For years we’ve heard about the future challenges institutions of higher education (HEIs) will face. The reality is that those challenges are here and HEI administrators are struggling to keep pace. Some common issues that administrators face include:
Difficulty achieving enrollment targets
Increasing societal scrutiny over the value of traditional post-secondary education
Concerns about student debt
Oversaturation of traditional marketing
Staff turnover and time spent hiring and training new staff
Those charged with leading their institution toward its goals are managing these issues with little to no guidance on how to successfully move forward. This is all while doing the day-to-day work of leading their institutions.
The world has changed rapidly, the future is uncertain, and leaders need support.
The work of enrollment leaders has always been shaped by viewing challenges as opportunities – for higher education at large and our own institutions in particular – to better serve students. We designed AACRAO’s ASCEND Program,
a tier of our LEAD Initiative launched
in 2018, to prepare mid-level professionals in the competencies required to successfully step forward into the future.
The 2021-2022 Cohort is approaching the end of its year-long training program and we look forward to seeing these professionals grow.
This cohort has leaned on each other, guest speakers, their coaches, and the ASCEND curriculum to identify their individual strengths and weaknesses, develop a career map tailored to their specific goals, and move the needle forward at their specific
institutions. They will conclude their work with a presentation of their capstones at the 2022 SEM Conference in Toronto, Ontario Canada this November.
Are you ready to lead the field?
Apply for the 2022 - 2023 ASCEND Program. The application window is August 19 - September 16, 2022.