As we put the COVID-19 pandemic in our rear-view mirror, we are reminded that the enrollment management landscape is always changing. Looking forward, we can see the much-talked-about ‘enrollment cliff,’ the geo-political realities impacting the enrollment of international students, the presence of an increasing number of adult learners on our campuses, the continuing enrollment and retention issues faced by all of us, and the pressing need to develop an effective SEM organization. This issue of SEM Quarterly speaks to how current SEM practitioners are increasing our understanding of these topics and what we can do to enhance our practice.

The impending ‘enrollment cliff’ has created increasing urgency among smaller colleges and universities to respond to the anticipated decline in student enrollment created by demographic changes and access to and use of online teaching modalities. Jas Singh and Leonard Samborowski investigate the impact of digital maturity on enrollment in small colleges, finding a positive impact of digital maturity on college enrollment. They also propose a framework of digital maturity assessment that college administrators can use to assess and create their enrollment strategy.

The COVID-19 pandemic created many enrollment and retention challenges for higher educational institutions. Jennifer Passenti, using a qualitative case study, outlines how one small nonprofit institution in Pennsylvania navigated these challenges within the context of Kotter’s (1996) organizational change management theory, and successfully maintained their enrollment through the use of collaboration, technological advancements, external support, investments, and community partnerships.

While we have considerable research on domestic student retention and persistence, less is known about the factors that influence international student success. Amine Oudghiri conducted a non-experimental, descriptive study to identify relationships between common persistence variables and selected demographic attributes among international students attending public regional universities in West Virginia. While results suggest that international students do not struggle academically, socially, or institutionally at West Virginian public universities, it was noted that academic integration showed a positive association with class standing and there is a need for further research related to student persistence, students’ perceptions of campus climate, and institutional retention practices.

While most institutions of higher learning focus their attention each fall on the entering traditional-student class, adult or non-traditional students are often neglected. Richard Gonzalez, using a single case study qualitative design, examines how enrollment managers’ views and perceptions about adult learning influences the student-profile prioritization and the development of SEM goals, and how this process is intersected and or influenced by the undergraduate college and experience leadership styles of enrollment managers. A set of recommendations are offered to help enrollment leaders enhance SEM practices at four-year universities focused on adult learners.

Leading and developing a SEM unit and plan can be daunting for even the most seasoned enrollment manager. John Haller identifies a four-step process for developing a successful SEM unit in a higher educational institution that includes: lead and assess your team, foster a data-informed culture, develop a SEM plan, and manage and lead change.

Diane Treis provides us with a look into the book, Key Practices for Fostering Engaged Learning: A Guide for Faculty and Staff (2023), which synthesizes High Impact Educational Practices (HIPs) with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) knowledgebase, and outlines ways this can be applied to SEM planning.

The higher education landscape is changing all around us. While we can learn much from what we have accomplished, it is important to look ahead to the new challenges the SEM community faces. Hopefully, this SEMQ edition will help you find your way to student and institutional success.

Happy reading.