFU has grown to become one of Canada’s leading comprehensive institutions and is part of the prestigious U15 group of top Canadian research universities. In the face of this growth, the university knew it needed to reassess the efforts and effectiveness of its Student Recruitment and Undergraduate Admissions departments. This included ensuring that both departments had the processes and practices in place to support a more strategic approach to the university’s enrollment. To assist with this goal, AACRAO Consulting was brought in to complete multiple engagements over the course of several years.

A comprehensive, public, liberal arts university in Western New York, Fredonia serves more than 4,600 students on its beautiful residential campus that blends intimate learning with a wide range of academic programs. In 2015, Fredonia contacted AACRAO Consulting to guide them through the process of taking a more strategic approach to its enrollment efforts. Beyond improving enrollment numbers, Fredonia wanted to align enrollment with the university’s overall vision and mission.

Founded in 1743, the University of Delaware (UD) has evolved from a private academy to a research-intensive, technologically advanced university committed to making a positive global impact. In July of 2014, UD created a new position, Vice President of Enrollment, and embarked on the process of developing the university’s first Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) plan. Familiar with AACRAO Consulting’s extensive work with registrar’s offices, university leadership learned that the organization was also a leader in SEM. After reviewing several proposals, UD chose to partner with AACRAO Consulting to guide them through their SEM assessment and deliver a SEM plan.

A medium-sized regional university, UMD serves 11,040 students with access to more than 93 degree programs. In fall 2012, with an anticipated drop in freshman enrollments, UMD wanted to prepare for this challenge by assessing its admissions and recruitment practices. After sending out a Request for Proposal, UMD chose to engage AACRAO Consulting with the goal of identifying and capturing opportunities for converting more freshman applicants into enrolled students and sustaining a larger freshman class.

Nebraska’s only public academic health sciences center, UNMC is focused on preparing a 21st century healthcare workforce to provide leading-edge medical care for the state and beyond. In 2016, UNMC realized it needed to attract a more diverse range of students to support the university’s mission. This required moving beyond the traditional academics-based admissions criteria the university had been relying on to date for student enrollment.

With multiple campus locations across the state, Virginia Tech is a leading comprehensive, land-grant institution offering 110 bachelor’s degree programs through nine colleges. In 2017, a new vice provost for enrollment management identified salient issues within the admissions operation and wanted a neutral, outside expert to help assess and document the current state of the operation as well as provide a path for moving forward to address any needed changes. AACRAO Consulting was called in to assist Virginia Tech in this endeavor.

With a long tradition of innovation and entrepreneurship, Wichita State University has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. After implementing a new vision and mission to be an internationally recognized model for applied learning and research, the campus added dozens of new state-of-the-art buildings, housing, and campus life initiatives to attract and support more students. WSU leadership knew that the university also needed a more strategic approach to its enrollment aligned with its new mission and vision.

Founded in 1865 with a focus on science and engineering, WPI offers more than 50 undergraduate degree programs across 14 academic departments. When WPI formed its Enrollment Management Division in 2008, the Division’s newly instated Vice President, Kristin Tichenor, knew this was the ideal opportunity to assess the Registrar’s Office and identify opportunities for improvement that could bolster enrollment efforts. AACRAO Consulting was called in to assist with this endeavor.