By Dan Overbay, Campus Registrar, Washington State University Vancouver
When I started my career in higher education as an admissions counselor, I didn’t understand what enrollment management was, much less the idea of “Strategic Enrollment Management” (SEM), that changed over the years through conversations with Bob Bontrager and other leaders in the field, people I greatly respect and admire when it comes to helping students meet their goals.
Those conversations are what set the enrollment management “hook” and throughout my career I utilized these principles to help my institution realize enrollment goals and ultimately help students succeed.
Now some twenty years later as a member of the third ASCEND cohort, part of the AACRAO LEAD initiative I find myself writing on environmental scanning – the foundation of a strong SEM plan and how this piece of the SEM puzzle can help institutions realize both their enrollment goals, as well as their goals around diversity, equity, and inclusion. My institution embeds these goals in all plans and strategies to help serve our students. DEI goals align with the Land Grant mission to serve the people of Washington (Southwest Washington in my case). The data contained in an environmental scan will show where there are areas for improvement (opportunities) and areas where the institution is achieving its goals (strengths). As well will reveal if there are any external threats or areas where the institution needs to direct more resources (weaknesses).
What is Environmental Scanning?
Environmental scanning is both an internal and external review and is often completed alongside a SWOC (or SWOT) analysis. These data can reveal how strategies or goals might need to shift. How they need to be nimbler in some respect. Another key area to review is both your competition and your collaborators. In your prime service area, or recruitment area are their competitors seeking the same students you want to serve? Do you have collaborators that can help you realize your enrollment goals? In some cases, your collaborators can turn into competitors, this can be revealed through environmental scanning.
Institutions that effectively utilize environmental scanning will be able to see how demographics or the economy (or other factors such as technology, politics, or societal issues) have changed in their local area, as well as in the country and world and to adjust their plans and strategies accordingly. For example, has there been a change in immigration to your community? Is there a new economic engine driving the need for different degree or certificate programs? Environmental scanning can help answer these questions. Does your institution have a goal to enroll more first-generation students or students from marginalized groups? What resources are available to serve those students? An environmental scan can reveal if the right resources are available and if not, then will reveal the gaps in services so they can be integrated into the strategic plan.
Environmental scanning will give the data to determine if your institution is serving the right students at the right time and with the right programs. Disaggregating data gathered in the scan can help institutions see if their efforts to enroll and graduate students of color or first-generation students are paying off by showing the actual population served.
While environmental scanning is primarily used in strategic planning, I believe there can also be a more personal application for this system of data collection – environmental scanning for career management, or what I like to call “Strategic Employment Management”.
The ASCEND program is designed to help shape the next generation of enrollment managers and to ensure there is a pool of talented individuals to lead enrollment efforts using DEI&B principles at institutions across the country and internationally.
How to Use It
Using the tenets of environmental scanning can tell you where your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats may be in relation to your next career move. For example, the ASCEND program is strengthening my professional network and giving me the tools to be successful in my next position. The program is also giving me the opportunity to learn from leaders in the field, both from a US perspective as well as enrolment management from the Canadian perspective, thanks to coaches Jody Gordon, Managing Consultant, AACRAO Consulting, and Clayton Smith, Senior Consultant and Professor of SEM (and my personal coach). Through the StrengthsFinder sessions with Dr. Mylene Culbreth, I have been able to learn about my strengths (Communication, Learner, WOO, Empathy, and Positivity), as well as my weaknesses (or areas for growth).
As with an enrollment plan, data is key, in career development and management. Data elements such as areas of expertise, education level, years of experience, as well as soft skills like emotional intelligence and compassion. Technical areas of expertise, such as budgeting and finance, being able to build coalitions, and effectively utilizing change management to further one’s goals are all items to be considered.
Likewise, one must review the current environment to see if it is stable and can sustain their next career move, or if leaving the institution or geographic region is needed to meet their career goals. Maybe you are place-bound and have few opportunities for career growth, or maybe you live in an area rich with post-secondary institutions. It is about scanning the environment, and reviewing if now is the time to make the jump to the next step in your career. Additionally, a review of the types of institutions in your region is needed. For example, are there lots of private non-profit universities in your city but no public institution and your goal is to work at a public institution, a geographic move might be in order.
Environmental scanning is the basis for a well-crafted strategic enrollment management plan and can be utilized in shaping your career advancement. Practice makes perfect, utilize environmental scanning for your personal goals and perfect the techniques for your next strategic plan.