executive symposium perspectives on executive sem leadership andrea schokker executive vice...

Executive Symposium

Perspectives on Executive SEM Leadership

Andrea SchokkerExecutive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs

AACRAO SEM Executive Symposium 2013 2

Overview

1. Leadership

2. Cultural change and buy-in

3. Results

4. The UMD example


The Role of Executive Leadership

1. Be clear (and honest) about the place SEM takes with respect to other initiatives

2. Be prepared to “blow up” some things

3. Know what must be tackled immediately: prioritize

4. Lead the culture change and support/encourage

5. Understand the ROI for this type of initiative and don’t be shy about spreading that message

6. Set expectations/goals and follow up with assessment


Cultural Change: Understand Your Starting Point

1. Enrollment expectations• Need for continuous increase to meet budget?• Who is part of the team for recruitment?• Where does the buck stop?• Demographic expectations? • Is the capacity on campus consistent with expectations?

2. The leadership, staff and faculty must be on the same page with the expectations• Discuss and document• Be consistent with messaging


Cultural Change: Trust

1. Know where your trust and political capital is strongest• Keep building it and expanding it• Take time with the faculty and staff in key groups – not just their

directors or supervisors• Communicate clearly and directly, then back up your words• Get the Deans and Directors fully onboard

‒ Opinions may differ, but all must present a unified story

• Avoid excuses and the blame game: expect others to live up to this as well


Results

1. Know when you need outside help

2. Make sure you can get the data needed

3. Set realistic goals and don’t rest until they are met• The honeymoon period for making the change can be very short

4. Celebrate the hard work of your team when they reach a goal

Good results are the most direct route to solidify trust and to change the culture


Case Study: the University of Minnesota Duluth

1. The basics• Regional comprehensive

• On Lake Superior, major outdoor activity focus

• 2nd largest campus in 5 campus UMN system: 11,000+ students

• Duluth population: 86,000

• Majority of entering class has been directly from high school

• Small online presence

• Primarily undergraduate institution with $30M research expenditures


Enrollment / Degrees Awarded



SEM Council


Strategic Enrollment Management

SEM Council appointed during the summer of 2011• Enrollment growth was without strategy • Opportunity: Strategic Planning initiated under new Chancellor• Membership

‒ Faculty/associate dean reps from undergrad colleges‒ Director of Graduate School‒ Directors of Admissions and Financial Aid‒ Associate VC of Enrollment and Assessment‒ Coordinator of Retention


Strategic Plan Support of SEM

Included Enrollment Action Steps:

1. Establish undergraduate enrollment targets based on capacity to deliver quality programs, student and societal demands, academic preparation of incoming students, and tuition revenue needs.

2. Identify, prioritize and assess activities that support student achievement of UMD’s learning goals, student success, satisfaction, and graduation rates.

3. Implement effective, measurable processes to recruit, retain, and support diverse students, faculty and staff.

4. Implement a comprehensive plan to attract, retain, and serve high caliber graduate students.


Strategic Enrollment Management

2011


SEM Phase I

Data Analysis

Data Collection

Current Processes

Key Performance Indicators

1. Collection and review: • Current recruitment and retention

plans• Internal enrollment data

• External enrollment data

2. Noel-Levitz Consultant

3. Undergraduate Student Satisfaction Inventory

4. Academic department meetings

5. Undergraduate competitor analysis

6. Graduate program directors survey


SEM Phase 21. Utilized data analysis to establish

enrollment projections and 3 and 5-year goals

2. Goals established for:• Undergrad, grad, non-degree• New freshman, transfer, continuing• Students of color and international• MN and non-MN

Enrollment Goals

Enrollment Projections

Goal Setting


SEM Phase 3

1. Development of action plans supporting each enrollment goal

• Intensive work with Admissions practices

2. Stakeholder involvement

3. Assigned responsibility and timelines

Enrollment Goals

Enrollment Projections

Goal Setting


Enrollment Crisis

Lowest freshman enrollment in over a decade


What Happened?

Enrollment Culture

• Thought we were immune to external environmental changes

• No campus or system enrollment approach

• It’s the job of the admissions office

• STEM fields had been covering the problem in other areas


Enrollment by College


Time for Help

1. Lack of experience and personnel to make a quick turnaround without help

2. Consulting partnership with AACRAO: Tom Green and Blake Vawter

3. 1 year partnership focusing on Admissions and Financial Aid best practices


Admissions: Challenges

1. Recruitment was primarily word of mouth

2. STEM growth in new programs and a good year in athletics likely postponed the inevitable

3. Minimal marketing plan

4. Goals and accountability for field staff minimal

5. Little use of technology

6. Slow response time for materials requests

7. Some HR issues

8. Lack of confidence from colleges


Additional Challenges1. Lack of support for students outside of the new high school pool

• Not a strong reputation for transfer ease• Registrar not re-centralized until 2012• College culture around quality of transfers

2. Disadvantaged by low discount rate compared to public campus norms (-5%)

3. Low rate of freshman providing FAFSA/ISIR information

4. Coordination of recruitment/messaging throughout campus

5. Broken reporting lines due to retirements, failed searches, HR issues

6. BUDGET


Admissions Positives

1. Core group of strong staff: dedicated and experienced

2. Huge number of campus visitors

3. Attractive existing materials for visitors

4. Quick processing for students meeting regular admissions criteria


Changes Implemented: the CAO Role

1. Met monthly with consultants during campus visit for a debriefing

2. Listen, support, prioritize

3. Find resources• Enrollment = tuition priority in tough budget times• Cabinet and colleges need to understand the priority

4. Work on campus culture


Changes Implemented: Admissions

1. Staff deployed to meet market needs• E-recruitment.• Visit experience.• Largest population center is in the Twin Cities.

2. Communication plan development• Focused student search purchase.• Crisp, segmented messages aligned with student choice factors.• Web, email and direct mail channels.

3. Reduction in recruitment travel• More focus on follow-up and conversion.


Changes Implemented: Admissions

1. All field staff trained to recruit transfers• Pre-admissions advising.• Community college relations.

2. Community college partnership program initiated to increase transfer enrollment.

3. Implemented CRM (SalesForce) technology to track effectiveness of communications and manage search list, inquiry, visit data and create better data resources for admissions staff.


Changes Implemented: Financial Aid

1. Increased communication/follow-up to increase FAFSA/ISIR results

2. Redistributed merit awards to remove sharp gap between very large awards and minimal awards

3. Varied awards based on discipline • To address capacity discrepancies• Significant endowments focused in certain disciplines that already

have high demand

4. Increased focus on high-need students

5. Increased focus to meet needs of under-represented groups


Where we are now

1. Strong SEM framework to address rapidly changing higher education environment• 8.5% increase in freshman enrollment from previous year

2. Major issues identified and on path of correction

3. Continuing to implement and refine• It will take time, but we now have a plan

4. Addressing budget challenges• Program prioritization• Move to being a data-driven campus

5. Recruitment is everyone’s job• Admissions takes the lead on recruitment• Colleges take the lead on retention


Graduation Rates


Retention Rates


Prioritizing: Part of the Strategy

1. Budget issues are providing opportunity for a comprehensive look at efficiency and quality • Degree programs• Non-degree, support services, administration

2. Enrollment is directly tied to budget• 80% tuition, 20% state support

Tuition/Cost Program Snapshot*

*basic overview as example: not complete picture

Tuition/Cost Snapshot by College*

*basic overview as example: not complete picture

Education & Human Services

Liberal ArtsBusiness & Economics

Science &Engineering Fine Arts

Tuition Revenue by Department


Summary

1. Strategic Enrollment Management requires • Full support from leadership• Clear expectations on goals, accountability and resources• Education of all of campus on the need and benefits• A combination of the ability to move fast, be decisive when given

information, AND have patience


Thank you!

Tom Green and Blake Vawter: our consulting partners

Mary Keenan, UMD Director of Enrollment Management and Institutional Research

Admissions staff, especially Scott Schulz and Ian Pannkuk, UMD Associate Admissions Directors


Questions and Discussion


Andrea Schokker

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

executive symposium perspectives on executive sem leadership andrea schokker executive vice...

Documents

place sem

enrollment growth

strategic planning

campus consistent

campus umn system

dont rest

documentbe consistent

demographic expectations