AACRAO's Strategic Enrollment Management Endorsement Program (SEM-EP)
team welcomes Dr. Joseph Mews to its team of evaluators. Dr. Mews serves as Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Success at the University of South Carolina – Palmetto College and brings more than a decade of experience in the SEM space.
Dr. Mews completed the SEM-Endorsement Program in early 2020, just before the pandemic, and could take full advantage of the program's site visit components and utilize them on his campus. Speaking on his experience with the SEM Endorsement Program, Dr.
Mews said:
I really enjoyed the experience. It was well-rounded, and I did my field visits early in the program. I had a chance to visit university systems and campuses that I had never been to before and learn about all the different ways enrollment management can look, feel, and operate through these different lenses.
The content really set the stage and helped me understand the broader scope of enrollment management and the strategies connected to it. For the field visits, I went to Penn State and Ohio State, a couple of their regional campuses, and learned more about how different systems operate and work together to establish a sustainable enrollment plan.
Dr. Mews also gained stronger connections with AACRAO and his regional ACRAO (CACRAO) through his work in the SEM Endorsement Program.
Joseph Mews Ph.D. Vice-Chancellor for Enrollment Management & Student Success - University of South Carolina Palmetto College
As an SEM-EP Evaluator, Dr. Mews looks forward to working with varied institutions and sees a renewed interest in enrollment management across the board as higher-ed institutions refocus and reevaluate goals. Speaking on this topic, Dr. Mews commented:
We have so many institutions that are struggling financially and really just got hit hard with enrollment. And so they're thinking about what's next, you know, how do we get this right for the future and make sure that we're sustainable, and how do we really get down into the weeds and understand all the different factors that influence enrollment.
I think there's going to be an increased interest in it (SEM) and developing not only a culture institutionally to embrace enrollment planning, but establishing roles that are specifically looking at this and really being intentional with organizational structures for colleges and universities. Ensuring enrollment is a priority and that there are not only resources but infrastructure surrounding that (SEM). And the SEM-EP program is, from what I can tell, one of the premier programs with its connection to AACRAO and the way the curriculum is developed.