I came across some data compiled by University of Tennessee professor Robert Kelchen, and found it quite compelling, precisely because it doesn’t conform to our biases. It’s a simple set and a small table, but I immediately found a dozen ways to look at it. One is included below. It shows enrollment growth over ten […]
In January, 2017, in the middle of a rare snowstorm in Memphis, I presented to the students and parents at three private high schools. Part of my talk focused on the paradox of complexity in college admission: Everyone says we hate it, but the institutions that introduce more of it tend to be rewarded with […]
I was talking with a colleague about the search for an academic dean, and about participating in the interview process with candidates. I confided that–while I found it helpful to see if the candidates seemed collegial, and to tease out what their relationship with EM at their current institution was like–I really had no sense […]
If you sit in the Director of Admissions seat, or the VP EM seat, or even the Provost or Presidential seat, you probably get a lot of solicitations from people who want to help you with your recruiting challenges. They will often assure you they’re not selling anything, but just want to hear about your […]
I have a friend. We’ve been great pals since the second day of first grade. He has a son who is going through the admissions process this year as a high school senior, and his grandparents really want him to go to Purdue. But the word on the street or in the school is that […]
I admit it. I’m not a refined or sophisticated person. My tastes run toward what some might call “pedestrian.” And at the end of last year, when my Spotify Rewind popped up, I was sort of ashamed to share it publicly. It’s not that my friends would be surprised–far from it–but I thought I had […]
As many as a dozen or so colleges and universities have returned to requiring the SAT or ACT for admission to the first-year class, after almost the entire country went to a test-optional admissions approach in response to COVID, when testing opportunities dropped dramatically. Should you? That depends. First, you probably know that imitation as […]
You know you’ve heard the death knell for sometime: Colleges are closing at an alarming rate, and it’s only going to get worse. But are they? And will it? To the second part, I recall the words of Mark Twain, who once said, “I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said I […]
Look at this quick view of Fall, 2022 discount rates (x-axis) and average net revenue (y-axis). The approximately 1,000 bubbles, each representing a single institution, are colored by Carnegie type (a roll up into large categories), and are sized by draw rate. Some quick definitions: I noticed that Georgetown University in DC and Georgetown College […]
Enrollment is boring. Yes, this profession I’ve chosen is boring, and it’s likely my family would tell you it suits me just fine. It’s also complicated. Ditto. But you have to pay attention to it, and you have to be bored by it. You have to do so, engaging more than Elevator Guy. You have […]
Enrollment VP 