As institutional leaders approach issues like rising tuition, changing demographics, and lingering disruptions from the pandemic, could a competitive advantage exist in how individual departments or units are combined to create a synergy that has positive outcomes on enrollment?
Kelly Lips, Ed.D., assistant vice provost and dean of enrollment services at Emory University’s Oxford College, explored this question in her recent research, which was published in the October SEMQ.
Through a comparative case study, Lips sought “to understand factors that impact decisions pertaining to the structure and composition of the enrollment management divisions at two mid-sized, private institutions.” She conducted semi-structured interviews with chief enrollment management officers and department directors, finding that “structure can be influenced by the experience of personnel, revenue, the culture, and the desire to enhance prestige.”
She concluded, “Institutional leaders and practitioners of enrollment management need to create a structure that aligns with strategy while also allowing for the flexibility to leverage talent available, create an open system of communication, and prioritize goals clearly in conjunction with a strategic approach for moving toward those goals when considering the organizational structure of an enrollment management division.”
Other articles in this issue include:
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