LinkedIn
2019 SEM-EP Graduate
For over a decade, Dr. Ruger has led data-informed recruitment, admissions and student program initiatives for Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM) where she serves as the Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Life. During her tenure at MSUCOM, she has led multiple initiatives to improve departmental efficiency, increase the enrollment of mission-fit candidates, and enhance the overall applicant and student experience.
Capstone Project: In the spaces of higher education leaders are increasingly working to align institutional mission, vision and values by shifting strategy as a result of the evaluation of market needs and expectations. Many publications and references to strategic enrollment management (SEM) practices focus on both undergraduate and graduate programs and institutions. A gap exists in SEM within professional schools—such as medical colleges—many of which may be stand-alone institutions or function independently within a larger college or university structure. Hence, SEM may not be as prevalent in the medical college industry. Just like other undergraduate and graduate school enrollment, medical college enrollment is affected by changing student populations, diversity challenges, increased competition, and one’s perception of return-on-investment when alternative career options are available. This study provides a summary of how some medical colleges are responding to these challenges using SEM principles.
Diverse higher education experience in academic and enrollment management at state public institutions. Areas of expertise include records and registration, strategic planning, data analysis, and business process design. Laurie holds a Juris Doctor, M.S. in Sport Management and B.A. in Communication.
Capstone Project: This capstone literature review analyzes the research surrounding the impact of organizational culture on SEM development, implementation and maintenance.
Angela M. Hamilton has 15 Years of Higher Education Experience in Admissions, Registrar, and Enrollment Management functions at a Community College exceeding 4,000 annual enrollments, offering 60 Associate’s Degrees. She has expertise in Records, Registration, Process Improvements and Leadership. Ms. Hamilton holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Pittsburgh, Bachelor’s Degree from Robert Morris University, and Associate’s Degree from the Community College of Beaver County.
Capstone Project - "2019-2024 Strategic Enrollment Management Plan"
Cié has held various positions in Enrollment Management currently serving as the Associate Vice Provost for Career-Engaged Learning and a clinical faculty member at the University of Texas San Antonio. Outside UTSA, she is active in TACRAO, SACRAO, and AACRAO and served as the President of SACRAO in 2019. Cié is an award winning presenter and frequent contributor to various higher education publications. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Interpersonal Communication and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership.
Capstone Project - This Capstone takes a case study approach to suggest a SEM project management system for organizing and maintaining SEM implementations and maintenance. Through the practical application of SEM concepts to an active SEM implementation plan occurring at my institution, I offer a model of a project management methodology. First, an institutional profile along with a detailed explanation of my institutional SEM journey is discussed. Second, Scrum project management methodology is introduced, which was the inspiration for the proposed SEM project management tool. Third, a discussion of how this project management tool has been piloted at my institution, along with suggestions for future adaptation is provided.
Read about Cié's Capstone Project in the January 2020 issue of SEM Quarterly
Jonathan Clayden is the Director of Graduate and Professional Education Programs and Services and Assistant Dean, Program & Enrollment Management, at Tseng College, California State University, Northridge. With a focus on long-term enrollment management goals, he has responsibility for the ongoing excellence and distinction of graduate and professional education programs in the College of Extended Learning. Prior academically related posts include Director of Post-Graduate and Professional Studies at Emerson College, Los Angeles, and Chair of the Higher Education Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.In the private sector, Jonathan held a 15-year tenure as president of PSI Records (an entertainment-focused label with clients including NBC-Universal, Disney, Fox, MGM, DreamWorks SKG, CBS, FX, Sony, and Activision), and is currently a consultant, helping organizations to facilitate best process, program impact, strengthened human capital, and robust fiscal outcomes. His consultancy expertise includes change management, process streamlining, onboarding, and mapping out the metrics needed to best facilitate actionable data and data-informed decision making.Academically, Jonathan holds a MA (Hons) in Work-Based Learning, from Middlesex University, London. He is an active member of various higher education associations (NAGAP, UPCEA, UEDA, etc.), and his latest scholarly article will be published in Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly this July.
Capstone Project - "Public-Private Partnership Case Study," a case study of the impact of a limited-scope public private partnership on various aspects of the enrollment management funnel for a target set of academic programs at the graduate level in a college of extended learning at a large public university. This project was adapted for publication in AACRAO's SEM Quarterly Journal - read it here
Teresa Borrenpohl is currently serving as the founding Enrollment Services Center Manager leading a team responsible for the face-to-face, email, and phone service to students for the Admissions, Financial Aid, Registrar, and Student Finance offices. In addition, Borrenpohl serves on the Strategic Enrollment Management Steering Committee, and the chair of the SEM-Recruitment Committee. Borrenpohl is President-Elect of the Idaho AACRAO chapter, IACRAO.
Capstone Project - "NIC Connect: Purposeful High School Recruitment Gets Results" piloted a study of five purposeful high school visit engagements including 1. Applying to NIC; 2. Learning about the senior year expectations of the enrollment process; 3. Applying for scholarships and Financial Aid; 4. Completing academic assessments, and; 5. Registering for courses. This program resulted in a 25% increase in service area seniors matriculating to North Idaho College over the previous academic year. Success of this program was attributed to meeting students where they are in the high school classroom and where they are in the enrollment process.
Jeff Trapp is the Associate Director, Recruitment and Admissions with Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto (UofT). He previously held positions with UofT at the International Student Centre, Faculty of Arts and Science and Rotman School of Management. Prior to UofT, he worked in Japan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Manitoba. He holds degrees from UofT (MEd '98) and Brandon University (BEd '91).
Capstone Project - The Rotman Commerce Undergraduate Recruitment Plan provides a road map for yearly student recruitment activities. Overall Rotman Commerce staffing has grown significantly over the past two years (largely in Academic Services and Career Services) to better service the student population and it has become more important than ever to communicate strategic goals of individual work units for the Managing Director to ensure strategic alignment. The Rotman Commerce Mission "seeks to inspire and empower our students and alumni to become innovated leaders and engaged citizens who contribute to the success of organizations and the betterment of communities in Canada and around the world." The Recruitment portfolio is the first step to achieve this mission and flows into the work of other key units including Admissions, Academic Services, Student Life, Career Services, and Alumni Relations.
Brad Hales has worked with enrollment management for the last seven years. He has worked with BYU-Idaho and BYU-Pathway Worldwide in their Strategic Enrollment and Data Management areas. Brad really enjoys thinking about innovation and strategy in educational settings. He believes that through social entrepreneurship much can be done in the higher education setting to help others succeed in life.
Capstone Project - The Strategic Enrollment Management literature review comprised of looking at retention, advising online students, and the effects of the “Great Recession” on college enrollments. All of this research focused on how to help students obtain a college education while dealing with the challenges of life.
2018 SEM-EP Graduate
Nick currently serves as a Business Instructor at (CLC). Nick has held numerous positions in Student Affairs including serving as the Assistant Director of TRIO/Upward Bound, Registrar, Director of Admissions, and Director of Enrollment Management. Nick earned a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, MN, a Master of Arts from the College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth, MN and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Bemidji State University in MN, and an Accounting Certificate from Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, MN.
Capstone Project - “A Strategic Enrollment Management Proposal for a Community College: How to Plug Enrollment Leaks"
Review of: Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal
An Interview with Marie Bigham
Stacy Maestas has over 14 years in higher education with experience in public two-year institutions. She has been the Registrar at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming since 2009. Stacy’s leadership experience includes records and registration, admissions, international admissions, enrollment management functions, graduation, academic planning, curriculum and program development, team building, advising, integrated services, technology implementations, and cross-functional collaboration. Stacy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Master of Science in Management from Bellevue University.
Capstone Project - “Improving Processes in Support of Student Retention" was a literature review that explored how changes in institutional processes achieved through student, staff, and faculty engagement and cross-campus collaboration can positively impact student success and retention.
Review of: Pre-College Programming in Higher Education: The Evolution of a Movement
Review of: The Demographic Drought
Aaron Sanns began working in higher education in 2000. He is currently the Managing Director of Institutional Planning at BYU-Idaho. His responsibilities include Strategic Enrollment Management, Space Management and Planning, and Data Analysis Services. Previously, Sanns worked as Director of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships and Associate Director of Admissions. Areas of expertise include leadership, change management, organizational effectiveness, team building, and problem solving.
Capstone Project - “Shifting Institutional Scholarship Budget from an Emphasis on Grades to an Emphasis on Financial Need" was a longitudinal study utilizing balanced panel data over a several year period. He looked for potential enrollment effects from changing scholarship policy to affect retention among students with financial need at BYU-Idaho.
Faith LaShure has over 15 years of higher education experience and currently serves as the Dean for Admissions at Waubonsee Community College, in Sugar Grove, IL. Faith currently oversees the areas of Admissions and Campus Services and has managed the areas of Registration and Records, Financial Aid and Student Life during her time at Waubonsee. Her accomplishments include the creation of SEM plans and the implementation of a Customer Relationship Management System. Faith attended Elgin Community College, and graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Mass Communication and a Master of Science in Communication. Her master’s thesis focused on predictors of conflict resolution styles.
Capstone Project - “ Investigation of a Non-returning New Student Re-enrollment Strategy" examined the re-enrollment rates of new students who did not return following their first semester. These students were randomly divided into two groups with varying types of outreach: (1) students who received a postcard and (2) students who received a phone call in addition to a postcard. The goal of the project was to re-enroll 5% of students. The goal was met, 6% of students re-enrolled; however, the control group re-enrolled at a higher rate than the experimental group. The results also showed that 63% of students successfully completed the call to action for both the postcard and phone call, which was to make an appointment with a counselor or advisor.The Capstone Project originated from a larger investigation conducted by LaShure and Waubonsee Community College’s Institutional Effectiveness team (Dr. Stacey Randall and Henry Hinkle). The two areas partnered to answer the question, “How are students who re-enroll different from students who are not retained?” One of the findings was that new students were at a higher risk of not returning after their first semester, and this finding prompted the Capstone Project.
Erin Alonzo is the former Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management at SUNY Buffalo State in Buffalo, New York. She led the admissions, financial aid, and registration processes. At her previous institution, Lone Star College, Fairbanks and Cypress Centers, Alonzo was responsible for all student service departments including admissions, advising, registration, placement testing, financial aid, tutoring, the business office, international student admissions, and the call center. She has a master of business administration from Indiana University Kokomo and a bachelor of science in business management from SUNY Geneseo.
Capstone Project - “Recruiting Stop-Out Students to Help Stabilize Enrollment.” Focused on analyzing stop out student records to determine the feasibility of returning. Identified cohorts and developed intervention and communication plans specific to the needs of the population. Use Degree Works and SIS tables to correlate student’s degree progress to course availability for the upcoming semester to attract them to return and complete their degree.
2017 SEM-EP Graduate
Over 20 years of experience in enrollment management, holding leadership positions in admissions, advising, orientation, registration, first-year experience, financial aid, registration, career services, and student affairs in multiple Ohio community colleges and university regional campus systems. Kristen has successfully led institutions in strategic enrollment management planning and execution, and in developing an enrollment management ethos centered within the academic context and mission of her institution. Kristen attributes her successes largely to the guidance of mentors, her dedicated team members, and her collaborative partners.
Expertise - Strategic planning, enrollment management, college access and student success, organizational communication, data analysis, leveraging technology for improved performance, relationship management, and transformative leadership.
Capstone Project - “Design and Execution of a SEM Plan: Focus on Academic Context, Collaboration, and Coordination.” Regional open access institutions face changing demographics, declining market shares, and decreased funding. The newly hired Senior Regional Director of Enrollment Management led Miami University Regionals in its first strategic enrollment management planning process and its execution. Within the Miami University Regionals Strategic Enrollment Management Plan are the academic, recruitment and marketing, student success, and data and finance plans. Focusing SEM on the academic context pf the mission achieved buy-in from every academic department and resulted in Enrollment & Completion plans for each degree program. Because of this comprehensive plan and subsequent plans, entering student enrollment is increasing and retention is improving.
Over 15 years of Student Services experience in Higher Education Administration for a four-year non-profit private university with a residential enrollment over 18,000 students. Currently serving as Director of Admissions leading a team responsible for recruitment and marketing strategy, processing and policy development, enrollment counseling, along with team building and development. Other significant experience includes financial aid counseling and processing, scholarship policy and awarding, statistical analysis, enrollment management, leadership, and collaborative decision making.
Capstone Project - “Managing for Outcomes” was a literature review that explored topics related to consistently achieving meaningful outcomes while learning strategies to get a competitive edge in attracting and enrolling students.
Christine Atkinson has several years of higher education experience and currently serves as the Enrollment Manager at Metropolitan Community College – Longview, a public two-year college in Lee’s Summit, MO. Areas of expertise include recruitment, admissions, one-stop enrollment services, and records management. Christine graduated from MidAmerica Nazarene University with a Bachelor of Arts in Management and Human Relations and earned her Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration at the University of Missouri – Kansas City. Christine is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Leadership in Higher Education.
Capstone Project - “Strategic Enrollment Management at Metropolitan Community College-Longview” analyzed institutional data, environmental data, and best practice research to recommend strategies to attract and retain students for optimal enrollment. Utilizing AACRAO’s SEM planning model as a framework, the five-year plan seeks to increase enrollment, persistence, and completion rates through a series of targeted strategies and tactics developed with representation from a wide cross-section of faculty, administrators, and staff. This capstone project was approved for implementation by the MCC-Longview President’s Cabinet in May 2017.
Susan Allan serves as the Director of the International Student Initiative at the University Of British Columbia. She has 21 years’ experience in HE internationalization focusing on strategic enrolment management, student recruitment, market development, and financial assistance and awards. She holds a M.S. in Project Management, is a Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds the SEM-EP certification through AACRAO. 2017 SEM-EP Graduate
Capstone Project - The Creation of a Campus Culture for Student Success, literature review. This review compares three articles by leading enrolment management professionals on retention and student success to my primary text, Strategic Enrolment Intelligence. The central message of the text on retention is bringing together stakeholders from across the campus to share responsibility for student success from enrolment through to graduation. I explored how the articles supported or contrasted the idea of a retention champion and how some their proposed strategies are currently being utilized at my institution and where we had the opportunity to further student success in future at UBC.
Dr. Studebaker is currently serving as the Director of Student Engagement and Safety Coordination for the Idaho State Department of Education. This role manages the Idaho Advanced Opportunities Program, Idaho GEAR-UP, Idaho 21st Century Community Learning Centers, 504 Support, Idaho Public Driver Education, Youth Suicide Prevention, Safe and Drug Free Schools, School Bullying Prevention, and College/Career Advising. Dr. Studebaker is a member of the Idaho Council on Suicide Prevention, the Board of the Idaho Office of School Safety and Security, the Idaho Criminal Justice Commission, the Governor’s Taskforce on Opioid and Drug Abuse Prevention, and the Idaho Post-Secondary Council of Academic Affairs and Programs. He is also an adjunct faculty and dissertation chair in the Ed Leadership program at Northwest Nazarene University.
Capstone Project - "A Comprehensive Strategic Enrollment Management Plan" examined internal and external environmental factors and developed a multi-year, inter-departmental work plan to leverage institutional resources in support of student enrollment success at a community college in the Northwest.
Dr. Toni Woolfork-Barnes currently serves as Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Western Michigan University. Steeped in higher education experience, Dr. Barnes has worked for Western Michigan University for most of her career. She has been the Director of the federally funded Upward Bound Trio Program; Director of the King-Chavez-Parks Program; Research Associate for Science and Mathematics Program Improvement; an evaluation consultant; grant writer, and an adjunct instructor.
Capstone Project - “Seven-Year (2007-2013) Retention Study on Students Enrolled in Thematic and Non-Thematic First-Year Experience Seminar Courses” For more than 30 years, John Gardner has elevated the discussion about the importance of student success in the first-year of college, with a heightened emphasis on first-year seminar courses and their value. Many colleges and universities offer some version of a first-year experience seminar, which is true for the Midwestern MAC School discussed in this research study. The purpose of this seven-year retention was to assess impact first-year seminar had on retention rates for students enrolled in thematic and non-thematic sections; to assess student leader post-perceptions about the course; and to examine the extent to which first-year students’ perceptions changed over a seven-year period.
Overall, findings are positive and encouraging based on analysis of the data. Specifically, findings illustrate that the first-year seminar course has positively impacted student retention for both groups of students in the study, but more significantly for students enrolled in the thematic sections of the course. Additionally, the researcher’s findings also indicated that student leaders have positive post-perceptions about the course, and lastly, the First-Year Initiative survey findings show that over a seven-year period, students’ perceptions about the course have improved.
Over 30 years of higher education experience in Admissions and Registrar's areas at private and large public four-year institutions. Leadership in process improvement, streamlining student services, and building collaboration with faculty and information technology to facilitate enrollment and graduation. Experience in policy assessment, expanding advisement tools, and Quarter-to-Semester Calendar Conversion. Holds a Ph.D. in Education. As a scholar-practitioner, infuses cultural responsiveness in enrollment services.
Capstone Project - “Class Wait-listing: A Strategy for Managing Course Demand” examined class wait-list numbers after two separate time periods--General Registration and Add/Drop Periods. This project also gathered information on students’ behavior concerning wait-listing and assessed delayed paths to graduation. Findings from this study resulted in a set of recommendations for changes in the University’s wait-listing policy and processes, including the integration of the review of wait-list numbers in enrollment planning.