by Brent A. Gage, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management, University of Iowa and Senior Consultant for AACRAO Consulting.
Enrollment managers, admissions officers and registrar staff all face the ongoing challenge of having to do more with fewer resources. While this challenge is real, all too often we are our own worst enemy in causing this to occur.
Most institutions of higher education have one thing in common: they are great at starting new programs, initiatives, task forces, and the like. Similarly, most institutions have a difficult time discontinuing these ever-accumulating programs which can lead to each cycle being a little bit more hectic than the last.
As strategic enrollment management initiatives are developed at your campus, it is essential that they are thoughtfully woven into the larger institutional strategic plan. In addition, the core principles of the institutional strategic plan can provide guidance to help prioritize your efforts.
Linking action to outcome
The development of a strategic enrollment management plan requires that not only goals and outcomes be linked to the strategic plan, but so must the tactics and activities put in place to achieve those goals. To achieve this, start by asking one simple question as you evaluate the activities, programs and services coordinated by your units: “How does this activity align with the institutional goals of our unit?”
Overcoming routine for routine's sake
Often when consulting at another institution or during my day-to-day activities I find that there are a number of things being done because that is the way they were done last year. There are many expenditures (financial and human resource) that when added together are quite costly and have no impact on the achievement of the goals by which success of your operation is measured. By thoughtfully aligning your resources with your priorities, you may identify a number of functions being carried out by your team that are not essential and can be either discontinued or changed to minimize the time and money currently being spent.
Real re-evaluation
The big changes coming in 2016-2017 of prior-prior year filing in financial aid and possible changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act will cause many campuses to rethink their processes, timelines and priorities. These changes provide an ideal opportunity to truly evaluate your operation and set clear priorities that are mission driven and have the greatest impact upon achieving institutional goals. This process will also help to remind staff at all levels what are the primary goals of the unit, and how success in meeting those goals is ultimately measured.
As the seasons change, many of us think of the spring cleaning we will be doing in the coming weeks. Perhaps now would be a good time to do the same on your campus? Focusing on what is most important and setting clear priorities might actually result in doing less to redirect your resources to the things that are really most important.
For an in-depth discussion about SEM solutions on your campus, explore AACRAO Consulting.
In addition, check out AACRAO's upcoming live, free webinar Strategies for the Evolving Enrollment Technology System Map -- this Thursday, April 7 at 2 p.m. eastern time.