by Tom Green, Ph.D., Associate Executive Director, Consulting and SEM
Most of us who have served as chief enrollment officer at a college or university have felt the daunting weight of responsibility on our shoulders. The health of the institution, success of students, well-being of our staff depend evermore on our ability to bring in the class, well-matched to our institutional offerings, ready to thrive. Providing the best possible transition programs and support services can help. While that responsibility and weight is all too real in our profession, SEM is inherently a team sport. We can’t possibly create the conditions for optimal enrollment without the active participation of our colleagues in the academy, our friends down the hall in finance, the incredible efforts of student life, campus security, the cleaning and maintenance staff, on and on. You get the picture.
Thwarted enthusiasm
One of the greatest challenges in SEM is getting everyone on the team. Good SEM planning and implementation requires that everyone shares a common vision for the future of the institution’s enrollment, understands the dynamic forces at play in building and sustaining optimal enrollment levels, and executes the plan at a high level of efficiency and effectiveness. As the enrollment manager, you are the coach, cheerleader, strength trainer, towel boy and training table chef. On a good day, we are thankful to have some good colleagues who have at least looked at the playbook before the game started. Others seem to be playing a different game out of a playbook none of us have seen.
We have all attended great conferences and come back to our institutions full of great ideas and new energy. The frustration quickly sets in when we try to implement those ideas and other areas of the institution don’t seem to get the ideas or don’t share the same enthusiasm for them. Perhaps the most frequent question I am asked about SEM is, “How do I get people (faculty, in particular) to buy into SEM on my campus?”
Creating a common language
The SEM Conference always has been and always will be a great meeting for individuals who come to represent their institutions, gather great ideas, look at the successful strategies of colleagues, network with peers, and regain energy and momentum for SEM back at home. The reality of our institutional funding levels is that not everyone can come to an international conference like SEM; certainly not every year (although Stan Henderson, Angé Petersen and Dick Whiteside have managed it for the last 25 years!) from every institution. That is why I get so excited to see institutional teams come to SEM. Their chances for success have just increased exponentially.
Finding time to think strategically is hard. I remember years of riding home on the plane from SEM and feeling the ideas begin to gel in that unbroken span of time. Once I returned back to the office, there were any number of technical, communication, staffing, student or parent issues to distract me from any possible strategic planning. Staff retreats are great and when done well can provide a catalyst for strategic thinking and planning. The chance to get away from the office with colleagues or my key staff reports was incredibly valuable. Imagine how valuable that can be when you infuse that time with great speakers, demonstrations of cutting-edge practices, access to services and solutions to facilitate SEM success and time built in to socialize with your team and process the stimuli coming at you.
Imagine bringing a team from your institution to SEM this year. Having met with many teams at the conference over the years as their mentor/facilitator, I can attest to the energy that is created when faculty, student life, enrollment, finance and even presidents/chancellors gather around a table to talk about what they are experiencing. Questions are flying as fast as the ideas about what they may be able to do. They have a common vocabulary for SEM and they have seen how others have applied SEM concepts. The barriers that seemed to keep them from success start to fall. Seeds are planted, waiting to take root back at home.
Leadership muscle
You may not be able to bring a team to SEM this year. I still hope you’ll come and leverage the ideas and information you gain with your colleagues back at home. Think about building the budget for a team over time or in a future year. The conference is a great experience, no matter how many people come from your institution.
If you are fortunate enough to be able to bring a team to the San Antonio Hill Country this November, consider it your leadership retreat on steroids. Lace up your track shoes, check your gear and get your head in the game. You’re about to get full-contact SEM.
Learn more and register for the SEM Conference, Nov. 6-9 in San Antonio, Texas.