The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (2024) recently reported that 44 states saw enrollment growth last year, which included growth in freshmen, community college students, dual-enrolled high school students, and graduate enrollment. But while these enrollment gains give us poise for optimism, enrollments remain below pre-pandemic levels, leaving us to remember that we need to always remain vigilant in our approach to recruiting and retaining postsecondary students. 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.

We often talk about the need for a presidential charge in the development of strategic enrollment management. Randy Weber, president at Rogue Community College, writes about how community college presidents can embed SEM into mission fulfillment by emphasizing the importance of setting a vision, ensuring adequate resources, and fostering collaboration by leveraging data-driven strategies and continuous improvement.

Summer melt, the phenomenon where students who have been accepted into college do not enroll in the fall semester, is a continuing and long-held concern of senior enrollment officers. Gail Ledezma introduces us to a quantitative study, conducted from applicants to a California community college campus, that explores the predictive factors associated with students’ likelihood of melting. Findings provide valuable but preliminary insights into the melting phenomenon in the community college context.

Academic advising is often touted as an essential student success tool. Kal Srinivas and Hope Smalling discuss Syracuse University’s initiative to transform student success by overhauling advising practices to better serve students, a process that included improving advisor training and coordinating advising across the institution, as well as integrating advising with career services. This led to supporting the university’s strategic plan goals of serving the whole student as well as sustaining an inclusive campus environment.

Financial aid is seen by many as one of the key ways to encourage and sustain student enrollment and to influence student decision-making related to the value of American higher education. Daniyal Saud, Meghan Grace, and Micah Kamrass discuss implementation of a no-loan initiative at a highly-selective NCAA Division 1 private literal arts college. Their study shows the differences in student experience and student success through the evaluation of student life experiences, academic experience, and experience with financial aid and work study between the cohort of students who receive financial aid packages that contain loans and work study and those who do not.

Decreased enrollment in graduate education programs poses a significant challenge for the ongoing development of educators, administrators, and learning professionals across various domains, including PK–12, higher education, and corporate settings. Alex Fronduto and Heidi Bishop report on a quantitative study that identified unique growth opportunities and partnerships for student recruitment to enhance graduate education enrollment.

In a leadership piece, Jerry Ross introduces us to the book, Leadership in Higher Education (2019), which highlights the five key practices of effective postsecondary leadership including: model the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart. He suggests that applying these leadership practices to enrollment management divisions will help to create a “motivated, innovative, and mission-driven team” that contributes to institutional success.

We also include a book review. Christopher Tremblay provides us with a look into A Comprehensive Guide to Graduate Enrollment Management: Advancing Research and Practice (2024), which provides a thorough examination of graduate enrollment management (GEM), from foundational terminology to advanced topics. Highlights include an in-depth exploration of legal issues, marketing strategies, and financial aid, as well as practical case studies and research insights.

The higher education landscape is always changing. 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.