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 […]
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 […]
Of all the things we’re asked to worry about, now people are concerned about men. Like my post earlier (the one with the headline in Russian that people were afraid to read, apparently), you should realize that the narrative about male enrollment is true, but maybe not so dire as you think. It should come […]
I recently had the chance to congratulate a colleague who announced her retirement on LinkedIn. “Well done,” I typed. “You made it out the other side unscathed.” It was, of course, a bit hyperbolic, a knowing nod from me to someone who also worked in enrollment management at a large public university. In our jobs, […]
If you’re confused by the headline, so am I. I don’t speak Russian, but I remember this from a speech given by Ronald Reagan, when he quoted a Russian proverb in a speech about nuclear disarmament. Translated, the title means, “Trust, but Verify.” Fortunately, our purpose today is a little less compelling. But it does […]
I can read your mind. You probably take last year’s tuition, look at how much your expenses will increase, and raise tuition by that amount. Problem solved, right? Then why doesn’t it work? It doesn’t work because the tuition colleges set carries almost no resemblance to what students actually pay. Of course, state and federal […]
Enrollment VP 