This fall edition of SEMQ starts with a very timely article from John Baworowski on the impacts of the early Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) filing date on institutional practices. Nicknamed “Prior-Prior-Year” or “PPY” (we can't resist acronyms in financial aid), this new timeline for Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) data holds both promise and challenges for institutions. Baworowski covers the ground on this topic well, presenting some of the practical aspects of this change for state aid, scholarships, tuition and fee rates, and so on.

We have two “View from the Top” articles this month. In addition to Baworowski's article on PPY, Gerald Hector offers insights into the many challenges Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are facing. Hector dives into the role the enrollment manager plays in understanding and seeking strong net revenue to fuel institutional health and the perils of stagnant or declining net revenues on quality instruction and facilities. This is an update from a white paper written in 2014, one for which Hector received numerous comments and responses for its candor and alarm sounding across these institutions.

Michael Flannigan from Virginia Commonwealth University offers a study of organizational culture in the SEM division. Using the Competing Values Framework (CVF), a SEM division can more deeply understand the cultural norms of its personnel. It does not point to a good or bad outcome but addresses four orientation points along two axes. Where culture falls within their created quadrants allows SEM leaders to more objectively understand how divisional personnel are oriented in their approaches and develop methods to move SEM initiatives forward, in light of them.

Our fourth article in this issue examines the international student strategies across four major destination countries: Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Anita Gopel compares and contrasts the immigration and student visa policies of these countries, challenging the reader to examine the merits and pitfalls of each. This is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the competitive international recruitment landscape, especially those enrollment managers who are considering starting or expanding recruitment efforts for this growing segment of higher education.